The Canucks are back on the ice at Rogers Arena, and the summer shutdown is giving way to the first signs of a new season.
With training camp still a little less than three weeks away, players have started drifting back into Vancouver, and Monday brought a full gathering at the rink. Based on the visuals posted by the team’s official social media accounts, 16 current Canucks were spotted skating.
The group included several new faces in Brendan Gallagher, Jamie Oleksiak, Luke Schenn and Paul Cotter. Also on the ice were forwards Brock Boeser, Drew O’Connor, Liam Öhgren, Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson and Aatu Räty; defencemen Filip Hronek, Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson and Victor Mancini; and goaltender Nikita Tolopilo.
These are still informal skates for now, but that changes quickly. Training camp opens in Penticton on Sept. 17, and new head coach Manny Malhotra will be in charge when the real work begins.
For the moment, the club is making do at Rogers Arena, even if the building won’t always be available. There are four concerts booked there over the next 12 days - Tame Impala on Sept. 5 and 6, Cody Johnson on Sept. 11, and Weezer on Sept. 12 - so the Canucks will have to find ice elsewhere on those dates.
On the ice and off it, the message around the organization has been clear: next season is less about the win total and more about a culture shift. That was the tone from co-presidents of hockey operations Henrik and Daniel Sedin, along with general manager Ryan Johnson, when they were introduced in their new roles last spring.
Soon enough, the team will start showing what that looks like in practice.
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Canucks Winger Situation Still Feels Unsettled As Trade Buzz Builds
Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk are still expected to open the 2026-27 season in Vancouver, but the Canucks do not appear ready to treat either winger as part of some fixed long-term picture. Even with both on long-term contracts, the organization is likely to keep looking around the market as it weighs whether there is a better fit down the road and how the roster might need to evolve during the season.
Boeser stands out as the more movable name because of the stronger trade market around him, even if his full no-movement clause runs through 2028-29. DeBrusk brings a different challenge, with uneven even-strength production and a no-movement clause that covers 2026-27, leaving Vancouver in a familiar position of having to balance player protection, on-ice fit and whatever interest might develop once other teams sort out their own needs. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Fans Just Got An Early Look At Malhotras Fixes
Manny Malhotra is wasting no time putting structure around his first Canucks coaching staff, assigning clear responsibilities well before training camp opens in mid-September. Ryan Mougenel will handle the offence and power play, Jordan Smith will take on the defensive side and the penalty kill, and Jason Krog will help guide offensive principles along with individual player development.
For a team trying to sharpen its identity under a new head coach, those early assignments offer an immediate glimpse at how Malhotra wants the bench to function. The details matter because the coaching staff will be working with the group soon, and the way those duties are divided should give the Canucks a more defined plan as camp gets underway. [Read more 🡒]
Canucks Prospects Are Getting The Kind Of Buzz Fans Crave
Steven Ellis latest top 75 NHL-affiliated prospect rankings gave Canucks fans a reason to pay attention, with four Vancouver prospects making the list and three landing inside the top 50. Caleb Malhotra came in highest for the organization at No. 8, while Braeden Cootes and Adam Novotn checked in at Nos. 46 and 48, giving the pipeline a little more substance than the usual preseason hope.
Ellis also offered detailed evaluations of each players recent performance and long-term potential, the kind of context prospect watchers in Vancouver always want when they start mapping out who might be next. For a fan base that has spent plenty of time waiting for young talent to turn into real help, this kind of buzz matters because it points to a group that is drawing notice well beyond the local market. [Read more 🡒]