Where Vancouver Canucks prospects are playing this season
As Ryan Johnson’s been saying, it’s all about the process for the Vancouver Canucks.
Vancouver will unsurprisingly roster one of the youngest teams in the NHL next season. Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, defenceman Elias Pettersson, and Liam Ohgren headline the U23 players who are destined to make the team. Jonathan Lekkerimaki could potentially join that group as well.
All of that means that wins don’t matter much for the Canucks in 2026-27. What matters more (aside from using voodoo magic to finally win a draft lottery) is the development of the young Canucks and prospects.
So, how can Canucks fans tune in to watch the growth of Braden Cootes, Caleb Malhotra, and others?
Here’s a quick guide.
Abbotsford Canucks
- Top players to watch: Braeden Cootes, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Sawyer Mynio, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Riley Patterson
- How to watch: FloHockey
Although Cootes could shock the Canucks once again and crack the NHL roster, a new rule permitting him to join the Abbotsford Canucks makes that his most likely destination.
And while Lekkerimaki does need to prove that he’s an NHL-calibre player at some point this season, there’s logic in having him start in the AHL with Cootes.
That could make the Abbotsford Canucks more of a draw than last season, if those two end up on the farm.
FloHockey is the place to watch Abbotsford Canucks games, although the monthly price of $49.99 is steep. An annual subscription comes to $17.99 per month.
The Abbotsford Canucks also post all of their highlights to YouTube.
NCAA prospects
Caleb Malhotra is the prospect Canucks fans will be watching closest this season. (Timothy T. Ludwig/Imagn Images)
- Top players to watch: Caleb Malhotra, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Anthony Romani, Wilson Bjork, Yaroslav Bryzgalov
- How to watch: TSN+, B1G+, Hockey East International Streaming, FloHockey
Trying to watch NCAA prospects in Canada can be a bit tricky.
There are six different Div. 1 NCAA Conferences for college hockey, and they all offer various streaming options.
For instance, the Big 10 Conference, featuring Gavin McKenna’s team last season, Penn State, has its streaming service available to Canadians. The cost is US$12.99 per month or US$89.99 annually. Vancouver has two prospects playing in that conference this season: Anthony Romani (Michigan State University) and Kieran Dervin (University of Michigan).
But the most important NCAA league for Canucks fans to track this season is Hockey East.
Caleb Malhotra begins his post-draft career this season at Boston University, where he will play alongside fellow Canucks prospects Niklas Aaram-Olsen and Aiden Celebrini. Yaroslav Bryzgalov, selected in the fourth round in 2026, will also play in the Hockey East Conference for Merrimack.
Hockey East has previously offered international streaming options for Canadians, but there isn’t confirmation it’s continuing in 2026. Daily Hive has reached out for comment but has yet to hear back.
A chunk of NCAA games will be streamed on TSN+. Last season, seven of Boston University’s 36 regular-season games appeared on the platform. Once the broadcasting schedule is confirmed, it will be published here.
Select games also appear on FloHockey.
Boston University will typically post highlights from all home games to its YouTube page.
OHL prospects
- Top players to watch: Adam Novotny, Brooks Rogowski, Alexei Medvedev, Lucian Bernat
- How to watch: FloHockey
Unless Adam Novotny or Brooks Rogowski pull a Cootes-like performance off at Canucks camp, they’re most likely headed to the OHL.
The Canucks have three high draft picks playing in the OHL this season, with Vancouver using a first-round pick on Novotny (Peterborough Petes) back in June, while Rogowski (Oshawa Generals) and goaltender Alexei Medvedev (London Knights) were recent second-rounders.
FloHockey is the home for OHL hockey, and all game highlights can be found on the OHL’s YouTube page.