9 Abbotsford prospects with a chance to crack Vancouver Canucks roster
The Abbotsford Canucks thrilled fans with a Calder Cup championship, but how much of their success will translate to the big club in Vancouver?
It’s a question we’ll begin to get answers to at training camp in Penticton.
Arturs Silovs was Abbotsford’s best player, but it seems unlikely the 24-year-old Latvian will figure into Vancouver’s plans. Canucks management appears to have hitched their wagon to Thatcher Demko and Kevin Lankinen, which could make Silovs trade bait.
But that doesn’t mean there won’t be NHL graduates next season on forward and defence.
In no particular order, here are nine players who played in Abbotsford last season with a shot to become NHL regulars for the first time in their careers.
1. Aatu Räty
We begin this list with a player who didn’t contribute a lot to Abbotsford’s championship run.
Aatu Räty was limited to just six AHL playoff games due to injury, in which he notched three points. It’s unfortunate, because otherwise Räty appeared to take a step forward in his development last season.
The 22-year-old Finn scored 40 points (17-23-40) in 43 AHL games and added another 11 points (7-4-11) in 33 games at the NHL level.
With a gaping hole at centre, Räty presents the best chance for the Canucks to improve from within.
2. Linus Karlsson
After leading the Calder Cup Playoffs in goals and points (14-12-26), Linus Karlsson looks like a player who could stick in Vancouver next season.
A late bloomer, Karlsson turns 26 in November, so it’s probably now or never for the 6-foot-1 winger.
Karlsson appeared in 23 NHL games last season and appeared to find his stride late, with five points (2-3-5) in his final 10 games.
3. Arshdeep Bains
Surrey’s Arshdeep Bains finished second among Abbotsford players in playoff goals (7) and points (24), and first in assists (17) during their Calder Cup run.
The 24-year-old has proven himself in three years at the AHL level, and as he becomes waiver eligible next season, it’s time to show he can do it in the NHL. Bains has appeared in 21 NHL games with the Canucks over the past two seasons, scoring just one goal.
Canucks who now require waivers that did not last season:
Linus Karlsson
Aatu Raty
Arshdeep Bains
Arturs SilovsCanucks who's waiver exemption could expire during the season:
Victor Mancini (31/70)
Max Sasson (29/60)— Canucks News Summaries (@VCanucksNews) July 9, 2025
4. Max Sasson
Max Sasson isn’t waiver eligible yet, and that might hurt his chances at a spot on the NHL roster. The 24-year-old appeared in 29 games in Vancouver, scoring seven points (3-4-7).
Sasson brings speed and he can play centre, so that gives him a shot.
5. Ty Mueller
The Canucks need a centre, you say?
Still just 22 years old, Ty Mueller put together an impressive rookie season of pro hockey in 2024-25. A fourth-round draft pick by the Canucks in 2023, Mueller scored 39 points (12-27-39) in 64 AHL regular season games, to go with 12 points (3-9-12) in 24 playoff games.
The 5-foot-11 centre even earned an NHL call up, appearing in two games with the Canucks.
6. Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Jonathan Lekkerimäki had an up-and-down first full season of pro hockey in North America.
The 20-year-old scored 19 goals in 36 AHL games and showed flashes of brilliance in 24 games at the NHL level. He scored only seven points (3-4-7) in the Calder Cup Playoffs and was a healthy scratch for multiple games. But he also buried two goals in Game 4 of the Calder Cup Final.
There aren’t a lot of open spots on the wings in Vancouver, which could mean he starts in the AHL. But given Lekkerimäki’s age and pedigree, don’t be surprised if he solidifies himself in Vancouver by mid-season.
7. Elias Pettersson
Elias Pettersson split last season between the NHL and AHL, playing 28 games in Vancouver and 38 games in Abbotsford.
He was ineligible for the AHL playoffs, so he missed Abbotsford’s championship run, as there was a limit to the number of players that the Canucks could paper down.
The 21-year-old impressed in Vancouver last season and appears to have an inside track on an opening-night roster spot. He’ll have to prove himself all over again in training camp, though, because there’s a lot of competition on the blue line.
8. Victor Mancini
Unlike Pettersson, Victor Mancini did play playoff games in Abbotsford.
The 6-foot-3 blueliner played a big role during the playoffs, and maybe it’s time for him to lock down an NHL spot. With Derek Forbort likely to slot in on the left side of Vancouver’s third pair, the right-shooting Mancini is a natural fit on the right side.
9. Kirill Kudryavtsev
Is Kirill Kudryavtsev flying under the radar?
The 21-year-old Russian defenceman was a terrific find by the Canucks in the seventh round of the 2022 draft.
In his first year of pro hockey, the left-shot defender earned a call up to Vancouver and appeared in two NHL games. He stepped up in the Calder Cup Playoffs too, tying for the team lead among defencemen in points (10).
The stat that really jumps off the page for Kudryavtsev is his playoff-leading plus-minus. Kudryavtsev was +18, well ahead of second place (Tobias Bjornfot of Charlotte, +11). Akito Hirose was second among Abbotsford players, at +9.