Canucks defenceman Cole Clayton will be returning to the organization for the 2026-27 season.
The Vancouver Canucks have locked down another restricted free-agent defenceman.
Cole Clayton, who was acquired by Vancouver in the trade that sent Kiefer Sherwood to the San Jose Sharks, has been signed to a one-year, two-way contract extension by the Canucks. He will remain a restricted free-agent after the 2026–27 season.
A right-handed defenceman, Clayton spent the entire 2025–26 season in the AHL, joining the Abbotsford Canucks after being traded and posting six assists in 32 games with Vancouver’s AHL-affilaite. Prior to the trade, he put together two goals and three assists in 33 games with the San Jose Barracuda.
Clayton started his professional hockey career off with the Cleveland Monsters in the 2021–22 season. He spent a total of four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets’ AHL-affiliate, racking up a career-high of five goals and 15 assists in 59 games in 2023–24, and wore an ‘A’ for the team in his final season with the club (2024–25).
Last week, Vancouver also signed fellow right-shot defenceman from San Jose, Jack Thompson, to a one-year contract extension. Other pending restricted free-agents for the Canucks include forwards Nils Åman, Jayden Grubbe, Chase Stillman, and Danila Klimovich, as well as defenceman Pierre Olivier-Joseph.
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