Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin made his way to the Langley Events Centre on Sunday night, taking a seat among the scouts to get an up-close look at one of this year’s most intriguing draft prospects: Carson Carels of the Prince George Cougars.
And Carels didn’t disappoint.
The 6-foot-2, 202-pound left-shot defenseman turned in a standout performance, scoring a goal and earning first-star honors in the Cougars’ 5-1 win over the Vancouver Giants. That kind of showing only adds fuel to the growing buzz around the 17-year-old blueliner, who’s been climbing the draft boards all season.
Carels is already being projected as a top-10 pick in this summer’s NHL Draft. TSN’s Craig Button has him slotted at No.
5, Sportsnet’s Sam Cosentino placed him at No. 8, and NHL Central Scouting ranked him as the No. 3 North American skater in its midterm rankings.
That’s elite company-and Sunday’s performance only reinforced why he’s generating that level of attention.
Through 35 games this season, Carels has posted 11 goals and 38 points, impressive numbers for a defenseman at any level. He also made the cut for Team Canada at the World Juniors in Minnesota, where he was the youngest player on the roster-just four days younger than fellow blueliner Keaton Verhoeff.
For a defenseman to not only make that team but contribute at that age? That speaks volumes about his maturity, poise, and upside.
Sunday’s matchup at the LEC was supposed to feature multiple first-round talents, but the Giants were without two of their top prospects-defenseman Ryan Lin (wrist) and winger Mathis Preston (knee)-both sidelined for the next few weeks. That left Carels as the marquee name on the ice, and he seized the spotlight.
From the Canucks’ perspective, Allvin’s presence at the game is notable. Vancouver currently sits at the bottom of the NHL standings, giving them the best odds to land the No. 1 overall pick in the draft lottery. That top spot is shaping up to be a battle between Penn State winger Gavin McKenna and Swedish standout Ivar Stenberg-both dynamic forwards with franchise-altering potential.
But the Canucks aren’t just holding their own pick. They also own Minnesota’s first-round selection, acquired in the Quinn Hughes trade.
As of Monday, the Wild were sixth in the league standings, which means that pick is trending toward the back half of the first round. It’s the kind of draft capital that opens up options-whether it’s moving up, trading down, or adding more picks via other deals.
Could Vancouver add another first-rounder before the draft? Absolutely. With several months to go before June, the trade market is still taking shape, and teams are already eyeing potential moves to reposition themselves for the future.
As for Allvin’s trip to Langley, it’s part of the process. January is the time when GMs and scouting departments start building their draft boards in earnest. It’s not just about who’s at the top-it’s about getting a feel for the depth of the class, identifying potential targets, and gathering intel that could come in handy down the road.
Carels, in particular, checks a lot of boxes. He’s got the size, mobility, and offensive instincts that teams covet in a modern NHL defenseman.
There are shades of Bowen Byram in his game-the same Byram who starred with the Giants and has been linked to the Canucks in various trade rumors in recent years. Both are left shots, both are around the same size (Byram is listed at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds), and both bring a dynamic element from the back end.
Whether or not Carels ends up in a Canucks jersey remains to be seen. But Allvin’s in-person scouting trip is a clear signal that Vancouver is doing its homework. And for a fan base eager for signs of a brighter future, seeing the GM out in the trenches, evaluating top-tier talent firsthand, is a step in the right direction.