Vancouver Canucks line up dinner dates with four draft prospects: report
The Vancouver Canucks don’t seem to have their minds made up just yet as to who they will take with the third-overall selection.
Some reports have stated that the organization is leaning towards Swedish forward Ivar Stenberg, while others have suggested they hope to land Caleb Malholtra. While those two remain high on their list, they aren’t the only ones who could hear their name called at No. 3 overall.
As per CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks brass has dinner dates planned with four prospects: Stenberg, Malholtra, defenceman Chase Reid, and presumed first-overall pick, Gavin McKenna.
Maholtra, Reid, Stenberg and McKenna all have dinner dates with the Canucks this week.
ā Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) June 3, 2026
Dhaliwal also went on to mention that they could be sitting down with even more prospects, but these are the four he has heard about so far.
The most interesting of the bunch on this list is Reid. The 18-year-old defenceman quickly shot up mock draft rankings during the second half of the season, to the point where many believe he will be the first blueliner taken in this year’s draft. He’s coming off a season in which he scored 18 goals and 48 points in 45 games with the Prince George Cougars.
As for McKenna and Stenberg, there is no guarantee that either will be available for the Canucks. The two had been viewed as the consensus first- and second-overall selections, though they no longer appear to be locks to go in those spots.
While the Canucks didn’t get the luck they were hoping for at the draft lottery, this is still going to be a monumental selection. It marks the first time in 27 years that they have had a top-three pick, and it’s imperative that they hit on it as they look to get their rebuild going in the right direction.
The NHL Draft is set to take place on June 26 and 27 at KeyBank Center in Buffalo.