There’s usually one name at Canucks training camp that turns heads when nobody saw it coming.
Last year, that was Braeden Cootes. In other seasons, it was Phil Di Giuseppe, who kept showing up in September and eventually worked his way onto the 23-man roster. Ben Hutton did something similar in 2015, impressing enough to grab a spot and even jump Yannick Weber in the lineup despite Weber having 11 goals the year before.
So the question is simple: who could be this year’s surprise?
Trey Fix-Wolansky is a strong place to start. The 27-year-old right wing put up 72 games, 31 goals, 24 assists and 55 points in 2025-26 AHL play, and his scoring track record is hard to ignore.
Since 2023-24, he has 83 AHL goals, third most in the league, and 175 points, which ranks fifth. At 5-foot-7 and 195 pounds, he’s a compact forward who plays like a fire hydrant with a scoring touch.
He hasn’t played NHL games since 2023-24, and that kind of drought usually makes a player come into camp with some real urgency.
Akil Thomas is another name worth watching, especially with the Canucks’ center depth looking shaky. Thomas posted the same AHL line as Fix-Wolansky in 2025-26 - 72 games, 31 goals, 24 assists, 55 points - and the path at centre is not exactly crowded.
After Elias Pettersson, Marco Rossi and Aatu Raty, there are a lot of questions. Will Filip Chytil be ready?
If he is, is he better on the wing to ease the load? Could Max Sasson slide back to centre even though he was better on the wing?
And are Ilya Safonov or Cootes ready yet? That leaves the door open for the 26-year-old, who was traded last season with the idea of finding a better NHL opportunity.
He clearly thinks he’s ready to take that step.
On the blue line, Kirill Kudryavtsev has a real shot to make this camp interesting. In 44 AHL games in 2025-26, he posted 2 goals, 18 assists and 20 points.
The comparison here is with Elias Pettersson, and the gap may not be as wide as people think. Pettersson has the obvious physical edge and is one of the few Canucks who throws his body around, but there’s a case that Kudryavtsev is the steadier, more reliable defender.
Both players are exempt from waivers, which sets up a camp battle worth following.
Jack Thompson is another defender who could force the issue. A lot of Canucks fans may not know much about him yet, but they might soon.
The 24-year-old right-shot blueliner came over in the trade that sent Jett Woo the other way at last season’s deadline, then closed strong in Abbotsford with 12 points in 13 games. For the full 2025-26 AHL season, he had 56 games, 6 goals, 19 assists and 25 points.
He also played 31 NHL games in 2024-25. Victor Mancini and Luke Schenn sit ahead of him on the right side, but Thompson has a path to push one of them for a third-pairing job.
And then there’s Adam Novotny, who could be the Cootes-style surprise of this camp. In 58 OHL games in 2025-26, he put up 34 goals, 31 assists and 65 points.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound Czech winger already has pro size, plus NHL-ready speed that showed up at development camp last month. He also has a lethal shot.
With the left side not exactly stacked with competition, Novotny has the kind of tools that can make him stand out fast. He probably shouldn’t make the team, but he can definitely make the conversation louder.
In Other News...
Canucks Fans Have Every Reason To Watch Calgary Closely Again
Calgarys rebuild has dragged into another summer, and from a Canucks point of view, that still matters. The Flames closed out the 2025-26 season with 39 losses and 77 points, landing seventh in the Pacific Division behind Vancouver, and they have been trying to reset the roster since trading Elias Lindholm in 2024. Even with a few changes along the way, including the addition of defender Simon Nemec, the overall climb has been slow enough that the gap between the two teams remains worth watching.
For Vancouver, the interest is simple: a division rival that has struggled to find traction can shape the race around it, even before the puck drops. Calgary is still being projected to have a rough go of it again next season, with expectations that the Flames could finish behind the Canucks once more. If that holds, it would keep Vancouver in the more favorable spot and add another layer to a rivalry that has not exactly needed extra fuel. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Have One Demko Concern They Can't Rush Into Camp
Aiden Celebrinis situation is the more immediate prospect watch for Vancouver, but the bigger organizational question still sits in net. As the Canucks continue through a rebuilding stretch, Thatcher Demko remains the player who can most change the look of the season when he is healthy, and the club has every reason to be patient while he works his way back.
For now, the team has to plan for the possibility that he is not ready when camp opens, which is why the goalie depth behind him matters so much. Vancouver has been careful not to force the issue with its starter, and until Demko is fully cleared, the Canucks will have to keep sorting out their crease with the alternatives already on hand. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Fans May Not See Much Of Their Top Young Talent In Camp
The Canucks are set to open training camp in Penticton from Sept. 17-20, but a good chunk of their young talent may be nowhere near the ice. Fourteen prospects are expected to miss the camp because of NCAA commitments or because they are already playing overseas, which takes some of the shine off what is usually a useful first look at the organizations future.
Caleb Malhotra is part of that group, and his path is already tied to Boston University, where he will begin classes before camp starts. For Vancouver, it means the summer buzz around its prospects will have to wait a little longer, with several of the teams more intriguing young names likely to be absent from a gathering that often helps set the tone for the season ahead. [Read more 🡒]