6 Observations From Vancouver Canucks 2026 Training Camp

The Vancouver Canucks’ 2026 Training Camp has come and gone in the blink of an eye. 

With Vancouver’s training camp comes a heap of questions looking to be answered regarding the opening-night roster and team dynamics. Here are six observations from Vancouver’s 2026 Training Camp. 

There are a few in-roster battles taking place for the Canucks throughout the pre-season, though one of the most notable may be that of the seventh-defenceman. As it stands, it looks like the competition is down to Victor Mancini and Kirill Kudryavtsev, both of whom have earned a little NHL playing time throughout the past couple of seasons but have yet to cement a full-time role. 

Historically, Mancini has been the Canucks’ go-to over Kudryavtsev, though this could partially be due to injury struggles faced by the latter. 

After the Canucks’ first pre-season game on Sautrday, a 4–2 loss to the Seattle Kraken, the favour fell more towards Kudryavtsev. This wasn’t necessarily due to a stellar effort by Kudryavtsev, but more-so due to some defensive lapses committed by Mancini. The former New York Rangers defenceman ended up on the wrong end of a turnover, leading to a Seattle goal, and didn’t quite seem to be able to keep up to the play throughout the game. 

That said, through both the Canucks’ Prospects Showcase as well as pre-season, Kudryavtsev has been given first-unit power-play minutes. While this could indicate the coaching staff’s trust in him, it could also foreshadow the role that they anticipate him playing as a member of the Abbotsford Canucks. 

Another thing to consider is the difference in the two defencemen’s contracts. Mancini is currently on a one-way deal worth $1M annually through 2027–28, while Kudryavtsev is entering the final year of his entry-level contract. Financially speaking, Mancini will be making the same amount whether he’s playing in the NHL or AHL, while Kudryavtsev will cost less if he is sent down to Abbotsford. 

There’s still a lot of pre-season left, so this battle will be one to watch as the Canucks take part in their next three games. 

Heading into training camp, The Hockey News’ Canucks team unanimously voted Filip Hronek as the player most likely to start camp on a defensive pairing with Zeev Buium. While this pairing was ultimately put together by Day 4, during Days 1 and 2, Buium found himself on a pairing with none-other than veteran Luke Schenn. 

In their two days of practicing together, Buium and Schenn worked well together. The now three-time Canuck has acted as somewhat of a mentor to Buium early on in the season, drawing comparisons to the same role he played for former Canuck Quinn Hughes once upon a time. 

“As much as you feel like you’re maybe mentoring someone, I feel like I’m the lucky guy, I get to play with these young guys who get here, up and coming,” Schenn said of being a ‘mentor’ to Buium after Day 1 of training camp. “He’s kind of proven at every level, and he’s going to make great strides here in the NHL. [...] I feel fortunate to get to play with him, and as much as maybe he’s leaning on me, I think it’s a partnership and I can lean on him.” 

“He’s been a guy who’s literally been in every possible situation, I think, as a player, and been able to learn a lot from off the ice, and he’s kind of taken me under his wing a little bit,” Buium added. “That’s been pretty awesome. Just to be out there with him, I think there’s just the little things that he notices, especially defensively and offensively.” 

Brendan Gallagher was one of the most noticeable forwards at Canucks training camp this past weekend. 

This wasn’t necessarily for any spectacular offensive plays or strategic defensive moves. Gallagher’s impact came from the forward’s effort level all throughout camp, regardless of whether he was participating in drills or skating in Saturday’s scrimmage. One particular moment that stood out was during a board-battle drill that saw Gallagher fight for the puck for over 30 seconds, never letting up on his opponent despite this only being for practice. 

Throughout the first two days of camp, Gallagher skated on a line with fellow high-effort players Max Sasson and Drew O’Connor. This line was broken-up on Day 4 due to Sasson being placed in a different group, having played in Saturday’s pre-season game. While Vancouver’s lines aren’t guaranteed at this point in time, Gallagher noted that this particular trio could be a fun one to watch. 

“If I’m playing with them, it’d be great. They’re two guys that skate well, control the puck well, play a similar way to the way I like to play. It’s a line I think we can make work,” he said.  

Off the ice, Gallagher also appears to be cementing himself as one of the Canucks’ leaders despite only joining the team this year. He was one of three players that addressed the Penticton crowd after Saturday’s scrimmage, with the other two being Schenn and Brock Boeser. 

It’s somewhat unlikely that the Canucks’ star prospects end up making Vancouver’s roster full-time out of the pre-season, but for what it’s worth, they certainly showcased their talents throughout training camp. 

Braeden Cootes was an early standout for the Canucks dating back to the 2026 Prospects Showcase the week before, with the center proving that he can anchor a top-line among various linemates. During camp, he skated primarily with Arshdeep Bains and Adam Novotný, remaining paired with Bains and ending up with Jonathan Lekkerimäki on his other flank during Vancouver’s first pre-season game on Saturday. He registered two points in Vancouver’s effort. 

Also coming off a strong Prospects Showcase, Novotný had himself a solid camp that saw him keep up with the rest of the NHLers in practices, skates, and drills. He maintained his physicality, kept up the effort level, and showed off the parts of his game he’s best known for. 

“Energy, speed. I’ll try to be hard to play against, for sure. Forecheck, backcheck, and overall just be a threat,” he said of what Canucks fans can expect from him as a player. 

Other prospects who had a solid camp: Gabriel Chiarot had a solid showing during Saturday’s in-team scrimmage. 2026 draftee Yaroslav Bryzgalov had some flashes during O-zone drills. Vilmer Alriksson was noticeable during drills and Vancouver’s Saturday pre-season game. 

Filip Chytil is one of a couple big question marks for the Canucks heading into the 2026–27 season. As it stands, the forward is healthy and was able to fully participate in training camp, even muscling his way through drills and flashing the speed that he’s known best for. He particularly stood out during Days 1 and 2 of camp.  

During the first couple of days of camp, Chytil skated on a line with Brock Boeser and Paul Cotter. On Day 4, he centered a line of himself, Paul Cotter, and Brendan Gallagher. His placement throughout camp could indicate that the Canucks plan on playing him at center. 

Chytil opened up about the work he’s done during the off-season to help limit his injury risk heading into this year, some of which included looking back at clips. Optimistically, this will help the forward remain healthy throughout the year. 

“I am just going day-by-day, but I’m still learning. There’s still a lot of things that I have to learn, and I’m doing those things and working like this every day [to] be a better player and stay healthy and be out there.” 

The biggest storyline coming out of Day 1 of Canucks training camp was the manner in which new Head Coach Manny Malhotra conducts his practices. The Calder Cup-winning coach holds a vocal practice, asserting instruction even if it means interrupting a drill in order to do so. His practices were high in tempo, varied in the exercises conducted, and impressive in regards to how they made his players work. 

There’s also, of course, the matter of the end-of-practice skates — the ones that saw Malhotra and the coaching staff join the players. 

“That’d be a first, where you’re getting toasted in a bag skate by your head coach,” Schenn noted after Day 1. 

“They’re pretty much in probably better shape than half of us. So that’s a credit to them,” Buium joked. “But that also pushes us. They’re setting the tone for what it needs to be, and it kind of sends a message to the whole group — like, ‘we’re in this with you guys.’ We love to see it, and it's fun, makes you go a little bit harder because you don’t want to lose to them.” 

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