The Canucks selected the 6-foot-7 centerman 33rd-overall at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Had fate pitched differently, Brooks Rogowski would not be a Vancouver Canucks prospect.
The talented, multi-sport athlete may have been selected 33rd-overall by the Canucks on Day 2 of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, but had things gone differently in his life, Rogowski may have been trading his skates in for a pair of baseball cleats.
Coming from a family with ties to MLB — father Casey and uncle Ryan were drafted to the Chicago White Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers respectively — Rogowski had been eyeing a career in baseball before he shifted gears and focused on hockey. It was a decision that he said was “tough,” but ultimately one he’s content with making.
“It was tough,” he said during Day 1 of the Canucks’ 2026 development camp. “I played it for a long time. My dad played it, he was my coach, and it was tough. But again, this just gave me the better opportunity in the long run.”
Rogowski was picked in the OHL’s Priority Selection in 2024, going 38th-overall to the Oshawa Generals. He produced 11 goals and 12 assists in 66 games with Oshawa in his first season, 2024–25, before nearly doubling that total the season after with 15 goals and 27 assists in 46 games.
As it stands, the center’s plan for the upcoming seasons is to stay in Oshawa for one more year before heading to the NCAA and playing for Michigan State University. For him, Rogowski says, the decision was made from a developmental perspective rather than anything else.
“I think just with the 68, more games, it’s going to give me more benefit than going into Michigan State and playing 30,” he said. “With my path I’ve been on, I think the game reps are more important than the physical side right now. I do have a pretty good frame right now, and again, it’s just getting the puck touches in the offensive zone, the consistency down. I think going back to Oshawa more years is going to benefit that, but then after that we’ll see how it goes, and a year or two at State hopefully, probably two again, just with the development curve, and just again trying to get better every day, trying to improve every day, and obviously again, hopefully you start vying for a spot here in a couple years.”
The fact that the forward is choosing to stay patient regarding his career and development is a good sign. It reflects the same mentality that Canucks management has adopted heading into their current rebuild.
Ideally, when Vancouver does enter their contending window — however long it may take them to — Rogowski will be a staple down the middle of their lineup.
Rogowski’s frame is a pretty key piece in why the Canucks ultimately ended up drafting him 33rd-overall. The athletic centerman clocks in at around 6-foot-7 and three-quarters, though he’s still able to work mobility into his game. His size has served him well throughout the sports he has pursued and will likely continue to do-so as he makes the steps to pursue a career in professional hockey.
Photo Credit: Kaja Antic-THN“My frame can give me space [...] I think I have those tools, and I think with the frame, all it is is just giving me more room. It’s making guys not want to play against me again, just in the corners, and the neutral zone, got a longer stick, better reach, and I think it’s just utilizing the frame that’s full, so getting it just more consistent, really, but utilize my frame to give me more space, and whatnot.”
It’s for these reasons that Rogowski has landed on former 90-point player and Winnipeg Jets captain Blake Wheeler, who was a wide-receiver in his high-school days, as his NHL comparable when it comes to who he models his game after.
“I think a guy that I’ve kind of been using as that comparison is more a guy like Blake Wheeler — again, big guy, kind of had that multi-sport background coming up, and think the path is there. But again, he’s a big guy, kind of uses his frame well, had a couple great seasons offensively, and again, kind of a can-do-it-all guy. I think that’s been a guy that I’m gonna benefit to [being] compared to.”
Only time will tell how Rogowski’s professional career will unfold, as will the impact he has on a Canucks team that is eyeing long-term growth for the future. As a center, he contributes significantly to the newfound depth down the middle that Vancouver has found themselves in Caleb Malhotra and Braeden Cootes.
It may be early, but there’s hope that Rogowski can end up being a home-run pick for the Canucks.
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