Day 1 of Vancouver Canucks training camp is officially in the books.
PENTICTON — The first day of Vancouver Canucks 2026 Training Camp has officially wrapped.
Two groups hit the ice for Vancouver on Thursday, with Group A featuring some of Vancouver’s young stars in Braeden Cootes and Adam Novotný, and Group B icing what could be two of the Canucks’ three regular-season pairings in Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander, and Zeev Buium and Luke Schenn.
Today’s practices got off to an upbeat start, with new Canucks Head Coach Manny Malhotra keeping the tempo high by maintaining communication and being vocal throughout. Vancouver got to work primarily on their systems, experimenting with some line combinations and potential D-pairings. Thatcher Demko also skated before the groups began their practice sessions but did not join either.
Group A set the tone with bursts of speed while also maintaining physicality during their board battle drills.
“It kind of reminds me of my first camp here, actually [...] definitely a refreshing vibe coming in,” Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk said after Group A’s practice “It’s something that everyone likes to talk about and everyone likes to say, but it’s true. I think all the guys can feel it, and we set the tone with the first skate today, and we just try to get better with each one.”
This group featured two of three newcomers to the Canucks in Brendan Gallagher and Jamie Oleksiak. Oleksiak, who ended up getting a cut on his lip due to the intensity of today’s practice, spoke on his first official skate with Vancouver.
“It was great. Felt the tempo was very good. We were battling out there,” he said. “Everyone’s grinding out there, and it was a long summer, but everyone seems eager to get on the ice.”
Gallagher, who joins the Canucks after spending the past 14 seasons with the Montréal Canadiens, echoed Oleksiak’s statement.
“I think guys were itching at the bit a little bit. Guys were excited, so my pace was good. Good practice. Put in some good work. You don’t have a ton of time here, so you’ve got to take care of some stuff, so I thought it was a good first day.”
While Gallagher is new to the Canucks, he isn’t new to their Head Coach. Having played with Malhotra in Montréal, the forward knows how his new bench boss likes to practice.
“We touched on a few things that are going to be important for us this year. But the pace was high every drill. I know about Manny — that’s how he likes his practice. So it’s going to be like that all year. But it’s good to start and have that tempo. You start early because that’s the way we’re going to have to play.”
Photo Credit: Izzy Cheung - THNWhile technically new to the team this year, 2026 is not Schenn’s first time taking part in a Canucks training camp. The defenceman participated in two previous training camps, in 2021 under Travis Green and 2022 under Bruce Boudreau, back during his second stint with Vancouver.
Drills are being led by a familiar face in Schenn’s third-career Canucks training camp. Malhotra was part of Vancouver’s coaching staff in Schenn’s first go-around with the Canucks in 2018–19 and also had him while playing as a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2022–23.
“Obviously, different role, but very intense, direct, detailed, no mixed messaging, black and white, which is exactly what you want as a player, and details when it comes to video,” he said of Vancouver’s new Head Coach. “[He] obviously expects a certain standard and accountability. So that’s exactly what you want out of a coach, and a lot of passion behind it too. There’s no phoniness. It’s real and obviously it’s exciting to get the chance to play for a guy like Manny.”
Schenn was paired with young defenceman Buium during Day 1 of Vancouver’s training camp, putting the veteran in a position not too far from one he’s experienced in his previous stints with the Canucks.
“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. 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,” Buium said of his defensive partner for the day.
Vancouver resumes their 2026 Training Camp tomorrow, September 18, at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton.
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