There is no sugarcoating it, the Vancouver Canucks have the least amount of points in the NHL. The Canucks have accumulated 41 points in 54 games, seven less than the next worst team, the Calgary Flames, and currently have the highest odds to win the NHL Draft Lottery at 25.5%.
It would appear as though the Canucks front office pulled the trigger at the right time to initiate a rebuild, especially as it pertains to personnel losses like Quinn Hughes, J.T. Miller and Bo Horvat over the past few seasons, but also the potential of their current prospect pool including Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Tom Willander, Braeden Cootes, and newly acquired Zeev Buium and Marco Rossi.
As it stands now, the Canucks will be picking twice in the first round of the upcoming NHL Entry Draft, and if they are able to land a top three pick at the draft, they are likely to walk away very happy with who they can select with their first-round pick.
Who could the Canucks end up with?
The last three first overall picks have been Matthew Schaefer, Macklin Celebrini and Connor Bedard, and I think it is safe to say that if the Canucks end up with anyone even close to that level of talent, the draft will be considered a successful one.
As of now, there are three players who will likely go, at worst, in the top four of the NHL Entry Draft: Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Keaton Verhoeff.
The 2026 NHL Entry Draft is considered to be very strong at the top end, and while none of these players are currently considered to be the unanimous first-overall pick, each of them has the potential to be a highly impactful player at the NHL level.
Gavin McKenna:
18 years old. Whitehorse, Yukon.
Currently playing for Penn State in the NCAA and the number one ranked North American Skater on the NHL’s list of 2026 Draft Prospects, McKenna is an offensive wizard and master of creativity. McKenna is an elite playmaker with quick hands, skilled puck handing, excellent vision and both precise and agile skating, and is not only able to create for himself on the ice, but also opens ice up for his teammates.
A player who McKenna could end up being like is Patrick Kane, as they are similar in style, playmaking ability, creativity, physique and even handedness. An interesting tidbit is that McKenna is the cousin-in-law of North Vancouver native Connor Bedard, and what Canucks fan wouldn’t love to see McKenna and Bedard join forces on the Canucks?
Ivar Stenberg:
18 years old. Stenungsund, Sweden.
Currently playing for Frolunda in the Swedish Elite League against grown men, and averaging the highest points per game on his own team at .93 with 28 points in 30 games.
The narrative surrounding Stenberg going before McKenna is beginning to gain traction, as he not only had an outstanding performance at the World Junior Hockey Championships for Sweden, but has also taken his game to another level this year in the SHL, whereas people argue McKenna has taken a step back going from the CHL to the NCAA.
This wonderful breakdown on Stenberg from Jason Bukala of Sportsnet and The Pro Hockey Group give tremendous insight into Stenberg’s abilities, including his offensive upside, ability to get to high danger areas, and desire to engage physically and compete.
Here is a shift from Stenberg at the World Junior Hockey Championships:
Here is Stenberg driving the centre lane and scoring in tight:
Keaton Verhoeff:
17 years old. Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta.
Currently playing for North Dakota in the NCAA, Verhoeff has 17 points in 22 games so far this season. Prior to that he played in the WHL for the Victoria Royals, scoring 45 points in 63 games as a 16-year old, and even played for team Canada at the World Junior Hockey Championships scoring four points in five games last month.
The 17 year-old defenceman is listed at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds, and has been praised for his speed and skating ability, which is extremely important given his size and position, and the belief is that he will continue to get stronger and grow into himself physically.
Who should the Canucks go with?
In terms of team needs, the Canucks would obviously be better suited to go with a forward, as they are currently lacking a play driving facilitator who can put points up in bunches.
McKenna is not only from Whitehorse, which is just north of British Columbia, but satisfies the reckless offence that the Canucks require in order to become relevant again.
Stenberg also offers plenty of offensive upside, and even more in terms of overall game than McKenna, and aside from the Canucks being home to some of the best Swedish hockey players ever, such as Henrik, Daniel and Marcus Näslund, Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin has been known to draft Swedish hockey players high, such as Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Tom Willander.
The only issue with selecting Verhoeff is that the Canucks already have Zeev Buium, Tom Willander and Elias Nils Pettersson by way of defensive prospects, Filip Hronek is under contract for seven more seasons, and while nobody should be upset with selecting Verhoeff, would still leave the Canucks a little empty in terms of top scoring forward prospects.
Verdict:
The Canucks should select McKenna, Stenberg and then Verhoeff in that order, purely due to the fact that they absolutely need a high scoring forward.
If they are able to select either of McKenna or Stenberg, it will provide them with the perfect fit in terms of a potential franchise changing froward, but will also be able to provide the player with a good young supporting cast, more future potential prospects as the Canucks continue to accumulate draft picks, and plenty of opportunities to play big minutes in important situations.