Jett Woo
The man who arguably has the best name in hockey, Jett Woo, was drafted 37th overall by the Canucks in the 2018 NHL entry draft. That’s the same year that Quinn Hughes was taken. Two defencemen taken in the first two rounds? To say the Canucks had an eye on repairing their blue line and setting it up for years to come at last year’s draft would be an understatement.
Woo picked up 25 points in 44 games with the Moose Jaw Warriors in his draft year, but really is known for his hard-nosed style of play more than his offensive abilities. At 203 pounds, Woo is not afraid to step up and throw his weight around. I saw this first hand at the young stars tournament last Summer at Rogers Arena, where Woo laid the boom multiple times.
Every time he threw a check, the crowd all joined together to shout Ric Flair’s signature “Woo” chant to show their appreciation for Woo’s effort. Woo showed Canucks fans first hand that he possesses above average checking abilities, and at just 18 years old, he may grow even bigger.
Because of his defensive abilities being highlighted, it was great to see Woo absolutely explode this year in the points column with the Moose Jaw Warriors. In 62 games, Woo had 66 points, a dramatic increase from his offensive production in his draft year.
Woo was awarded for this increased level of play by the Canucks, as they signed him to three-year entry level deal on March 16th. Although it may be a while before we see Woo in a Canucks’ uniform, it sure is nice to have a promising young defence prospect on the right side of the blueline — because as you can probably tell by the names in this article, the Canucks definitely need some help on the right side.