Max Sasson and Nikita Tolopilo came back to Vancouver with plenty to talk about after a summer that mixed family milestones, training work, and a growing sense of familiarity with what’s ahead for the Canucks.
Tolopilo’s offseason carried a personal touch right away. He introduced his family in Belarus and his daughter for the first time, a moment that stood out in a summer otherwise built around hockey and preparation.
Sasson, meanwhile, had his own family highlight when his parents traveled to Switzerland to watch him at the 2026 IIHF Ice Hockey World Championship. He got to share that experience not just with family, but with teammates as well.
“Warming up playing Finland, and me and Rats [Aatu Räty] are pretty much warming up together because it was just one gym. So, it was awesome to see those guys; it was a great experience,” Sasson said.
Sasson also added a new four-legged family member over the summer after meeting his dog, Maple, at a puppy yoga class.
The hockey side of the offseason was just as busy. Sasson split his training between gym work and skating, getting on the ice with AHL and NHL players in Michigan, including Paul Cotter, before returning to Vancouver midsummer to train with Zeev Buium and Arshdeep Bains.
“I thought it was a great summer. Krogger [Jason Krog] gave me a lot of things to work on, trying to get my shooting mechanics better and my touches.”
Tolopilo’s summer followed a similar rhythm, though with a goalie’s twist. He trained in Minsk with KHL and NHL players, while also working with different goalie coaches to see the game from a few different angles. That variety matters to him, and he made sure to get back to Vancouver early enough to keep building with Canucks goalie coach Marko Torenius and the other netminders.
“The whole summer, [I did] workout on-ice three times a week and then I got here a couple weeks ago, so I started practicing with Marko, which is good, and is what we’ve done the past three years. Come here early, skate with Marko, have a good workload, and get ready for camp,” Tolopilo said.
Both players also enter camp with a strong sense of who’s running the show now. They’ve spent three seasons with the organization and know Manny Malhotra well, having played for him in Abbotsford. So when Malhotra, along with other Abbotsford coaching staff and management, made the move to Vancouver, it only added to the buzz.
“Anyone you win a championship with, you're going to be stuck to for life, which is great, and then when RJ got hired, and he brought Manny aboard and Smitty, the assistant coach. The excitement level is super high; we know exactly what to expect,” Sasson said.
“He's [Malhotra] super intense, but in the best way possible. He's always talking, he always brings a lot of energy, and I think you're going to see a really organized Canucks group.
That's kind of what they bring, and then RJ and the Sedins are first class guys. They're guys that are not too big for anyone, they give anyone the time of day, they really care how you feel and they really want to help you.”
Tolopilo said that shared history matters, especially when it comes to wanting to give the staff and management group something back.
“I'm really happy for them that RJ gets his opportunity here too because I think everyone deserves it. [We] just want to help them too as they helped us, so we want to play our best and show every day that we want to be here and that we want to play for them too,” Tolopilo said.
The conversation didn’t stop there. Sasson, Tolopilo and Faber also put together their top-four countries to visit on a 10-day vacation, part of a wider discussion on the latest episode of the Canucks Insider Podcast.
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