“It’s very easy to be in a great mood when things are going well and you’re winning playoff rounds and everybody’s on a high. It’s the ability to find that energy and present the right body language when things aren’t going right,” the new Canucks head coach said on Thursday.
For new Vancouver Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra, returning to the organzation he has spent nearly a decade with as both a player and part of staff is “an extremely special” step in his post-playing career.
The former Vancouver forward was named the 23rd head coach in Canucks franchise history earlier this week. It’s an honour that Malhotra isn’t taking lightly.
“Vancouver and this organization have a very special place in my heart,” he said in his introductory head coach media availability. “As a player, being a part of some very special years here, playing alongside some incredibly special players — some Hall-of-Fame players — there’s that element to it. There is the element of knowing how passionate the fans are here about their Canucks and knowing that it matters here, hockey matters to these people, and they want to see a product that is deserving of their approval and their fanship.”
For some, the move feels like a no-brainer. Malhotra coached Vancouver’s AHL-affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, to their first Calder Cup championship in franchise history nearly one year ago to the day. What Malhotra and his coaching staff demonstrated in the head coach’s two years behind the bench in Abbotsford spoke dividends on why he was ultimately hired in Vancouver.
Spending that time down in the AHL, alongside many players who have since made the jump up to the NHL with Vancouver, played a big role in Malhotra ultimately taking on the job.
“I think one thing we experienced in Abbotsford was that the commitment to the daily improvements was something that helped our group get to where we did over the course of the year. And I think that is one of the major reasons why this is such a special opportunity,” he explained. “You’ve heard [Ryan Johnson] talk about developing and building that foundation of what this group needs to be about and harping on that same messaging every day. For me, and our coaching staff, it’ll be about those daily incremental improvements. Today’s practice needs to look better than yesterday’s practice. The level of execution needs to be better than it was yesterday, and I think by developing that mindset with the guys, you now start to see individual growth, you now see collective growth in the group, and that’s where we’ll start to take strides. The opportunity to instill those things from day one is one of the things that really excites me.”
From a culture perspective, things seem to be facing a massive shift when it comes to the trajectory of the Canucks. Keeping things even-keel and working hard regardless of the results will be a big part of Vancouver’s change heading into the first stages of the rebuild. It’s something that Malhotra is excited about getting to instill at the early levels, before helping build it up into what should ultimately be a winning culture.
“I’m excited knowing what the vision is from RJ and [Henrik] and [Daniel Sedin], to where we need to get to, and implementing those types of things that I truly believe in. Starting with, when you want to talk about cultural pieces, it’s the energy and body language that the guys come into the arena with every day, and, those are so important for, when you want to talk about creating culture and creating that environment that guys are going to thrive in, you have to show up here in the right frame of mind and with the right body language, and that, for me sets the tone for the day.”
Jun 4, 2026; Vancouver, BC, CANADA; Manny Malhotra smiles during press conference where the Vancouver Canucks introduce Malhotra as their new head coach during a press conference at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesKeeping things even-tempered and continuing to help players develop is something that Johnson, the Canucks’ General Manager, has spoken about at length regarding why he believes Malhotra is the right hire for the job.
“It’s very easy to be in a great mood when things are going well and you’re winning playoff rounds and everybody’s on a high. It’s the ability to find that energy and present the right body language when things aren’t going right,” Malhotra added about what he took away from his time in Abbotsford. “For us as a staff, we knew we were in a much different predicament, but our focus was to maintain that same level of emotion, that same level of preparation, the same level of energy coming into the rink every day.”
This alignment in what direction Johnson, Malhotra, and even the Sedins believe the organization needs to go in is what has driven the process of bringing people in to help with the rebuild. For Malhotra, it’s just one of many reasons why he has officially taken on the opportunity of being the 23rd head coach in Canucks history.
“The fact that we are so aligned in the way we see things, from an on-ice product to the off-ice daily messaging, to the way people should be treated, we’re very much in-sync with that. So it’s a great opportunity for those, and a whole other host of reasons.”
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