The Canucks’ draft weekend didn’t just earn polite nods. It drew the kind of grades that make a front office feel like it actually solved something.
Across major media outlets, Vancouver was handed an A+, A, A- and a few Bs after making nine selections over two days. For an organization that has spent years living with the consequences of shaky drafting, that kind of consensus matters.
This was supposed to be a rebuild step. It looked more like a course correction.
The headliners came fast. Caleb Malhotra went at No. 3, followed by winger Adam Novotny at No. 24, 6-foot-7 centre Brooks Rogowski at No. 33 and Norwegian winger Niklas Aaram-Olsen at No.
- That gave the Canucks seven forwards, a goaltender and a defenceman overall, and it gave them the kind of class evaluators around the league noticed immediately.
“With as many as four potential NHLers, this is one of the top classes this year,” chimed one media outlet. “Great work from an organization that desperately needed an injection of talent.”
Another site was just as complimentary: “Malhotra possesses high-end skill and compete and projects as a quality top-six centre. Adding highly competitive winger in Novotný late in the first makes this a fantastic haul.
The Canucks kept building depth by adding Rogowski and Aaram-Olsen. I like both of them, particularly Rogowski.”
That praise lands differently when you remember where the Canucks were coming from. The source material points to the club’s worst drafting record in the salary-cap era, with success rates of 17.74 per cent from 2006-2015 and 11.76 per cent from 2016-2020, compared with an average of 28.19 per cent to produce NHL players. This time, though, the message from Vancouver was clear: size, speed, skill and stiffness, in that order, with a little bit of creativity mixed in.
“We had some direction from RJ (general manger Ryan Johnson) and the staff and we wanted to get bigger, faster and harder,” stressed Canucks director of amateur scouting Todd Harvey. “Let’s not underestimate the skill in these guys, and they’re still developing, but we won’t get pushed around.”
Malhotra, a 6-foot-2 centre from Brantford in the OHL, looks like the safest bet to anchor the class. He put up 84 points in 67 games, then raised his stock with 26 playoff points in 15 games.
The source describes him as an elite playmaker with a high hockey I.Q., defensive diligence and deceptive passing ability, though his skating still needs work. The projection is a second-line centre with first-line potential, and his character - including future captain upside - helped seal the pick.
He’s bound for Boston University next fall. The comparables listed are Bo Horvat and Nick Suzuki.
Novotny brings a different look. At 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, the Peterborough winger scored 34 goals and 65 points in 55 OHL games.
He was ranked as high as No. 14 and comes with a quick release, accuracy, a strong stride and a forecheck that makes him hard to handle. The projection points to a third-line role because of inconsistent offence and a shoot-first style, and he’s heading back to Peterborough to keep refining his game.
Mason McTavish is the comparable.
Rogowski is the wild-card size play that stands out on the board. At 6-foot-7 and 235 pounds, the Oshawa centre posted 42 points in 46 games and made a strong rookie impression.
The report says he moves well, has an underrated puck touch and already brings the kind of imposing frame that fills a need in the organization. His path has been a long one, including time in the top pro Czechia league at age 15.
The projection is a reliable third-line centre and culture-setter, with Tage Thompson and Lawson Crouse listed as comparables.
Aaram-Olsen adds speed and finishing touch. The 6-foot-1 winger from Orebko HK Jr. in Sweden had 40 points in 29 games and also logged 16 games in the elite Swedish Hockey League.
The source calls him a lethal sniper with size, skill and the ability to attack off the rush. He’s Boston University bound, with a second-line role projected if his game keeps trending in the same direction.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki is the comparable.
The Canucks didn’t stop there. At No. 78, they took goaltender Dmitri Ivchenko, a 6-foot-3, 179-pound netminder from Omskie Yastreby in Russia’s MHL.
He posted a 1.91 goals-against average and a .922 save percentage in 19 games. The write-up emphasizes his poise, economy of motion and skating base, while noting he’ll stay in Russia next season.
If he signs, adjusting to North American ice and the pro game will be the major test. Jeremy Swayman is the comparable.
No. 97 brought Yaroslav Bryzgalov, a 6-foot-3, 216-pound winger from Medicine Hat in the WHL, who finished with 55 points in 64 games. The projection has him heading to Division 1 Merrimack College next season to see how his rugged style develops. Ivan Barbashev is the comparable, with the report highlighting his heaviness on opponents and ability to get to scoring areas.
At No. 129, Vancouver selected Connor Davis, a 6-foot, 188-pound winger from Cedar Rapids in the USHL.
He put up 55 points in 59 games and was described by North Dakota head coach Dane Jackson as “Big, strong, solid player with a lot of tools. We thought he was a great fit for our program,”.
The projection sees him as a third-liner with a hot motor and strong transition game, while noting he still needs work getting inside defenders. Brandon Hagel is the comparable.
The final pick listed was Lucian Bernat at No. 176, a 6-foot-4, 198-pound winger from Tappara U20 in Finland. He led the club’s draft-eligible players in scoring with 31 points in 37 games and added four points in seven games for Slovakia at the U-18 worlds. The projection has him going to Owen Sound of the OHL next season to adapt to the North American game, with an NHL fourth-line future attached.
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