The Vancouver Canucks recently announced their roster for the 2025 Prospects Showcase. Among the invited players is forward Jakob Oreskovic, who plays in the WHL for the Vancouver Giants. While the 18-year-old was not drafted this past year, Oreskovic is confident and ready to show the Canucks organization that he is a prospect to keep an eye on in the future.
Oreskovic is from Langley and has been a fan of Vancouver his entire life. He has gone to Canucks games since he was a kid, which makes this invitation even more special. When asked who he watched growing up, Oreskovic mentioned some former fan favourites while also touching on some current players on Vancouver's roster.
"(Ryan) Kesler, (Kevin) Bieksa, that kind of era, said Oreskovic. "We got a lot of really good new guys, like (Nils) Höglander, and I like our Euros a lot, (Elias) Pettersson. It's really cool to just go and see the atmosphere that these guys are at. And, yeah, I'm just super excited."
As mentioned, Oreskovic is one of a handful of prospects who earned an invitation to Canucks rookie camp. Teams around the league will often invite undrafted players or free agents to rookie camps in order to get a closer look. For Oreskovic, he is ready to impress and show why Vancouver should keep tabs on him heading into the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
"Just play my game and try and prove myself. Not getting drafted, I'm just trying to really prove myself and try to better myself around the people and the guys that I'm with. I want to just go out there and play my best."
Last season was a challenging one for Oreskovic. Injuries limited him to just 52 regular-season games, in which he produced 21 points. While his initial draft year did not go as planned, Oreskovic is ready to use some of the lessons he learned in 2024-25 in order to become a stronger player both on and off the ice.
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"Being patient and being consistent and keep showing up every day. It's tough sometimes when you're not playing. I got injured last year, and getting injured, you just got to keep showing up and be patient. Your time will come, and I learned that through the past few seasons."
Oreskovic is also enjoying the opportunity to play his WHL career close to home. On top of being a Canucks fan, the 18-year-old also grew up attending Giants games and was at the Langley Events Centre during the 2022 playoffs when Vancouver, which was an eighth seed, defeated the top-ranked Everett Silvertips in the first round. As Oreskovic explains, getting to see his family constantly is a benefit and something that he does not take for granted.
"It's been great. I get to see my parents a lot, and I get to enjoy the time with my family. Being from my hometown and going to Giants games, even when I was a kid too, it's just something really special. I'm very thankful and grateful for the blessing I've been given to play in my hometown."
As for the 2025-26 season, Oreskovic feels the Giants are ready to take another step forward. Vancouver has assembled a deep roster, which includes defenceman Ryan Lin and forward Tobias Tomik, who are both projected to be first-round picks this season. Overall, there are high expectations for the Giants, who are looking to secure home ice in the first round for the first time since 2019.
"The expectation this year is to go as far as we can. We want to be a deep playoff team. We want to win. I think the expectation is to win and to go deep, for sure. And we've got a great group of guys, a lot more European guys. We're one year older, and we got a lot of returning guys who are going to lead the way, so I'm excited."
A strong performance against the Seattle Kraken's prospects could be very beneficial for Oreskovic. Not only would he show any scouts in attendance that he can be a difference maker against drafted prospects, but he can use the event as a launching-off point for his season. Ultimately, Oreskovic will be a player to watch at the 2025 Prospects Showcase as he gets the opportunity to play for the NHL organization he watched growing up.
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