Revisiting Preseason Predictions for the Canucks & Road Trip Reflections
Also, the latest news and rumours from Vancouver, a look back at Cody Hodgson's career, four more players are All-Stars, and more!
Welcome to the THW Vancouver Canucks Substack newsletter, with all the latest from our team of Canucks writers.
In today’s edition, we revisit some preseason predictions for the Canucks, reflect on the seven-game road trip so far, the latest news & rumours from Vancouver, a look back at Cody Hodgson’s career, and more.
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Canucks Prospect Report: Brzustewicz, Bains, Bloom & More
January 15, 2024 by Matthew Zator (Premium THW Substack Content)
The Vancouver Canucks have been exciting to watch this season, and so have a lot of their prospects.
Leading the way is undoubtedly current OHL points leader Hunter Brzustewicz, who started the season on a heater and has seemingly never cooled off. Jonathan Lekkerimaki has also put on a show both in the Swedish Hockey League with Orebro and the World Juniors with Team Sweden where he won the tournament MVP award, despite not walking away with a gold medal. Then there’s Arshdeep Bains, the former Red Deer Rebel who has taken his act to Abbotsford and is now an AHL All-Star. All of that and more in the first Canucks prospect report of 2024. Let’s dive in!
Revisiting Our Bold Preseason Predictions for the Canucks
January 15, 2024 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks have played 43 games so far and they have climbed to the summit of the NHL’s proverbial mountain. As of this writing, they sit first in the NHL with 61 points and their 29 wins are the most they have had in January since their Stanley Cup run in 2011. Needless to say, there’s a lot to be excited about in Canucks Nation right now.
I don’t think even the boldest of prognosticators would have gambled on the fact that the Canucks would be leading the NHL at this point in the season. I wasn’t bold enough to do so when I made my predictions in the offseason. But I did make some other ones, so let’s revisit them now and see how right – or wrong – they are turning out to be.
Canucks’ Demko, Pettersson, Miller & Boeser Voted 2024 All-Stars
January 13, 2024 by Matthew Zator
The Vancouver Canucks will be well represented at the 2024 All-Star Weekend in Toronto as Elias Pettersson, JT Miller, Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko were voted in by the fans to join the festivities along with Quinn Hughes. They almost created their own starting lineup – they just needed one more defenceman to complete the ensemble. Rick Tocchet will also be joining the fivesome as he was announced as one of the coaches yesterday (Jan. 12).
Canucks’ Road Trip Reveals Strengths, Challenges, and Surprises
January 13, 2024 by The Old Prof
The Vancouver Canucks are in just past the middle of a challenging seven-game road trip. Along the way, they’ve played five tough opponents and won their last four games.
The road trip kicked off with a tough game against the St. Louis Blues on Jan. 4, and Vancouver lost that close game by a score of 2-1. Despite the setback, the Canucks quickly rebounded to start a strong winning streak.
The Canucks keep finding a way to win on the road; and, by doing so, somehow they have learned how to pull up their collective strength through individual contributions. They are building momentum as they are meeting the challenges of a long season and this continuing long road trip.
Canucks News & Rumors: Rutherford, Guentzel, Tanev & More
January 12, 2024 by Sartaaj Bhullar
In this edition of the Vancouver Canucks News & Rumors, Jim Rutherford discusses what the Canucks need heading into the trade deadline. Additionally, the Pittsburgh Penguins’ asking price for Jake Guentzel is revealed. Also, the Canucks remain interested in Calgary Flames’ defenceman and former Canuck Chris Tanev.
Cody Hodgson: A Promising Career Cut Short
January 13, 2024 by Dayton Reimer
The Vancouver Canucks have had some rough luck with high picks. They narrowly missed out on selecting Gilbert Perrault first overall in their inaugural draft, traded away Rick Vaive, Bill Derlago, and Cam Neely before they became stars, and whiffed on several top picks in the late 1980s and 1990s. So when top-prospect Cody Hodgson began to flare out only a few years into his young career, it seemed like another example of the franchise being cursed.
But Hodgson was far from being just another failed draft pick. While a public feud publicly and privately went on between the talented prospect and the Canucks’ coach and general manager, an undiagnosed condition was slowly eroding his ability to play hockey. A change of scenery saw him escape the intense criticisms in Vancouver, but with his medical issues still a mystery, his new team quickly gave up on him too. Yet when he finally discovered what was causing him so much distress, it was a wonder he made it to the NHL in the first place.