Canucks announce preseason schedule, begin play September 25

The Vancouver Canucks have released their preseason schedule for 2022-23, which features seven games against four opponents beginning Sept. 25. With new general manager Patrik Allvin and his staff’s big offseason plans already underway, these games could be Canucks fans’ first introduction to a number of new faces.

The Canucks will kick off the preseason with a pair of split-squad games against the Calgary Flames. The game in Vancouver will start at 4:00 PM Pacific, while puck drop in Calgary is slated for an hour later.

The remaining five games include a pair of home and homes against the Seattle Kraken and the Edmonton Oilers before closing out exhibition play at Rogers Arena on October 7th against the Arizona Coyotes. While three of the Canucks’ home dates are at Rogers Arena, the October 5th matchup against the Oilers will be hosted at the Abbotsford Centre, the home of their Abbotsford Canucks AHL team.

The exhibition dates are the final piece to Vancouver’s preseason puzzle, which opens with the revived Young Stars Tournament in Penticton from Sept. 14-18. Canucks training camp will be hosted in Whistler just two days before their split-squad games with Calgary, giving potential Canucks a pretty small window to make some big impressions on the coaching staff.

The preseason schedule release also gives us a window into Vancouver’s expected regular season start. The NHL has already announced that the regular season will begin Tuesday, Oct. 11, and the full regular season schedule will be unveiled later this month.

Last year Vancouver opened the 2021-22 campaign in Edmonton on Oct. 11 after playing their last preseason game on October 9.