Vancouver Canucks are No. 21 in 2025 NHL prospect pool rankings

Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2025 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes in-depth evaluations and insight from sources on nearly 500 prospects, runs from Jan. 8 to Feb. 7.

The Canucks have an average pool. They didn’t select in the first two rounds of the 2024 NHL Draft, though, and while they still have two legit prospects and about a dozen ones of varying interest, the result is that their ranking slipped slightly in this year’s countdown (while remaining closer to the middle of the pack than to the league’s weaker pools below them).

2024 prospect pool rank: No. 18 (change: -3)

1. Jonathan Lekkerimäki, RW, 20 (Vancouver Canucks/Abbotsford Canucks)

After a disappointing post-draft season that included two lackluster performances at the World Juniors (first in the summer tournament in Edmonton and then in Halifax) and a challenging regular season in HockeyAllsvenkan, Lekkerimaki really hit his stride in the HockeyAllsvenskan playoffs at the end of the 2022-23 season and hasn’t looked back. He won a World Juniors MVP on home ice in Gothenburg, led his SHL team in scoring as a teenager, and is now in the midst of a positive first season in North America that has seen him get a couple of NHL call-ups and continue to score in the AHL.

Some of that progression is likely some should-have-been-expected catchup given his late July birthday. Some of it is good health after his draft year was impacted by injuries and illness (including a bout with COVID-19). And some of it is natural talent taking over and some important work done on areas of his game that needed it.

Lekkerimaki’s talent is undeniable. He’s dynamic in control and threatening from anywhere in the offensive zone. He can beat you in an instant with a quick catch-and-release or curl-and-drag shot, or hang onto pucks and make things happen himself. He’s got a knack for hitting holes in the net, frequently beating goalies low-blocker and five-hole. He’s got A-level hands, a deceptive release, a lethal one-timer and a slyness to his game that allows him to get to spots to score with and without the puck. He has slowly become more threatening on a consistent basis at five-on-five against men, coming and going less in games, fading to the perimeter in control less and making sure he’s getting touches by keeping his feet moving more and working to involve himself in the play more. He has learned to play with more intention off the puck and on the forecheck and has found more consistency in his approach and consequently his game.

Maybe most important of all, though, he has added some more tempo to his game so that he doesn’t have to default to long shots through feet because he can’t attack defenders one-on-one quickly enough. He has started to push pace more. He has started to draw more penalties because he’s more comfortable hanging onto pucks longer and taking some bumps. His skating and tight turns in particular have gotten quicker. He has played with a little more fight. He’s still figuring out how to be more consistent and how to make his talent work, and he’s never going to be a burner in terms of speed, but he’s got the skill and finishing to figure it out in the NHL.

With the right development and coaching, he always had clear upside as a top-six/PP1 finisher — you want the puck in his hands.

2. Tom Willander, RHD, 19 (Boston University)

One of the better-skating D prospects in hockey, Willander was a beast for the Swedish under-18 team and Rogle’s junior team in his draft year and drove strong two-way results for the Terriers as a freshman and for the Swedish under-20 team last season without necessarily taking a pronounced step (his post-draft season was just OK). This season, he has played big minutes as a sophomore at BU and was impactful as Sweden’s go-to D on their shutdown pair (and also sharing the blue line on the power play with Axel Sandin Pellikka).

He’s a strong-in-all-three-zones defenseman who plays a confident and decisive defensive game that uses his beautiful, balanced skating to swallow up opposing carriers and then push forward or fall back onto his heels and outlet the puck.

He pulls away or retreats from pressure with ease, and excels on exits and going back to get pucks. His head is always up. He gets his shots through. And then, on top of the pro frame, the skating and the general athleticism, he also just plays the game with an intentionality that’s rare in players his age. He looks and operates like a pro out there. His passes are quick and firm. He activates when he can and picks his spots. Defensively, he’s aggressive on pinches and closing gaps, and rarely mistimes them, taking away the space so well in neutral ice. He made some mistakes that showed his youth at times as a freshman but he has looked back to his polished self this season. Willander doesn’t have dynamic skill or creativity on the puck, and his offensive-zone instincts are still coming, but he projects safely as an NHL defenseman and could become a two-way transition monster in a top-four role. Because of how high a level he defends and skates at, he rarely has bad games and play normally tilts in his team’s favor. And even though the offense doesn’t always pop inside the offensive zone, he’s a comfortable puck mover and transporter. He’s going to have a long career as a No. 3-4.

3. Elias Pettersson, LHD, 20 (Abbotsford Canucks)

I thought the third round was a little high for EP 2.0 in 2022, but he has looked the part since and had some proponents in Sweden (and within the Canucks) who believed in his size, mobility and solid defensive game, and he’s become a legit B-grade prospect. He has had a respectable first season in the AHL for a D his age, too, playing to positive defensive results in second-pairing usage (18-19 minutes per game).

He can control his ice and can impact play in all three zones but especially so defensively. He’s efficient, sometimes commanding and always very physical and competitive in battles. He usually makes the right choices with and without the puck, even if he’s not the most cerebral player. There’s the shape of a good pro player there. Effective. Efficient. Physical. He’s a big boy and he plays like it. He’ll block shots. And while he’s occasionally sloppy and can sometimes misread plays when the pace is high, I’ve also seen him surprise and make some little plays.

He’s got the size (6-foot-4, 200-plus pounds), decent enough mobility, the first pass and the shot (it comes off hard and he does a good job sliding off the line to get open or walking the line to place it through, given his size). He uses a long stick and still has surprising pop off his wrister with it. He does the little things well and wins the majority of his engagements. He looks like he’s on track to becoming a reliable depth defenseman. At the very least, he probably becomes organizational depth/a No. 7/8. He’s not just a defense-first guy, either (though that’s where it starts). There’s potentially some two-way value there as well.

4. Aatu Räty, C, 22 (Abbotsford Canucks/Vancouver Canucks)

After an excellent post-draft season got Räty’s to-that-point up-and-down career back on track, he has been effective without being a star in his jump to the AHL these last three seasons split between Abbotsford and Bridgeport (with occasional NHL call-ups). Considering his age (he turned 22 in November), that in-between was a fine place to be for a while. The clock is going to start to tick if he can’t establish himself as a full-timer with the Canucks by the end of this season, though, as this is the last year of his entry-level deal and they’ll have to make a decision on him (waivers will also come into play eventually).

When he plays intentionally, keeps his feet moving and stays between the dots to play a give-and-go game that drives downhill, he’s an impactful player. His skating has progressed enough, to the point where he can put some pro defenders on their heels and enter the zone with control in the middle third. When the north-south game isn’t there, he has begun to see the ice and make plays through layers with more regularity. Confidence has always played a big role in his play, and as he gets more comfortable at the AHL level, I expect him to grab hold of it and progress to a career as a tertiary NHL forward.

He’s got some pro tools (including size, quick hands and a decently hard, though at times overrated, shot). Slowly but surely, he has learned to hang onto the puck when necessary and play quick when required. He’s not smart enough to drive a line by himself or make plays when he’s less involved, so linemates will play a factor in his success, but on the whole, and with the right development, I believe he’ll get there. The bigger question is whether he’s a center or a winger. I’ve preferred him down the middle because it keeps him more involved, but that’s probably the minority opinion at this point. He may just become a bit of a tweener, too.

5. Sawyer Mynio, LHD, 19 (Calgary Hitmen)

As with EP 2.0, I felt the third round was a round high for Mynio at the draft, but he has looked the part of a player taken in that range since (both in his first rookie tournament/camp experience with the Canucks and in Seattle before a move to Calgary after he made Canada as a No. 7/8 at this year’s World Juniors), predictably taking a step in a more prominent role on a Thunderbirds team that was as deep as any in junior in his first two years but then entered a rebuild with him as their No. 1 and captain.

Mynio is a hardworking, competitive, two-way defender with good natural athleticism and high-end skating. He’s a top penalty-killer in the WHL, has shown his hard point shot more in the last year (he can really lean into a traditional slapper) and has developed more confidence on the puck. He defends well and has shown some secondary offense. He also added some strength, which has helped him take charge on the ice a little more. His game is about his feet, his smarts and his competitiveness and each is at a high level. There may be a solid depth defenseman there in time.

6. Melvin Fernstrom, RW, 18 (Orebro HK)

Fernstrom has been one of the most productive players at the J20 level the last two seasons, has begun to establish himself in the SHL as an 18-year-old and should be a top-six winger for next year’s Swedish World Junior team in Minnesota. He impressed last season on a team with fellow 2024 prospect Alexander Zetterberg, leading the J20 level in scoring and leading Sweden’s U18 team in scoring at worlds with eight points in seven games. This season, he has played at a goal-per-game clip when against his peers and has scored his first few SHL goals. He’s a decently strong kid (who still has more room to add muscle) who can stay over pucks and power through a variety of shot types against his peers, with an excellent one-timer and a heavy wrister. He’s dangerous on the flank on his off-side on the power play but also does a really good job hiding off coverage and finding gaps to get open into in the offensive zone at five-on-five. He’s got one-on-one skill and can use it while moving. He gets to rebounds and is hungry for offense. He’s got some craft. While his skating can look hurried at times, it’s actually decent. He shades away from sticks with the puck really well. I like the way he supports, tracks and gets the puck back defensively. I like the way he protects and shields it against defenders offensively. He’s a competitor who works hard and likes to mix it up (and occasionally takes bad penalties). There’s a good shell to work with. I think he was miscast as simply a skill guy who didn’t have enough pace last year. There are some who believe he’s going to top out as an AHL/SHL playmaker but I think he’s at least got a chance of becoming a secondary middle-six offensive contributor.

7. Artūrs Šilovs, G, 23 (Abbotsford Canucks)

Šilovs has been a source of fascination and disagreement for a lot of folks over the years. For a while, I found his game to be sloppy and lacking in control and was a bit of a doubter. Then, for another while, it looked like he might prove me wrong. But his struggles in reliability/over-movement have cropped up more and more in his NHL looks. He’s got clear pro size and athleticism but was long prone to pulling himself out of position or letting routine shots sneak through. There were others who believed that the raw potential could be shaped into something, though, and with reps against pro competition (both in the AHL and in back-to-back standout performances at men’s worlds), it looked like he’d begun to refine his once-rough-around-the-edges game. This season some of that erratic play in the net has returned, though.

When Šilovs is on, he fills the net and he can get to a lot of pucks when he doesn’t. That made him worth working with and believing in. He is still young by pro goalie standards, so that’s worth remembering, too. There may be more progress in front of him yet. Can he become more than just a call-up option and make the saves he’s supposed to make in the NHL? The talent has always been there.

8. Danila Klimovich, RW, 22 (Abbotsford Canucks)

Klimovich was always going to be a bit of a work in progress, especially when the Canucks decided against sending him to Rouyn-Noranda three seasons ago in favor of an early jump to the AHL. Now he’s just turned 22 a couple of weeks ago and he’s in his fourth season in the AHL and there have been some highs and lows. Two different injuries really derailed what could have been an important season last year, though, and I’m starting to wonder if he’ll figure it out/what he really is at the next level.

Klimovich is big and strong (6-2, over 200 pounds) and has a pro shot (he’s one of those players where, when his shot misses the net and bangs off the boards, it sounds like it should have put a hole through the wall) and good hands. Add in a tenacious “go get the puck” disposition and he’s intriguing. I actually think he’s owed more than his counting stats have indicated in the AHL but his progression has been slow. He’s also not the smartest nor the most athletic kid, so finding ways to get the most out of his size-shot combo has proven a challenge. You hope that he becomes a complementary bottom-six scorer at his ceiling and an AHL call-up at his floor, and I think that’s possible for him but I wouldn’t say it’s probable at this point. Consistency is the key with him and it has been hard for him to really establish himself/his game/his identity.

I thought about ranking him a few spots lower here and am hesitant in this slotting now.

9. Riley Patterson, C, 18 (Barrie Colts)

Patterson is a player I stuck my neck out on last season, ranking him when NHL Central Scouting didn’t even include him on their players to watch list in the fall (as he found his way as an OHL rookie and the Colts struggled to figure out who was going to play where in their lineup) and the slotting him 67th on my final list when the Canucks drafted him 125th. I expected him to pop offensively in the OHL more than he has this year, though. Instead, after starting the season a little banged up, he has just been more of a point-per-game type on a deep Colts roster up front where nobody’s really “the guy.”

Entering last year, I’d heard good things about his talent as a player coming out of the OJHL and into the OHL. Sixteen-year-olds don’t often lead their teams in scoring by 19 points or go for 30 goals and 70-plus points in 50-something games in the OJHL (although he did play on a bad team where his defensive responsibilities weren’t the focus) and while it took him some time to get the points to fall in the OHL, when I watched him both live in Barrie and on tape he seemed to be getting a lot of Grade-A chances (posts, goals called back, goals wrong on the scoresheet, etc.). Then the floodgates opened and the points really started to come in the second half, climbing to a point per game as one of the Colts’ top offensive players by season’s end. He had some learning to do defensively to start last year in the OHL in terms of picking up marks and keeping his feet moving, but he adjusted quickly, improved his play off the puck and upped his pace when he didn’t have it (he really got after it and showed a real desire to get to pucks so that he could make plays as the year progressed). This season, though, things just haven’t clicked for him and it has felt like he’s been playing catch-up after starting behind the 8-ball with an injury.

Patterson’s a strong skater and athlete (though he does carry a little bit of weight). He’s pretty strong on pucks and in the faceoff circle. He goes to the net, attacks the middle third and plays a direct attacking style offensively. He shoots it hard, gets it off quickly and has good feel around the slot. He executes little slip plays one-on-one to take pucks under defenders and to the net. He plays with confidence, he’s very vocal and he wants to take the space that’s offered. The Colts paid a lot to acquire him, sending six draft picks to Flint, which owned his rights (he was previously a Michigan State commit). NHL Central Scouting eventually listed him at No. 116 on their mid-term list of North American skaters and then moved him all the way up to No. 61 on their final list. He’s got the skill to be a top player at the OHL level. It might just have to wait for next year to really reveal itself. I wonder, too, after the Colts went all-in this season, if he gets traded next season and plays his 19-year-old year somewhere else.

10. Anthony Romani, RW, 19 (Barrie Colts)

Romani is a summer birthday who passed through the 2023 draft after playing a third-line role for a deep North Bay team. Last year, he led the OHL in goals (58, six more than the Kraken’s Carson Rehkopf) and finished second in scoring with 111 points. He landed No. 68 on my final ranking, one spot behind Patterson (where he also ranks here), and was invited to the World Junior Summer Showcase by Hockey Canada. Unfortunately, he broke his clavicle early on this season following a hit by Erie D Ty Henry and he was limited to just six games in North Bay before being dealt to the title-chasing Colts.

He’s got an NHL shot. He plays offense with good timing and sense for spacing off coverage. He goes to the home-plate area but also showed a midrange game last year. But he also played with an excellent 20-year-old in Dalyn Wakely last year (though his five-on-five production across the last two seasons does deserve a lot of respect) and he’s a winger with average size, skating and competitiveness. Coincidentally, he’ll now be reunited with Wakely for the second half of the season in Barrie after both were traded there. I (and others) have wondered if he’ll be more of an AHL scorer than an NHL player because that’s so often what players with his makeup become. There are some recent success stories, though, too (Tye Kartye in Seattle being one example). That’s what Romani has to build toward (a secondary bottom-six scorer who can build out his game to fill a role instead of just becoming an average AHLer) and I think he’s got a chance to do that but the lost time this year doesn’t help.

11. Kirill Kudryavtsev, LHD, 21 (Abbotsford Canucks)

Kudryatsev, who just turned 21, was one of the very last cuts for my top 100 in 2022 and went on to become one of the better defensemen in the OHL before turning pro with Abbotsford this year. As a rookie in the AHL, he has been quite productive this season as well. Though he only plays 15-16 minutes per game and they’ve eased him in usage-wise, he has run one of Abbotsford’s power-play units quite well in my viewings.

He played an effective game at the junior level that was supported by a pro frame and a lot of average-to-above-average tools across the board. He’s a 6-foot but already-200-pound defenseman who impacts play by staying involved in it.

Three years ago, he was a good piece of a stacked OHL blue line that featured several NHL draft picks. Two seasons ago, on a lesser Greyhounds team, he was the only drafted defenseman and they asked more of him to mixed results. Last season, he played to really strong two-way results as a top player on a top team. And now he’s taken another step, surprising me a little with how quickly he has produced offensively in the AHL.

Offensively, he’s striking the right balance between jumping into the play (which he has never been shy to do) and making the early play, and has made things happen within reason. Defensively, he has held his own. He reads the play well on both sides of the puck, which helps. His game doesn’t scream NHL talent or NHL defense, but he’s a good player with several redeeming qualities. He’s worth tracking, and I like him better than where he was picked (No. 208).

12. Ty Mueller, C, 21 (Abbotsford Canucks)

Mueller had a good sophomore season in college to finish tied for fourth on the Mavericks in scoring and get picked in the fourth round, finished fourth on the Mavericks in scoring again as a junior and then signed his entry-level deal with the Canucks. As a rookie in Abbotsford, he, like Kudryavtsev, has faced fewer growing pains than I expected and has been more productive right away than I anticipated (he has never been a highly productive player but has immediately become a good contributor and played 17 minutes per game to good results in the AHL). Mueller’s an athletic 5-foot-11 player who skates well and plays a consistent game-to-game style. He’s got a natural wrister that he has scored some goals from fairly long range on the power play with across levels. He supports the play well off the puck (offensively and defensively). He’s good in the faceoff circle and has been a counted-upon player in all situations with different teams. I do wonder if he’s got a bit of an AHL ceiling with his makeup but he has shown more skill the last two years than I thought he had and I could see him getting a call-up at some point in the next year or two.

I thought about slotting him higher here, and thought about players 8-12 as pretty interchangeable.

13. Nikita Tolopilo, G, 24 (Abbotsford Canucks)

Tolopilo is a fascinating player and story as a massive 6-foot-6 Belarusian goalie who isn’t as lean as most goalies that size and whose play in HockeyAllsvenskan two seasons ago garnered the attention of multiple NHL clubs before he landed with Vancouver. He has been solid without being dominant in his first two years in North America in the AHL, too, playing to a winning record and a save percentage around .900.

His size is obviously the most appealing element but he does a good job getting down into his butterfly to cover the five-hole (a common problem for goalies his size), he plays his angles well when he’s squared up with shooters to really fill the net and he will stay with scrambles and fight for pucks. There are other areas to improve upon (mainly the odd puck that squeaks under his arm, movement that’s powerful through one push but can lack mobility in shuffles/readjustments, etc.) but there’s a lot to work with there and he’s fine organizational depth in the meantime. He isn’t young, though, and will turn 25 in April.

The Tiers

As always, each prospect pool ranking is broken down into team-specific tiers in order to give you a better sense of the proximity from one player — or group of players — to the next.

The Canucks’ pool is divided into three tiers: 1-2, 3-5, 6-12.

Goaltenders Ty Young (who has had a decent first pro season split between the ECHL and AHL) and Aku Koskenvuo were also considered but not ranked.

(Photo of Tom Willander: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)