Canucks roundtable: Which prospect makes the team next year?
The Vancouver Canucks have a handful of prospects that’ll be pushing for a roster spot next season. Here’s who our writers think will make the team.
The Vancouver Canucks lineup will look a little bit different the next time they hit the ice.
Players come, players go, and there is sometimes an up and coming talent that surprises people and forces his way onto the opening night roster. Last year it was Adam Gaudette. The year before that, it was Nikolay Goldobin. Who will it be this year?
There are five or six rookies/prospects riding the bubble, and it’ll be up to them on which side they’ll land come time for puck drop of the 2020-21 NHL campaign. The hardest worker in the room will likely be the player who finds himself a part of the opening right roster, but as we’ve seen in the past, Travis Green can be swayed to select the player who best compliments the overall team.
The writers here at The Canuck Way got into it a little bit when discussing which rookie is most likely to make the jump next season and let me tell you, we were left with quite a few different takes. Let’s dive into some of our writers’ thoughts on which rookie will make the opening night roster to kick-off the Canucks 51st season.
Nils Hoglander
Nils Hoglander is my choice to make the roster out of training camp. He’s already got four points in Sweden playing two games for Rogle and looks ready to transition over to the NHL. His speed, creativity, playmaking skills and two-way game have been evident as he’s been slotted into the team’s top-six by his head coach.
The Canucks need more depth in their bottom-six, especially if Jake Virtanen is traded in the offseason. Hoglander could be a perfect fit on a line with Gaudette and Zack MacEwen, bringing speed and skill to the left-wing similar to what Sven Baertschi brought during the last preseason. I see him being a 15-20 goal scorer while also elevating Gaudette’s numbers with his playmaking abilities.
Hoglander could also bring another dimension to the top-six in Tanner Pearson’s spot on the second line with Bo Horvat. In addition to that, he has the skills to be on the second power play unit, increasing the Canucks’ depth there too. With his work ethic and overall package, I really see him not only making the team but having a significant impact as well.
– Matthew Zator
Olli Juolevi
Olli Juolevi will make the Canucks out of training camp.
Here’s a hypothetical that most Canuck fans wouldn’t have believed in 2019, at the peak of Juolevi Hysteria: Juolevi, fresh off a quiet and effective NHL and postseason debut, wins a spot as Canucks’ bottom pair LH defender out of training camp.
In 2020, this is possible. There is a path to a bottom pair role for Juolevi, albeit an unlikely one; it would require him to outplay Jordie Benn and hold off a challenge from another bubble player, be it Jack Rathbone, Josh Teves, or Guillaume Brisebois.
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To make the team out of camp Joulevi needs to play his quiet, two-way game while staying healthy, the latter being the chief concern over the last three years.
Juolevi’s prowess on the penalty kill will translate well for the 2020-21 Canucks, who stand to lose the stalwart Chris Tanev if they can’t come to a deal with the pending free agent by October 9th. Juolevi made a strong case he’s ready when he made his NHL debut versus the Minnesota Wild during the play-in series. He may have only played just over six minutes, but he made zero mistakes and didn’t look out of place.
The Juolevi who Canuck fans saw in the Game 4 victory over the Wild is a player who is ready for NHL minutes. His high-end passing, smooth skating and sound decision-making all stood out in his first NHL game. These traits still project him to be a contributor to the Canucks back-end for years to come. He’s my pick.
– Nate Lewis
Jack Rathbone
If I had to pick one rookie to make the Canucks out of camp, it would be Jack Rathbone. Rathbone had a pretty good spell with Harvard University. The Canucks fourth-round pick in 2017 had seven goals and 24 goals in 31 games last season. He was signed last July.
There are a lot of things to like about Rathbone’s game. The one thing that makes him stand out is his skating because he has excellent stride. It might not be “Quinn Hughes level” but it is still a treat to watch. Rathbone also has great passing skills, hockey IQ and he possesses a big shot.
He is a defenceman who can provide offence and quarterback a power play. Rathbone is also very good on the defensive side as well. He is very good at transitioning from offence to defence and vice versa. Rathbone can create turnovers, poke check and occasionally throw the body around.
The Canucks could use his two-way game next season and he could play on the bottom pairing. Rathbone has good qualities and I would like to see him put them on display next year.
– Joshua Rey
Brogan Rafferty
Brogan Rafferty made a surprisingly seamless transition to professional hockey this past year. After going undrafted, he managed to improve as the years went on and gained experience over three seasons in the NCAA playing for Quinnipiac University before exploding offensively in his first AHL season.
Rafferty notched 45 points in 57 games for the Utica Comets, earning an AHL second all-star team nomination and the recognition from Canucks fans. He was never given a proper shot to take the next step and play for the NHL club this year, but that was partially due to the fact that the Canucks defensive core remarkably managed to stay healthy this season, and management felt that it would be better for him to stay in the minors to continue improving his game.
By the beginning of the upcoming NHL season, whenever that may be, I feel that Brogan will be capable of grabbing a roster spot. He’s experienced two Canucks training camps, so he’s already gotten his feet wet when it comes to playing with full-time NHLers. It also isn’t likely that both Tanev and Stecher return after free agency, so there are holes on the right side of Vancouver’s defence that will need to be filled.
Simply put, the Canucks need someone like Rafferty to make the jump to the big leagues, as replacing a departing defender internally would be a huge boost for the team. With his dynamic offensive skills and some hopeful tweaks to his defensive game, the 25-year old has the ability to seize the opportunity.
– Lucas Celle
Zack MacEwen
Just three games before the 2019-20 NHL season was ended, on March 6th MacEwen scored two goals and the Vancouver Canucks defeated the Colorado Avalanche 6-3. Inside Rogers Arena, on the best night of his NHL career, it was a statement game for the “Big Fella” and now there are reasons to believe he’s all but solidified himself as an NHL regular.
Under the NHL rule, MacEwen will still be considered a rookie next year because he played less than 25 games, but at this point, a spot in the lineup will be his to lose. His performance in the playoffs wasn’t exactly what people wanted to see, but there is a general overall liking to him amongst the fanbase and he’s proven that he’s not afraid to fight. He dropped the mitts on four separate occasions and with him standing at 6’3 and weighing 205 pounds, he’s a welcome addition to the bottom-six.
He tallied six points (five goals and one assist) in 17 games in a Canucks uniform this season. At times, he showed flashes of offensive capabilities and was a player who could slot in up and down the lineup. He’ll need to continue working on his play away from the puck if he wants to stick around long-term, but I see enough trust between Green and MacEwen that earns him a long hard look to start the year. There will be some holes on the right-wing to fill and this will be MacEwen’s time to shine.
– Brayden Ursel
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The votes are split and these players will have every chance to earn a roster spot next season. It’s a ways away, but as of right now, these are our predictions. Who do you think has the best chance of making the team?