Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk spoke to the media about his mindset and off-season goals after Day 1 of Vancouver's 2026 Training Camp.
The 2026–27 season will be about turning the page for the Vancouver Canucks, both on a team and individual level.
It’s something Jake DeBrusk will be looking to do after a season that saw him, as well as the team, lose their ways a little bit. The forward was candid about his thoughts on Vancouver’s descent into the rebuild during the depths of the Canucks’ struggles last year.
That’s something he cleared up on Day 1 of Vancouver’s training camp heading into the 2026–27 regular season.
“Obviously it was an emotional time for all of us. Nobody wanted what happened to happen last year, but there’s no use in thinking about what happened now. This is Day 1 of training camp. Everyone’s excited, in a good mood, and we’re going to try to get through this thing together day-to-day by being intense and being present,” he shared after the Canucks’ first practice of the first day.
The 2025–26 season had its own fair share of struggles for most of the Canucks, both on the ice and off of it. For DeBrusk, looking strictly at his points-produced, there wasn’t much of a difference from the other seasons throughout his career. The forward scored 23 goals and 19 assists in 81 games, only about 0.04% less than his career points-per-game average (0.56%). That said, 24 of those points were notably scored on the power play.
Because of these struggles, DeBrusk entered the 2026 off-season with a list of things to work on in mind. His shot, particularly off the rush, and his overall speed were the big components that he outlined.
“It wasn’t necessarily anything crazy I tried to drastically change. I still have confidence in myself. This is my 10th season, and I think that there’s little things that you can pick up as the years go on,” he explained. “Everyone’s doing all these drills and stuff, and you try them out, but when the season gets down to it, I think the biggest thing was trying to figure out what made it work for me throughout my entire career. What are my keystones of what my game is, so that even when pucks aren’t going in the net, which seems to happen sometimes in streaks, my game is where it needs to be, I can help this team win.”
Those weren’t the only goals DeBrusk had heading into the off-season, however. This past off-season was one requiring a re-set for the Canucks winger, which is something he also set his mind to during the summer.
“I really needed to get away from everything, needed to kind of find my love for the game in some ways. I obviously still have it, but I needed to get back to work and prepare for the season. It kind of goes in the blink of an eye when you do that.”
Mar 24, 2026; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks forward Jake DeBrusk (74) during a stop in play against the Anaheim Ducks in the first period at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesHeading into the 2026–27 season now, DeBrusk seems to have made his peace with Vancouver's future for the time being. For one of the older players on the Canucks such as the winger, DeBrusk's experience is something he sees as being a big asset to his team as they look for guidance towards future contention.
“You can be part of the solution or part of the problem. It’s a catchy line, but it’s true. There’s only two ways to go about it. You can’t be in the middle. Everyone’s got their own different avenues," he said. "I think where I come in is we just try to make everyone feel comfortable, whoever you are, because we’re gonna need everybody. I went through a pretty long playoff run in Boston. We needed everybody there, so I understand that part of it.”
This season will be about turning the page. It’ll be about accepting the state the Canucks are in — deep in the throes of a rebuild — and taking the steps to helping the team out to the other side.
“I think the focus has to change. You have to adapt, and again, you learn a lot about yourself. [...] We’re all human beings, but the best way to do it is by being together. You can’t go through this alone. So that’s what the main focus has been for our group.”
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