Caleb Malhotra’s path to the Canucks has already moved fast, and now the first-round pick is headed to another new stop with a clear plan in place.
Malhotra said Tuesday that he intends to play NCAA hockey this fall at Boston University, where he’ll join a roster that already includes two other Canucks prospects: defenceman Aiden Celebrini, 21, and forward Niklas Aaram-Olsen, 18.
His rise has come in sharp jumps. Two seasons ago, he was in the BCHL with the Chilliwack Chiefs, playing 25 minutes down the Highway No. 1 from Abbotsford. That year, he put up eight goals and 26 points in 44 regular season games, then raised his level in the playoffs with five goals and 17 points in 21 games.
This past season, Malhotra made the move to the OHL’s Brantford Bulldogs and took another step forward. He finished with 29 goals and 84 points in 67 regular season games, then added 13 goals and 26 points in 15 postseason games.
The NCAA’s new scholarship opportunities for major junior players helped set that route in motion. It’s the reason Malhotra went to the OHL in the first place, and from the way it sounds, he likely would have been back in Chilliwack if those rules had not changed.
Vancouver has already seen a similar jump from another recent first-rounder. Centre Braeden Cootes, 19, was the Canucks’ top pick in last year’s draft, impressed enough at training camp to make the opening night roster, and played three games with the big club before being sent back to junior.
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Senators Make Two More Moves That Reignite A Familiar Debate
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For Ottawa, the moves also reopen a familiar debate about how much value the club wants to place on familiarity versus upside in its lower-cost bets. Ersson had already been in the organization before briefly reaching free agency, while Cousins remains the kind of veteran depth piece who can be useful in a specific role. The question now is whether the Senators are simply filling out the roster or locking in pieces that will shape how they manage the rest of the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Senators Suddenly Have A Toronto Scoring Target Worth Debating
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For Ottawa, the appeal is less about splash and more about fit. Maccellis game suggests a player who could help the Senators in the middle of the lineup and add another layer of puck movement to a forward corps that still has room for more creativity. Whether he ends up as a middle-six option or pushes higher in the pecking order, he gives the Senators a legitimate discussion point as they sort through the rest of their offseason shopping list. [Read more 🡒]