The Abbotsford Canucks signed Vancouver Canucks goalie prospect Aku Koskenvuo to an amateur tryout offer, adding another option to an underperforming cabal of goaltenders.
Koskenvuo, 22, signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks on March 18, just two days after his NCAA career with Harvard University came to a heartbreaking conclusion.
The general expectation for the Canucks' former fifth-round pick was that he would sign an ATO with Abbotsford to garner some pro experience before the start of his contract, which does not begin until the 2025-26 season.
According to David Quadrelli of Canucks Army, the extrapolated plan for Koskenvuo is for the Finn to finish his classes at Harvard, so a potential debut for Koskenvuo is still on the shelf for now.
I’m told the plan for recently-signed #Canucks goaltending prospect Aku Koskenvuo is to be around the red-hot Abby Canucks all next week before heading back to Harvard at the end of next weekend to finish up his classes. Comes into town on Friday.
— David Quadrelli (@QuadrelliD) April 2, 2025
The Abbotsford Canucks just broke and continue to set a franchise record for consecutive wins after ripping off 13 in a row.
This development is particularly fascinating when accounting for the goaltending, which has mostly been average to below-average for Manny Malhotra and Abbotsford all season long.
Youngster Arturs Silovs has been the Canucks' best goalie in the AHL this season, posting a 13-4-0 record and a 2.40 GAA despite a subpar but team-leading .906 save percentage.
Belarusian Nikita Tolopilo, who has four of the team's five shutouts, is just 18-14-2 this season with a 2.68 GAA and .901 save percentage. Goaltenders Ty Young and Jiri Patera are a combined 10-5-2, though both goalies have a GAA north of 2.70 and a save percentage of .904 or lower.
With this caliber of goaltending, should the Abby Canucks ride Koskenvuo into the playoffs?
Indeed, the 22-year-old is coming off a long, full season, one which he concluded by making three starts in as many days in a best-of-three loss to Clarkson University.
But, if you feel Koskenvuo has a legitimate opportunity to be a real piece and part of the Canucks' future at the NHL level, why not get him the experience? Clearly, none of the four other goalie options have run away with the starter's role in the AHL, and Silovs has not achieved a whole lot at the NHL level.
There is some risk involved in throwing Koskenvuo to the wolves in the midst of this 13-game win streak with the Calder Cup playoffs around the corner, but if the streak snaps, all bets should be off. The Canucks' best move, thinking forward, is to get Koskenvuo some experience if he's feeling up to it physically.