The Vancouver Canucks are heading into training camp in Penticton next month, but a big chunk of their prospect group won’t be there to join them. The most notable name missing is Caleb Malhotra, the organization’s top-rated prospect in the pipeline by Daily Faceoff Vancouver, and he’s only the start of the list.
In all, 14 Canucks prospects are currently expected to miss the Sept. 17-20 camp because of NCAA commitments or seasons already getting underway overseas. Wilson Björck is the one exception that could still change things, thanks to the timing of Colorado College’s unusual Block Plan.
Malhotra’s situation is the clearest one. The 18-year-old centre, selected third overall in June, was at development camp, but his classes at Boston University begin Sept.
- Under NCAA rules, an enrolled player can take part in certain professional practices or camps while keeping eligibility, but he can’t miss class to do it, take professional compensation, or represent an NHL club in outside competition.
That means Malhotra could only do a limited version of camp, not the full four-day experience an OHL prospect would get.
That distinction matters because Vancouver’s 24th overall pick, Adam Novotný, is expected to attend camp before heading back to the Peterborough Petes. He can practice, scrimmage, and even appear in preseason games before being returned to the OHL.
The Canucks’ first exhibition game is Sept. 19 in Seattle. For anyone hoping to see Malhotra against NHL competition, the wait may stretch until after Boston University’s season ends.
Malhotra is part of a much larger NCAA wave in Vancouver’s system. Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Yaroslav Bryzgalov, Connor Davis, Kieren Dervin, Parker Alcos, Matthew Lansing, Anthony Romani, Daimon Gardner, Matthew Perkins, and Aiden Celebrini are all expected to play college hockey in 2026-27, bringing the total to 11 NCAA prospects, including Malhotra, who are unlikely to be in Penticton for regular camp.
The exact setup differs from player to player and school to school, but Vancouver has already shown it has little interest in pulling college-bound prospects away from their programs for a limited NHL camp. Last September, Romani, Björck, Gardner, Celebrini, Perkins, and Lansing all missed the club’s prospect events while getting ready for NCAA seasons, and none of them wound up on the final training-camp roster.
There’s plenty of talent in that college group, too. Aaram-Olsen was one of Vancouver’s top 2026 picks, while Dervin, Davis, and Bryzgalov give the organization another crop of prospects outside the CHL.
Romani remains more of a project, but his junior career gives him something worth tracking. Lansing, Gardner, Perkins, and Celebrini add more depth to the college pipeline.
The absences don’t stop there. Three European-based prospects are also expected to be unavailable because their seasons are starting overseas.
Basile Sansonnens is with Lausanne HC in Switzerland and already has regular-season games on the schedule during Vancouver’s camp window. Unless Lausanne releases him to travel, there’s little reason to expect him in Penticton while his club is playing.
Samuel Eriksson is staying in Sweden with Färjestad’s system, and Dmitri Ivchenko is expected to play for Omskie Yastreby in Russia’s MHL. Both are already expected to miss Vancouver’s Sept. 12-13 prospect showcase because of those commitments, so making it to Penticton a few days later would be a surprise.
Put those three with the NCAA group and the Canucks are at 14 expected absences.
Björck remains the wildcard. His first academic block ends Sept. 16 and his second begins Sept. 21, which leaves him a window during camp from Sept. 17-20 to make the trip to Penticton without missing class.
Even so, NCAA restrictions would still apply around exhibition games and outside competition, and Vancouver left him out of its September events last year after his college commitment. So for now, he looks like a possible 15th absence.
The Canucks will still have young players in camp, including Novotný, Brooks Rogowski, and Lucian Bernat, and Abbotsford’s group will make up another large portion of the roster. But with prospects spread across the OHL, NCAA, AHL, Sweden, Switzerland, and Russia, training camp won’t serve as the all-in-one showcase it once did.
Vancouver used the third-overall pick on Malhotra in June, and fans could go from development camp in July all the way until next spring without seeing him in team colours again. His freshman year at Boston University should offer the best read on how quickly he’s moving. Penticton just won’t.
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