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7 Canucks defence prospects off to strong starts this season

Noah Strang
Noah Strang
|
Nov 28 2023, 8:17 pm
7 Canucks defence prospects off to strong starts this season
Stu Horne/Boston University | OHLRangers/X

Over the past decade, the Vancouver Canucks have struggled to draft and develop NHL-quality defencemen. The result has been a patchwork group of free-agency signings and trade acquisitions that have not been able to form a high-level group.

Besides Quinn Hughes, who fell into the team’s lap in 2018, the last time the Canucks drafted a defenceman who played at least 200 games with the franchise was Ben Hutton in the fifth round of the 2012 NHL Draft. They did pick NHL regular Gustav Forsling in 2015, but traded him shortly after.

However, after just two drafts under general manager Patrik Allvin, the Canucks have completely overhauled their defence prospect pipeline and have several promising players that look set to make an impact. There are now a handful of recent draft picks who are strong candidates to play at least 200 NHL games with the Canucks, most notably these seven players selected under Allvin.

1. Tom Willander

  • 2023-24 stats (NCAA): 13 GP, 2 G, 5 A, 7 PTS

Right-handed defenceman Tom Willander was picked 11th overall in last summer’s draft, making him the highest-pedigree player on this list. Willander is playing his first season in North America with NCAA powerhouse Boston University, and the early results have been promising. He’s a strong skater who plays a well-rounded two-way game.

“There is much to be excited about in the first-round pickā€™s game, especially regarding his mobility and how he leverages it to defend,” wrote prospect expert Daniel Gee in an article for Daily Hive evaluating the defenceman’s early-season performance. “The tools also mean that there is a significant opportunity for Willander to grow as a player. Look at him like a lump of premium clay ā€“ it will be up to the Canucks’ development staff to unlock the potential.”

Willander is one of the most important prospects in the Canucks’ organization. If he can develop into a legitimate top-four NHL player while on his entry-level contract, this selection will pay massive dividends for the franchise.

2. Hunter Brzustewicz

  • 2023-24 stats (OHL): 25 GP, 6 G, 34 A, 40 PTS

Willander gets a lot of attention due to his draft position, but it’s 2023 third-round pick Hunter Brzustewicz who has been one of the most impressive prospects across the entire hockey world this season. The right-shot player has been obliterating the OHL, scoring at a historic pace.Ā 

If a redraft were to take place today, Brzustewicz would without a doubt be picked far higher than he went last summer. His ability to create offence when transitioning up ice is already at a pro level, and he’s been showing off a much-improved shot, already matching last year’s goal total in a fraction of the games.

3. Elias Pettersson

  • 2023-24 stats (HockeyAllsvenskan): 12 GP, 1 G, 6 A, 7 PTS

Elias Pettersson, who shares the same name as the current Canucks superstar centre, was taken in the third round of the 2022 draft. Last season, he played 43 regular-season games in the SHL, the top men’s league in Sweden, as an 18-year-old.

While he’s playing mostly in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan this season, it’s not a bad thing as he’s able to take on more of a feature role. He’sĀ in the top 30 for defenceman scoring despite having played just 12 games, an impressive feat considering most teams have already played around 20.

4. Kirill Kudryavtsev

  • 2023-24 stats (OHL): 24 GP, 3 G, 19 A, 22 PTS

While Kirill Kudryavtsev was a seventh-round pick, you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at his numbers. He has 22 points in 24 OHL games so far this year, placing in the top 10 among defencemen.

This is his third season in the OHL, and he’s continued to look better with each passing year. While many seventh-round picks never get near the NHL, Kudryavtsev looks like he has a chance to break that trend.

5. Sawyer Mynio

  • 2023-24 stats (WHL): 16 GP, 3 G, 11 A, 14 PTS

Sawyer Mynio was scooped up by the Canucks in the third round of this past draft, just 14 picks after Brzustewicz. He is currently not far from Vancouver, playing for the Seattle Thunderbirds, and has 11 points in 16 games. That’s good for 0.69 points per game, a massive step forward from the 0.45 he posted last season.

He missed a few games after suffering an injury in the first game of the season but has not wasted any time to start producing after rejoining the lineup.

6. Jackson Dorrington

  • 2023-24 stats (NCAA): 9 GP, 2 G, 2 A, 4 PTS

Jackson Dorrington is playing at Northeastern University, the alma mater of fellow Canucks prospect Aidan McDonough. He was just named Hockey East’s defenceman of the week and has four points in six NCAA games this season, almost matching the six points he managed in 35 games last year.

7. Aiden Celebrini

  • 2023-24 stats (NCAA): 10 GP, 1 G, 3 A, 4 PTS

Aiden Celebrini is playing on the same team as Willander at Boston University. Drafted in the sixth round, Celebrini doesn’t have the high draft capital that gets people excited, but he’s transitioned to the NCAA level relatively well.

He has been able to crack a loaded Boston University lineup filled with NHL draft picks on many nights, despite being a freshman. His four points in 10 games is not a bad stat line for a player who isn’t often given the chance to play a ton of minutes.

While his performance thus far hasn’t been earth-shattering, he’s making good progress for a player picked near the end of the draft.

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