Liam Öhgren’s 2025-26 season with the Vancouver Canucks was built on a sharp turn after a rough start, and that shift is what made his year worth a closer look.
The 22-year-old opened the campaign with the Minnesota Wild and went 18 games without a point. Then came December 12, when he was sent to Vancouver with Marco Rossi, Zeev Buium, and a 2026 first-round pick in the blockbuster deal that sent Quinn Hughes to Minnesota. Öhgren wasn’t billed as the headliner in that return, but he quickly became one of the more interesting pieces to watch.
His best stretch came after Adam Foote put him on a line with Brock Boeser and former Wild teammate Rossi on March 4. The “BRO” line gave Vancouver a different look, with Öhgren’s forechecking and puck retrievals feeding into Rossi’s passing and Boeser’s finishing touch. It became one of the more notable combinations the Canucks rolled out late in the season.
Öhgren also carved out a place among Vancouver’s younger players, joining the group that included Max Sasson and Linus Karlsson. Foote was clearly impressed, calling him a “sponge of information” while pointing to the heaviness, strength, and bravery he brought to the lineup. Even when he wasn’t riding shotgun on the “BRO” line, Öhgren kept getting chances as the season wound down, a sign of both trust and growth.
The issue was consistency. His numbers - eight goals and 18 points in 51 games - are modest for someone who could eventually settle into a top-six role. He also finished minus-16, though that has to be weighed against a rebuilding team that struggled defensively after trading its captain.
Still, the bigger picture matters here. Öhgren went from not registering a point in Minnesota to sticking in the NHL, producing in key moments, and finding a real fit in Vancouver.
With Rossi, Buium, and prospect Adam Novotný - the player taken with the first-round pick acquired in the Hughes trade - also in the organization, the Canucks do not need Öhgren to be the centerpiece of that deal. If what he showed late in the year becomes his new standard, he can still end up as a useful part of Vancouver’s future.
That’s why his final grade lands at a B. The raw totals - eight goals, 18 points in 69 games, and a minus-16 rating - don’t scream out for praise.
But they also don’t tell the whole story. Öhgren’s move from a scoreless run in Minnesota to 18 points in 51 games with Vancouver, plus his role on the “BRO” line and his growing place in the young core, made for a season that was better than the box score alone suggests.
There’s still more to prove, especially over a full season, but the late-season surge was enough to earn him a solid mark.
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