SportsHockeyCanucks

Former Canucks draft guru Judd Brackett leaving Minnesota for another team

Preston Hodgkinson
Preston Hodgkinson
|
May 31 2026, 5:57 pm
Former Canucks draft guru Judd Brackett leaving Minnesota for another team
@Canucks/X

Ex-Vancouver Canucks head of amateur scouting Judd Brackett is on the move.

The 49-year-old Brackett is reportedly leaving the Minnesota Wild after spending the last five years as their director of amateur scouting. According to The Athletic’s Michael Russo, Brackett will be headed to another NHL team in an “elevated position,” but details on who that new team is and what the position will be are unknown.

“Hearing director of amateur scouting Judd Brackett is leaving the Minnesota Wild for an elevated position with another team,” Russo reported. “Brackett ran the Wild’s last five drafts and is on an expiring contract.”

There had been speculation that Brackett could return to the Canucks as an assistant GM under new GM Ryan Johnson and co-presidents Daniel and Henrik Sedin, but that does not appear to be the case.

CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal ruled out a return to Vancouver.

“He is not coming back to Vancouver,” Dhaliwal confirmed on social media.

One team to look out for in the Brackett sweepstakes is the Toronto Maple Leafs, who have reportedly gained permission from the Wild to interview him for a role as an assistant GM under new GM John Chayka and president Mats Sundin.

Elliotte Friedman reported on Toronto’s interest shortly after news of Brackett’s departure broke, though he implied that multiple teams have also inquired.

“Toronto is one of the teams that has permission to talk to Brackett,” Friedman reported. “Would be for an AGM position if it closes.”

 

Brackett worked as an amateur scout with the Canucks between 2008 and 2015 before being promoted to the team’s director of amateur scouting for the 2015-16 season. He stayed in that role until 2020-21, when he left the organization for the same job with the Wild. 

Under his watch, Brackett helped the Canucks build a formidable young core of players, drafting the likes of Elias Pettersson and Quinn Hughes in back-to-back years, as well as finding role players like Vasily Podkolzin and Nils Höglander.

Ironically enough, two high-profile picks of Brackett’s during his tenure in Minnesota were Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren, both of whom came to Vancouver as part of last year’s Hughes trade. 

There is no question that Brackett would have been an interesting pickup for this new Canucks front office. Considering all the work he’s put in over the years, it’s safe to say that he has fully earned the opportunity to jump into an AGM role somewhere.

We’ll have to wait and see where that winds up being.

ADVERTISEMENT