Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson met with the media after the final day of training camp.
After four days of hard work and high-tempo practices at their 2026 Training Camp, the Vancouver Canucks will return to Vancouver to focus on trimming down their roster and participating in their final three pre-season games.
At the conclusion of Day 4 of Training Camp, Canucks General Manager Ryan Johnson met with the media to discuss his thoughts on how camp went, provide updates on players that did not fully participate, and go through the team’s thinking process in regards to roster decisions.
“It’s been good. It’s been quick, but a lot of information, a short amount of time. But it’s important that we spend the time, even Wednesday night, just making it clear how we want to operate, what we’re going to be focusing on, and obviously some intense skates,” he said after Group B’s practice on Sunday afternoon. “Really happy with the pace, the energy level, the execution — so a lot of good things.”
Here are three major things Johnson touched on during his end-of-camp media availability.
Roster Cuts Are Coming Up
The next step in the Canucks’ pre-season is for the roster to go through its first cut. As it stands, there are currently 57 players on the Canucks’ roster. By September 29, over half of that number will be with different clubs, whether they’re with junior teams, college teams, the Abbotsford Canucks, or another club.
Unique to this particular season is the condensed pre-season and training camp. Traditionally, training camp lasts around the same amount of time as this year — four days — though it’s not often interrupted by a pre-season game. The shortened pre-season is something that the Canucks have needed to keep in mind when scheduling their training camp and making roster decisions.
“It makes it hard that, in this shortened training camp, shortened pre-season games, there’s not a lot of opportunity for guys to vault themselves in front of others,” Johnson said in regards to the fact that Vancouver will realistically only have three practices to go before they drop the puck on the NHL’s opening night. “That’s what these practices are for. You see the compete and the 1-on-1s. I’ve asked them to push each other, so we’ll make some decisions here this week. Obviously, we’ll have Tuesday and then Thursday, Saturday [for practices], but also Abbotsford will be starting up mid-week to get ramped up for their games as well.”
The decisions most likely to come first are those imapcting Vancouver’s junior players. Prospects such as 2026 picks Adam Novotný, Brooks Rogowski, and even Yaroslav Bryzgalov could have their 2026–27 season fates dictated first.
While Johnson didn’t rule out any surprise roster decisions, he did note that the team’s emphasis will be on what’s best for the players’ development.
“I’ve said this with all of them. I have to make decisions based off of not short term — long term what is the best for their development, and I want to make sure I don’t cap where guys could be by rushing them into a situation, and then, as I’ve said, I never want to try to go backwards with players just to put them in a situation that I’m responsible for, and then having to say to them, ‘Okay, I failed you. Now I’ve got to restart you.’ I don’t want to go through that.”
May 14, 2026; Vancouver, BC, Canada; Ryan Johnson speaks during a press conference where the Vancouver Canucks name new senior management staff. Henrik Sedin and his twin brother Daniel Sedin have been appointed as co-presidents of hockey operations and Ryan Johnson is now the new general manager of the club at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesOn The Waiver Wire And Adding New Players
The Canucks currently sit atop the priority list when it comes to the waiver wire. This means they’ll have a significant advantage when it comes to claiming players off waivers if they feel the need to.
“It just gives us opportunity,” Johnson said of the Canucks’ status when it comes to waivers. “I’ve got to look at every scenario to improve the team in areas that I think we need. And you’re always saying, ‘Is this an upgrade on what you have? And you always have to, I think as we move along, there’s going to be some pretty good hockey players that are going to be on waivers, and it’s something that we’ll talk through as a group.”
If the Canucks choose to make any waiver claims between now and November 1, the decisions will be made with consultation with not just Head Coach Manny Malhotra and the rest of the coaching staff, but also the rest of the management team.
“We’ve already gone through a lot of preparation for this of players that would be of interest, how they fit into our group,” he said. “Again, when you’re bringing in somebody on waivers, typically you’re putting someone from your own group on. So you better be sure that it’s an upgrade or a player type or something that you think betters your organization.
No Timelines On The Players That Missed Camp
Thatcher Demko, Akil Thomas, Jack Thompson, Mackenzie MacEachern, and Lucian Bernat were the players that didn’t fully take part in Vancouver’s practices throughout training camp, though Bernat did join Group B for the team’s final skate of the weekend. Bernat did not play in either of the Canucks’ 2026 Prospects Showcase games, while Thompson took a puck to the face and did not participate in camp as a result.
While MacEachern didn’t skate at all, the other players managed to get out on the ice for separate skates before the day’s practices began.
“Akil, Jack Thompson, they’re here. They’re continuing there. MacEachern is not here at this point,” Johnson explained. “Our guys continue to progress. We don’t have a timeline exactly, but they’re but they’re heading in the right direction, which is good.”
Johnson also provided an update on Demko, who did get some skating in but did not join the main groups at any point during camp.
“We’ve been going through steps, and we continue to take the steps. And even within those steps, we haven’t put timelines on them, but he is continuing to progress. It’s a matter of just getting everything right in the next step before we move forward, and he’s had a great week,” the Canucks GM noted. “Even him, just being around his teammates, getting the work done in the morning. Again, for what Thatcher’s gone through physically, but mentally, I give him all the credit in the world because he continues to fight and keep coming back at this, and has such a good energy, just in and around the room and being around the guys.”
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