SportsHockeyCanucks

5 things to know ahead of Vancouver Canucks Prospect Showcase this weekend in Seattle

Trevor Beggs
Trevor Beggs
|
Sep 13 2025, 2:26 pm
5 things to know ahead of Vancouver Canucks Prospect Showcase this weekend in Seattle
Bob Frid/Imagn Images

Most of the Vancouver Canucks’ best prospects are going to play games this weekend.

The Canucks are heading down to Washington State to battle the Seattle Kraken’s prospects this weekend. The first game takes place on Saturday at 6 p.m. in Everett, Washington, with the second occurring back in Seattle on Sunday at 4 p.m.

Here are five things Canucks fans should know heading into the first ‘unofficial’ games of the season.

1. How to stream Canucks prospect game for free

A Canucks spokesperson told Daily Hive that the games this weekend will be streamed on the Canucks website.

Games were previously streamed on the team’s website when the Canucks participated in the Young Stars tournament alongside the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames and Winnipeg Jets.

2. Future D-pairing for the Canucks?

This isn’t the first time that Tom Willander and Elias Pettersson (the defenceman) have played together.

The Canucks’ two best prospects on defence were both on Team Sweden during the 2024 World Junior Hockey Championships. Willander and Pettersson helped their country make it to the Gold Medal Game, where they lost to the United States.

Both players flashed their NHL potential in the tournament. Pettersson was a defensive staple, while Willander finished with a +9 rating, tops among all Swedes.

It’s not inconceivable to think that these two could play together on a pair for the Canucks in the future.

3. Canucks top forward prospects paired together

Speaking of the 2024 Swedish World Juniors team, the MVP of that entire tournament was Jonathan Lekkerimäki.

Since then, the Tullinge, Sweden native has graduated to the pros. Lekkerimäki scored 19 goals in 36 regular season games for the Abbotsford Canucks last season, and played 24 games NHL games with Vancouver.

The 15th overall draft pick in 2022 will be skating on the top line in this tournament alongside Braeden Cootes, who was also drafted 15th overall in this year’s NHL Draft.

This will be the first time that Cootes will play games in a Canucks sweater. Based on the Canucks lack of centre depth, there’s an outside chance that the team could keep Cootes to play NHL games at the beginning of the season.

4. The highest-drafted goalie since…

The Canucks selected Aleksei Medvedev 47th overall in the second-round of this year’s draft. That made him the highest-drafted Canucks goaltender since Thatcher Demko (drafted 36th overall in 2014).

Medvedev is now one of the highest-drafted goaltenders in Canucks history. Only Demko, Cory Schneider (26th overall in 2004) and Troy Gamble (25th overall in 1985) were goaltenders selected with higher picks by the Canucks.

Although he was one of the youngest players in the 2025 draft class, Medvedev’s .912 SV% fourth-best among OHL netminders last season.

He’ll share the net this weekend with goaltender Aku Koskenvuo (drafted 137th overall in 2021).

5. Canucks climbing the depth chart

A handful of prospects are looking to make a good first impression and secure playing time with the Abbotsford Canucks.

Defenceman Sawyer Mynio joined the Abby Canucks last season for the playoff run but never played any games. He’s currently battling with veterans such as Guillaume Brisebois and Jimmy Schuldt on the left side of Abbotsford’s defence for minutes.

Hulking winger Vilmer Alriksson is also looking to transition to pro hockey and play games in Abby this season. The 6-foot-6, 235-pound winger is in a prime spot for the Prospect Showcase, as he’s set to skate alongside the Canucks’ best forward prospects in Cootes and Lekkerimäki.

Josh Bloom, originally acquired in exchange for defenceman Riley Stillman back in 2023, is also looking to get minutes in Abbotsford, after spending most of last season in the ECHL.

ADVERTISEMENT