The Vancouver Canucks have a new blue-chip prospect in the system — but is he the new No. 1 prospect for the organization?
While some teams got to stock up their prospect pools with multiple picks in the top-three rounds of the 2016 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks only owned one first and one third. On the bright side, their first pick of the draft was in the top five overall, and they got a potential top-pairing defenseman in Olli Juolevi. The question that remains is: does Juolevi beat goalie Thatcher Demko and Brock Boeser to the No. 1 spot in the system?
Of course that question isn’t necessarily important, as long as all three make the NHL and play important roles for the Vancouver Canucks. Still, it gives us an idea for how strong the club’s prospect pool is, and how bright the future looks in terms of elite prospects.
Going by draft positions only, it is a clear win for Juolevi. But, there is little doubt that all three of the aforementioned players have elite potential. Boeser and Demko were able to really raise their stock over the 2015-16 campaign and look like they could turn out to be big-time steals of their respective draft years.
Back in March, our staff at The Canuck Way discussed all prospects in the system and formed a consensus ranking. At the time, Boeser was the No. 1 with an average rank of 1.7 while Demko came in at No. 2 with an average rank of exactly 2. In the next weeks, we will discuss and re-evaluate those rankings, adding the 2016 draft class.
Of course, we don’t want to make you wait, so let’s discuss who should get the No. 1 spot this time around!
Next: Thatcher Demko