7 former Canucks players competing at Beijing Winter Olympics
NHL players aren’t going to the Winter Olympics, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be some familiar faces for Canucks fans in Beijing.
The men’s Olympic hockey tournament is loaded with former NHL players, including seven players who used to be part of the Canucks organization.
Yes, the Olympics will be played in a Sea of Granlund.
1. Markus Granlund (Finland)
Markus Granlund, who suited up for 215 games for the Canucks from 2015 to 2019, will play for Team Finland. Granlund, 28, has been a productive player in the KHL for the last two seasons. He has 38 points in 41 games with Ufa Salavat Yulayev this season.
2. Yannick Weber (Switzerland)
Swiss defenceman Yannick Weber, who played 159 games for the Canucks between 2013 and 2016, is going to the Olympics. This is actually Weber’s third trip to the Olympics, as he also represented Switzerland in 2014 and 2010.
3. Adam Cracknell (Canada)
Adam Cracknell is the lone former Canucks player on Team Canada this year. The Victoria product suited up for 44 games with the Canucks during the 2015-16 season. He’s currently on an AHL contract in the Edmonton Oilers organization in Bakersfield and has 23 points in 28 games this season.
The most recent member of the Canucks going to the Olympics isn’t a player, but rather Nolan Baumgartner, who is Canada’s assistant coach.
4. Oscar Fantenberg (Sweden)
A player Baumgartner used to coach in Vancouver, Oscar Fantenberg, will represent Team Sweden. Fantenberg played 36 games for the Canucks in 2019-20, and has brought his steadying defensive presence to St. Petersburg SKA in the KHL the last two seasons.
5. Nicklas Jensen (Denmark)
Former Canucks first-round pick Nicklas Jensen will represent Denmark. Jensen has played the past five seasons in the KHL, scoring 34 points in 37 games for Jokerit Helsinki this season.
6. Ronalds Kenins (Latvia)
Two former Canucks players will represent Latvia, including short-lived fan favourite Ronalds Kenins, who played 38 regular-season games plus five more in the playoffs for the Canucks in 2015 and 2016. Kenins has played professionally in Switzerland since 2016, first for Zurich SC and now for Lausanne HC.
7. Rodrigo Abols (Latvia)
Joining Kenins on Team Latvia is Rodrigo Abols, a seventh-round pick of the Canucks in 2016. Abols never suited up for the Canucks in a regular-season game and now plays pro hockey for Orebro HK in Sweden.
Other notable names
Other Vancouver connections include Michal Repik, who won a Memorial Cup during his three years (2005-2008) with the Vancouver Giants.
Five BC-born players are on Team Canada, but that doesn’t include Cracknell, who was born in Saskatchewan but grew up in Victoria, or Edmonton-born Adam Tambellini — the son of longtime Canuck executive Steve Tambellini and brother of former Canucks forward Jeff Tambellini.
Landon Ferraro (Vancouver), Tyler Wotherspoon (Burnaby), Jordan Weal (North Vancouver), Ben Street (Coquitlam), and Corban Knight (Oliver) are on Team Canada, too. Port Moody’s Kent Johnson, who was drafted fifth overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets last year, is on Hockey Canada’s taxi squad.
The Opening Ceremony in Beijing is set for Friday, February 4, with the 12-team men’s hockey tournament beginning on February 9. Canada’s first game is February 10 against Germany. The Canadians will also play USA (February 12) and China (February 13) in the preliminary round.
The women’s hockey tournament begins a day before the Opening Ceremony on February 3. The Canadian women open the tournament against Switzerland, and will also play USA, Finland, and Russia (ROC) in the preliminary round.
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