Canucks Prospect Report: World Juniors, Lekkerimaki, Willander, Brzustewicz & More
Lekkerimaki & Willander are off to hot starts at the World Juniors, Brzustewicz continues his dominance of the OHL, Podkolzin is back to his old tricks in Abbotsford, and much more!
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The Canucks have gotten some masterful performances from their prospects so far this season. The organization might not have the most exciting pool in the world, but they have a few high-end picks like Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Tom Willander and Vasily Podkolzin putting on a show and a couple later-round picks and undrafted free agents like Hunter Brzustewicz, Vilmer Alriksson, Kirill Kudryavstev and Arshdeep Bains appearing to be steals. All in all, it’s been exciting to follow the prospects this season. So without further ado, let’s get to our December update!
Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
Arshdeep Bains continues to lead the Canucks in scoring and after a slight cold spell, he’s back to his old tricks with six points (two goals, four assists) in his last four games. He is currently on a four-game point streak and is still on pace for a career-high 76 points. The rugged winger should be making his NHL debut very soon.
Speaking of hot streaks, Linus Karlsson is also on one with 12 points in his last 11 games including two games with the parent club in Vancouver. He made his NHL debut on Nov. 16 and played 11:54 with three shots on goal. The former San Jose Sharks prospect isn’t suffering any sort of sophomore slump as he is on pace to shatter the 49 points he put up in his rookie season.
After an underwhelming stint following his trade to the Canucks in the Bo Horvat trade, Aatu Raty is showing this season why he was so highly touted by the organization. Like the aforementioned Bains and Karlsson, he is running hot with nine points in his last ten games.
Unless something drastic happens at the NHL level, Vasily Podkolzin could be spending his entire season in the AHL. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, though. He seems to be gaining more and more confidence every game he plays, and has already matched the seven goals he had all of last season. He had a career-high 10 shots on goal (including one that went in) against the Ontario Reign on Dec. 20 and his one-timer appears to be developing into a legitimate weapon. He also has two goals in his last three games. Look for him to become a full-time NHLer next season (just like Hoglander this season).
While Thatcher Demko and Casey DeSmith are providing rock-solid goaltending in Vancouver, Arturs Silovs and Nikita Tolopilo are doing the same thing in Abbotsford. While Silovs’ goals-against average (GAA) is a little inflated compared to last season, his save percentage (SV%) is around the same and he already has three shutouts under his belt - including a 34-save blanking of the Reign on Dec. 21. He has picked up right where he left off from his masterful performance at the 2023 World Championship and is likely the backup of the future once DeSmith moves on.
As for Tolopilo, he is another great find by the European scouting staff. He was signed as an undrafted free agent in the offseason after a remarkable season in the HockeyAllsvenskan with Sodertalje SK where he put up a 2.10 GAA and .924 SV% along with four shutouts and a 28-17-0 record. He has split starts with Silovs and has proven to be the ying to his yang, elevating the Canucks to a 17-8-2 record.
Canadian Hockey League (OHL, WHL)
What more can you say about Brzustewicz this season? He’s been absolutely dominant with the Kitchener Rangers and doesn’t appear to be slowing down any time soon. His 55 points are tied for first in the OHL with teammate Carson Rehkopf and he is still on pace for over 100 points…as a defenceman. It’s hard to fathom, but he’s not playing at the World Juniors with Team USA right now. That’s utterly insane. Regardless, the Rangers are lucky to have him as he has been kept off the scoresheet in only five of his 34 games this season and has 17 multipoint efforts.
Fellow defensive prospect Kirill Kudryavtsev is also having a good season with the Soo Greyhounds. He had a four-game point streak snapped on Dec. 15 against the Guelph Storm, but is on his way to breaking his career-high of 50 points last season.
Vilmer Alriksson has gone a bit cold recently in the goal column, but he still has two points in his last five games. He hasn't scored in 10 games, with his most recent tally coming against the Mississauga Steelheads on Nov. 29. The Swedish power forward is still having a good rookie season, however, with 20 points in 34 games.
After a slow start, Sawyer Mynio has found his stride with 10 points in his last 10 games - including a four-point night on Dec. 5 against the Victoria Royals and more recently three points (two of them goals) against the Spokane Chiefs on Dec. 13. He has gone pointless in his last two games, but has already eclipsed his career high of five goals set last season, and is on pace for 18 goals and 51 points.
NCAA
The NCAA is teaming with Canucks prospects this season. Led by 2023 first-round pick Tom Willander, they have a total of nine players roaming college campuses in 2023-24.
Willander is currently in Sweden with his countrymen at the World Juniors and has played three games so far, averaging almost 20 minutes a night. He scored his first-ever World Juniors goal against Macklin Celebrini and Team Canada on Friday with a heavy wrist shot and has had a strong tournament so far with his puck movement and ability to jump into the play. Team Sweden is now 3-0 and has not allowed a goal in the tournament, thanks in part to their stout defence.
Source: IIHF Twitter
I also want to highlight Jacob Truscott, who was named captain of the Michigan Wolverines in the offseason. He is having the best start of his collegiate career with two goals and 10 points in 18 games and could be on his way to Vancouver/Abbotsford once his season is done. He is a senior and will be awaiting an entry-level contract from the Canucks.
Europe (SHL, Liiga, Allsvenskan)
Finishing with the European leagues, Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Elias Pettersson are both at the World Juniors right now, and playing prominent roles for Team Sweden. Lekkerimaki already has two goals and four points, all while showcasing his deft puck handling and elite shot. He has been doing that all season with Orebro as he has a career-high 10 goals and 16 points in 24 games. Suffice to say, Canucks fans are starting to get excited about what he could bring to Vancouver one day.
Source: TSN Twitter
As for Pettersson, he has been a workhorse on the Swedish blue line, averaging over 20 minutes a night (21:07 vs. Latvia, 23:12 vs. Germany and 20:41 vs. Canada) in a shutdown role. His two-way presence has been on display all tournament long and while he’s not been particularly noticeable offensively, his lockdown defence has been a staple of his game. In league play, he’s mostly played in the Allsvenskan, where he has nine points in 17 games.
Hugo Gabrielson has fallen off the map since being selected in the sixth round in 2021, but he’s been a little more noticeable this season with three goals and seven points in his last 10 games - including a three-game goal streak between Nov. 24 and Dec. 8. Like Pettersson with Sweden, he’s been Vasterviks’ workhorse averaging over 20 minutes a night.
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