The Vancouver Canucks have a couple of prospects who could make the jump to the NHL next season if a spot opens. But what's the deal on their prospect pool overall?
It's the Vancouver Canucks' turn in the NHL prospect pool overview series.
Tony Ferrari examines the Canucks' strengths and weaknesses, gives a quick overview of their latest draft class, shows their positional depth chart and examines who could be next in line for an NHL chance.
A player who no longer holds rookie eligibility in the NHL is considered graduated and no longer considered a prospect for these exercises, except in very specific cases.
First Thoughts
The Vancouver Canucks were never bad enough to develop a wealth of high-end prospects, but they haven't quite been good enough to have a barren pipeline, either.
They have some solid players in the system even if it isn’t as deep as they’d hope. They’ve acquired some good prospects in recent years and have sent some out. All in all, it’s been an interesting time to be a Canucks fan.
The headliner in their prospect pool is goal-scoring winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki, who had a big season in the Swedish League last year, finishing sixth in league goal-scoring.
Lekkerimaki has a blistering snap shot and a lethal one-timer on the power play. His game took a big step this year from a playmaking perspective, using his teammates more effectively to move the puck up ice. Lekkerimaki is set to play a full season in North America next season and could even see NHL time if he starts hot in Abbotsford and if Vancouver needs a goal-scorer.
When Vancouver traded former captain Bo Horvat, the centerpiece of the return was Finnish center Aatu Raty. Once a top-end prospect, Raty had an underwhelming draft year and fell out of the first round. After a solid start to his first year in the AHL with the Bridgeport Islanders, he moved to Abbotsford, where he struggled to put up numbers.
Last season was a different story for Raty, finishing with 52 points in 72 games, good for third in team scoring. His intelligence, 200-foot play, and dual-threat offense make him an excellent candidate to play a few games in Vancouver this upcoming season.
Lucas Forsell's development has been up and down. He took a big step forward two seasons ago, scoring 11 goals in just 35 games in the SHL right after being drafted but then took a massive step back last season, struggling to find his footing. He has a very good shot and plays with power, but he must find consistency with Farjestad this season.
Josh Bloom started last season at the pro level before heading back to junior where he helped Saginaw capture the Memorial Cup. His game is simple, and it’s based on hard work and physicality. Bloom could be an ideal bottom-six forward if he continues to develop his skating and puckhandling ability because he creates havoc around the net and plays a reasonable 200-foot game.
Drafted as an overage player, Danila Klimovich had a good first season in the AHL before taking a step back last year. He was injured early in the year, found himself as a healthy scratch at times and was ineffective when in the lineup. Klimovich is a solid off-puck attacker who uses his reads to get to his spots rather than high-end mobility. It will be interesting to see how his season goes because he could end up back in Europe by the end of the year.
Kirill Kudryavtsev showed off his offensive game it the OHL over the last few years, and he’s become one of the better prospects in the Canucks' system. His game has stagnated a bit, and he looks merely like a solid OHLer to this point, which has led to some questions about whether he can become an NHL regular. With a jump to the AHL in the future, Kudryavtsev must show his game has rounded out to warrant an offensive game that hasn’t improved in any major way.
The Canucks drafted a defender a couple of years ago with the same name as their star forward. Elias Pettersson, the defenseman, is a puck-mover who skates well and always looks to find teammates up ice with his passes. He joined the AHL club last year and looked solid in his first few games. His mobility and motor skills should serve him well during his first full season in the AHL.
Tom Willander's freshman season with Boston University went about as well as it could have. He has a big frame and moves quite well. He was a do-it-all presence, showing off his big shot and excellent first pass offensively as well as his physical play and impressive defensive reads. Willander is, without a doubt, the top defensive prospect in the system and should be a top-four impact defender who can play at both ends of the ice.
U-23 Players Likely To Be on the NHL Roster
Vasily Podkolzin (RW), Arturs Silovs (G)
2024 NHL Draft Class
Round 3, 93rd overall - Melvin Fernstrom, RW, Orebro Jr. (Swe.)
Round 4, 125th overall - Riley Patterson, C, Barrie (OHL)
Round 6, 162nd overall - Anthony Romani, RW, North Bay (OHL)
Round 6, 189th overall - Parker Alcos, RD, Edmonton (WHL)
Round 7, 221st overall - Basile Sansonnens, LD, Gotteron Jr. (Swiss)
The Vancouver Canucks didn’t have many draft picks because of the team's sudden ascension to contender status. The team sent a few picks and prospects out of the organization to bolster the lineup as a result. Their draft didn’t start until the end of the third round, when they took Swedish winger Melvin Fernstrom.
The tactical forward has a very good shot and put up many points at the U-20 level in Sweden. Fernstrom isn’t the fleetest of foot, but he gets around the ice well. He reads where the play is headed and pops into pockets to catch a pass and send another across ice or fire a shot on net. Fernstrom always seems to be in the right spot in the offensive zone. In transition, Fernstrom is an excellent support player who can play a bumper role or take advantage of space in front of him. He could be a very good complementary offensive scorer in the middle six.
Taking Riley Patterson in the fourth round was a swing on a speedy, shoot-first center with some nice hands at times. His speed can help him on the defensive end as well. Patterson’s game can be a bit disjointed at times, and he often gets tunnel vision when attacking up ice, but if he can use his teammates more consistently, he could be an intriguing depth piece.
Grabbing Anthony Romani in the sixth round was solid value. He attacks off the rush, fires booming shots off either foot or flips long passes up ice from the defensive blueline. Romani can take a second to get moving, with acceleration being his most significant issue when it comes to mobility. If he can get a bit quicker, he could be a wicked grab late in the draft.
With mobility, size and a willingness to engage physically, Parker Alcos seems like he has all of the tools to be a shutdown defender in the modern game. Unfortunately, his puck skill often fails him, and while he can certainly manage to get the puck back from the opposing team, he doesn’t always know what to do with it. If Alcos can figure out how to become serviceable with the puck on his stick, the Canucks may have found a steal.
Their final pick was Swiss defender Basile Sansonnens. At 6-foot-3 and 196 pounds, Sansonnens is a physical specimen. He can get moving in a straight line but is a little sloppy regarding the more agile points of his game. He has shown the ability to play solid minutes at the junior level, clogging up the defensive zone and looking to kill play when he can. He isn’t going to be a dynamic presence, but there’s a path to development for him as a solid pro.
Strengths
When you have a few good prospects and issues with depth, you don’t have a true strength.
The only position they seem to have some depth on is right wing, where Lekkerimaki is almost ready to step into the NHL lineup. Adding Fernstron and Romani could be helpful in a couple of years as well. Klimovich has flashed potential but will need to bounce back.
Even then, the right-wing position is only a strength relative to the rest of their pipeline.
Weaknesses
The Canucks have a well-balanced prospect pool, so they don’t have a glaring weakness positionally, either.
That said, the entire pipeline is the definition of mid.
They have some good players at the top, with Raty and Lekkerimaki up front as well as Willander and Pettersson on the back end. Beyond them, things get a little sketchy.
Their depth is where the pool becomes weak. Adding Fernstrom was a nice move, and if Klimovich or Forsell can get their games back on track, it would help. After that, they’re hoping for a player like Jacob Truscott or Jackson Kunz to take big steps over the next couple of years.
Next Men Up: Aatu Raty, C/W, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki, RW
The Canucks will look to continue their rise into contender status this year, so roster spots to open the season will be hard to come by.
Injuries and underperformances happen every season. If that happens up front for the Canucks, they have a couple of really solid options in the AHL.
If they need a bottom-six, 200-foot player who can transition the puck up ice and bring some depth scoring, Raty should be the guy. If they are really struggling to generate offense and they need a goal-scorer in the top six, Lekkerimaki should be the guy.
By the end of the season, it’s not unreasonable to see both in the lineup heading into the playoffs.
Prospect Depth Chart Notables
LW: Josh Bloom, Lucas Forsell, Ty Mueller, Vilmer Alriksson
C: Aatu Raty, Riley Patterson, Jackson Kunz, Matthew Perkins
RW: Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Melvin Fernstrom, Danila Klimovich, Anthony Romani
LD: Elias Pettersson, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Jacob Truscott, Sawyer Mynio, Hugo Gabrielson
RD: Tom Willander, Aiden Celebrini, Parker Alcos
G: Aku Koskevuo, Ty Young
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