Vancouver Canucks announce first 11 training-camp cuts
The Vancouver Canucks pared down their roster by 11 players on Monday, making their first cuts ahead of the 2026-27 season.
Since there are just four preseason games this year and the regular season kicks off in just over a week, the Canucks don’t have a lot of time to get down to the 23-man roster limit.
That means fans can expect to see the cuts come fast and furiously, especially with the Abbotsford Canucks also needing to prepare for the start of the AHL season. Their first preseason game will be on Sunday.
These players were cut:
- Vilmer Alriksson (F)
- Gabriel Chiarot (F)
- Anri Ravinskis (F)
- Aku Koskenvuo (G)
- Ty Young (G)
- Austin Brimmer (F)
- Bennett Schimek (F)
- Joe Arntsen (D)
- Tim Rego (D)
- Gavin White (D)
- Lucian Bernat (F)
Five of the players cut are not signed to NHL contracts with the Canucks, but instead to AHL deals with Abbotsford: forwards Austin Brimmer and Bennet Schimek, and defencemen Joe Antsen, Tim Rego, and Gavin White.
The other six players are all Canucks prospects.
Forwards Vilmer Alriksson, Gabriel Chiarot, and Anri Ravinskis, as well as goaltenders Aku Koskenvuo and Ty Young, were assigned to the Abbotsford Canucks.
Meanwhile, 2026 sixth-round pick Lucian Bernat was sent to his junior team, the Owen Sound Attack in the OHL.
Bernat was dealing with an injury at the start of training camp and mainly skated with injured forward Akil Thomas prior to the main sessions. On Sunday, however, he participated in practice as an extra forward.
This will be Bernat’s first season in the OHL after putting up 31 points in 37 games with Tappara U20 in the Finnish junior league in his draft year.
Of the five prospects assigned to Abbotsford, there’s a distinct possibility that fans could see a couple of them in the NHL this season.
This is a crucial season for the 21-year-old Alriksson to prove himself, and his 6-foot-6 size and puck-protection ability could earn him a call-up, while the 23-year-old Ravinskis has the size and speed to play in a fourth-line role in case of injury.
In net, Koskenvuo and Young will battle for the starting role in Abbotsford, assuming Nikita Tolopilo starts the season in the NHL as Thatcher Demko recovers from his January surgery.
If there are further injuries in net, one of Koskenvuo or Young will likely get the call.
That said, the Canucks have been clear that they don’t want to be calling up and sending down prospects too much.
“I do not believe in the yo-yo up-and-down American League-NHL of a young player,” said general manager Ryan Johnson ahead of training camp. “If they’re in the American League, I often see it as there’s one call-up. They kick the door down, there’s one call-up, and they never go back.”
These first cuts bring the Canucks preseason roster down to 46 players, meaning they will need to cut that roster nearly in half to get down to the 23-man limit.