Top 5 Vancouver Canucks prospects currently in the system

There may be no prospects news to report on, but we can still count down the top five prospects in the Vancouver Canucks system.

I will keep this introduction brief. Prospects are the biggest selling point of the Vancouver Canucks organization. In four years of misery (I do lump that pathetic playoff effort in 2015 with all the losing), two players went from prospects to established pieces of the future core.

Not everyone on this list will necessarily be considered core pieces, but I think all five have the potential for lengthy NHL careers. One thing I want to clarify is my definition of a prospect. They have to be under 25 years of age and have no more than 25 NHL games in a single season. Seems simple, right? You wouldn’t believe how many people still consider Jake Virtanen a prospect, despite playing 140 career games in this league.

Without further ado, here are your top five Vancouver Canucks prospects.

No. 5 – Adam Gaudette (Centre)

This selection may be the only one on the list up for debate. However, I think Adam Gaudette deserves the fifth spot on this list. Drafted in the fifth round of the 2015 draft, the Braintree, Massachusetts kid didn’t exactly amaze people in his draft year.

You had some scratching their heads picking a guy with 30 points in 50 USHL games. His freshman year at Northeastern University was fine, but with Brock Boeser making a splash in the NCHC, Canucks fans didn’t notice him as much.

Fast forward to this year and Adam Gaudette is putting his team on his back, leading the NCAA in scoring and securing the Hobey Baker Award for the most valuable player. Those were the most notable, but you should check out the other 10 NCAA awards he won this year on his EliteProspects page.

Don’t forget about the Beanpot tournament where he led Northeastern to their first local championship in 30 years. Gaudette also got the MVP for that tournament as well. As we move on to his NHL debut, Gaudette looked good in those five games.

He brought an element of skill to the bottom of the lineup that has been lacking for some time. Gaudette isn’t this surefire number one centre coming next season. However, I believe he can thrive in the middle six and find a place as a good third line pivot down the middle.

Although he was raised a Bruins fan (we forgive him for it), he has a new home in Vancouver. Well, possibly Utica depending on how the Canucks approach July 1st, but hopefully here. Regardless, he’s a welcomed addition to a group that is quite shallow down the middle.

No. 4 – Olli Juolevi (Defence)

Are you surprised? I know I am Olli Juolevi‘s harshest critic on this site. However, I would like to clarify that the critique is more on Jim Benning for the selection than on Juolevi, the player. Regardless, since it irks so many, I will stick to highlighting the positives from this season (and there were quite a few).

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After looking like his development stagnated with the London Knights, Juolevi spent the season in Finland, under the close eye of Sami Salo. Fortunately for Juolevi, he was on a strong team with TPS and would have the support around him all year.

His 19 points in 38 games do not seem like much, but remember he was a rookie in that league. For his age group, he finished the season second in points from defencemen. Furthermore, Juolevi showed well in the playoffs with seven points in 11 games. Those totals tied for fifth among all Liiga defencemen, not just those under the age of 20.

Juolevi also made a comeback on the international stage. A big reason for the rise in his draft stock was the dominant performance from the Finnish team during their Gold-medal crusade in 2016. The following year did not go well, with Finland staring down the barrel of relegation. Juolevi shouldered much of the blame as the team’s captain, unfair or not.

2018 was a much different year. By not being the go-to guy on the blueline, Juolevi played very well in the tournament. It was like night and day, and despite Finland not winning anything, they had a strong squad led by their defencemen.

Ultimately, I see Juolevi as a second-pairing defenceman. He plays a more passive, understated game with flashes of offensive upside. Hopefully, the Canucks can create some room for him on their already crowded back end.

No. 2 – Thatcher Demko (Goaltender)

The Vancouver Canucks goalie of the future. Some have anointed him as Cory Schneider 2.0. However, if you look where Schneider is in his career now, we may want to throw in a disclaimer that we want his best years when we talk about Thatcher Demko.

Vancouver had an incredible run when we had both Roberto Luongo and Schneider. Goalie controversies were interesting, they got people talking and ultimately, both goalies were forced out. Schneider was dealt in the best rebuild move in the last five years for Bo Horvat. While the owner’s coaching choice drove the best goaltender in franchise history away.

Today, the controversies are gone. We try our best to stir some up, but we tend to get middling to mediocre netminding in the present. This is where we can see change. Vancouver has a potential 40-goal scorer in Boeser. A near 60-point centre in Horvat and an incredible amount of skill from Pettersson. Hopefully, Demko adds to this with a stabilizing presence as a bona fide NHL starter.

During prior prospect reports, I lamented on not having access to better AHL stats for goaltenders. Those days are over thanks to Colin Cudmore. He has his own Hockey Viz for the AHL and calculated goals saved above average (GSAA) values for goaltenders.

In short, GSAA is that the value compares goalies to the league average. Higher and more positive numbers are good, while negative numbers are bad. This season, Demko had the third best GSAA at 21.7, meaning he saved roughly 21 more goals than the average goaltender.

I can’t wait to see Demko get regular starts with the Canucks. He’s calm, cool and the organization may just have something truly special with the kid from San Diego.

No. 1 – Elias Pettersson (Right Wing/Centre)

Show of hands. Who didn’t see this coming? I’ve been talking about Elias Pettersson for a majority of the season, so much of this is a recap. But honestly, there is no one else that could take the top spot on this list.

Let’s start with history. For his age group, Pettersson has the all-time single-season record for points (both in the regular season and playoffs). With that, he also led the SHL in scoring for the regular season and postseason.

On top of winning the Le Mat Trophy in the SHL, Pettersson received the Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy (playoff MVP). The SHL awards the best plus/minus, most junior points, most junior goals, rookie of the year and forward of the year. Furthermore, Pettersson won them all!

He also had nine points in 11 games in the Champions Hockey League tournament. Speaking of tournaments, Pettersson was on the infamous Silver-medal team, leaving Buffalo with seven points in as many games. Finally, Pettersson made Team Sweden at the World Championships in Denmark, before a broken thumb ended his tournament prematurely.

Pettersson is everything and anything when it comes to the Canucks prospect pool. He’s the best prospect the Canucks have had in a very long time and looks poised to do something special. Whether that’s at centre or right wing, the organization has a fantastic player waiting in the wings.

Next: Exploring a Colin Miller trade

This is the right era for lighter forwards to excel. Skill is king and when a team is constructed correctly, they can terrorize this league. The Vancouver Canucks are still far from reaching that point, but there is one thing you can’t deny and that’s potential.