The NHL has hit its two-week pause for the inaugural 4 Nations Face-off, and the Vancouver Canucks have endured quite a bit of a change in the recent weeks leading up to the event.
With that in mind, we thought this would be the perfect time to run our mid-season prospect rankings.
If you recall from our 2024 summer edition, we began deviating from our typical criteria and extending a few of the major areas, mainly age.
In most years, CanucksArmy has typically restricted itself to U23 skaters, but we’ve decided to broaden the criteria this time and have opened things up going forward.
So, without further ado, let’s go over some rules.
The first rule is that a prospect must be under 25, which instantly eliminates quite a few names. Players like Linus Karlsson, Akito Hirose and Tristen Nielsen, who will be 25 by the end of this wave of rankings, have been eliminated from contention.
Prospects must also have played fewer than 25 NHL games (regular season and playoffs), instantly cutting a handful of the organization’s prized names. Players such as Aatu Räty, Arturs Silovs, and Max Sasson (technically 25, but it’s very close), who would all have enjoyed solid grades within these rankings, will all be absent from this list.
Don’t worry; we will provide constant reminders throughout the list of our major criteria.
Aside from that, our ranking criteria will be quite obvious:
First and foremost is the upside: Where do we think their top potential could be?
Will these players realize that upside? Who knows. We understand that not every player will hit, but what could they become in a perfect world? For better or for worse, it’s important to remember that the path a prospect takes in their development is rarely linear. Some higher pedigree kids never pan out, while some develop late and carve out respected careers. You simply never know.
Age will play a significant factor. Parker Alcos, a freshly drafted 18-year-old, will have a much longer developmental path and, as a result, a greater chance of hitting that upside than 24-year-old Jett Woo.
We also consider the depth chart. Kirill Kudryavtsev is a skilled defender but faces competition from many other left-shot defenders in the system. So, where does he fall in the pecking order? Having higher-lauded names in front of him directly affects his spot in the depth chart, ultimately weighing him down in our ranking system.
We stress that their spot on the depth chart is far less impactful than the former, but it is still always considered when ranking our prospects.
Finally, location plays a small part in our thought process. For younger prospects, it’s not as concerning. Yet, as they hit that 22-year mark and still have no plans to cross the pond, it reflects poorly on their future upside within the system.
With the rules in place, let’s dive right in and start with our Honourable Mentions list.
Daimon Gardner
Team: St. Cloud State University | Age: 21 | Position: Centre | Height: 6’4 | Weight: 201 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Fourth round, 112 overall, 2022
Since being drafted in 2022, Daimon Gardner has garnered (Gardnered?) attention due to his unique profile. It does not take long to understand the Canucks’ reasoning for taking a swing at him at the draft podium.
He skates relatively well, carries a solid release and has the power-forward profile at a young age that most head coaches dream about. Unfortunately, he just hasn’t been able to put it all together at the NCAA level to warrant any reason to crack our top 20.
He transferred to St. Cloud State from Clarkson University over the summer, which we’d hoped would have lit a spark with some additional opportunities. While he’s upped his goals from one to four and his points from six to eight while playing in a top-nine role, there is still a long way to go before the potential to turn pro presents itself.
Once again, we remain intrigued but hope to see more in his junior year.
Aiden Celebrini
Team: Boston University | Age: 20 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’1 | Weight: 190 lbs | Shoots: Right | Drafted: Sixth round, 171 overall, 2023
If we based our top-20 rankings on personality, Aiden Celebrini would likely crack the top 10. He is one of those prospects that you root for simply because he is such a great kid.
Unfortunately, we run this list based on upside and skill set, and the Vancouver native has not yet taken enough steps to offer any true excitement.
While his role at Boston University has jumped from a “tweener” who’s in and out of the lineup to a full-time third-paring role, there’s still a long way to go in his development and journey to becoming a day-to-day pro.
That said, he is a right-shot defenceman with a strong will to improve himself daily, which shows in his work ethic on and off the ice. For now, he’s considered a project prospect who will likely take his entire four years before the potential to turn professional presents itself.
Hugo Gabrielson
Team: Nybro Vikings IF | Age: 22 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’1 | Weight: 172 lbs | Shoots: Right | Drafted: Sixth round, 169 overall, 2021
At 22, Hugo Gabrielson has crept his way into our honourable mentions thanks to a career-high in points and proven ability to play an all-situations role at the Allsvenskan level.
The issue? The Canucks have until this summer to retain his rights, which we aren’t exactly convinced will happen here at CanucksArmy.
He’s switched teams over in Sweden (recently signed a two-year extension) and is finally seeing the minutes he’s been searching for since being drafted. He’s now set a new career high in points from the backend, jumping from 15 to 22 points with a quarter of the season remaining. At 22, he leads all U25 defenders in points while playing on a middling squad.
This may be the last day he sees in our rankings, but a last-minute pop in production has undoubtedly earned him the honourable mention.
Basile Sansonnens
Team: Rimouski Océanic | Age: 18 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’4 | Weight: 205 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Seventh round, 221 overall, 2024
This Canucks’ amateur staff has done a good job at identifying late-round gems in recent years. Even with a raw skill set, it truly feels that they are willing to take a swing as long as they carry a good foundation.
Basile Sansonnens is the latest example.
Although not particularly well-known before his draft, the Swiss defender has an intriguing profile as a towering 18-year-old who skates relatively well and plays a good shutdown game.
Immediately following his NHL draft, he was selected by the Rimouski Océanic at the Junior import draft, where he has taken his talents for his draft-plus-one season. Right out of the gate, he was enjoying top-pairing minutes on a very strong team in the QMJHL and even got to showcase his stuff on the world stage at the latest World Junior Championships.
He’s not particularly gifted in any one area and provides little to no offensive upside. And yet, there is enough of a foundation in his defensive game, amplified by him being a top-notch penalty killer, for us to keep in our HM list.
If you want to discuss projects, Sansonnens may be one of the great examples within the organization. At just 18, there’s a lot to like, and it’s certainly worth keeping close tabs on his development as it progresses.
Ty Glover
Team: Abbotsford Canucks | Age: 24 | Position: Left Wing | Height: 6’3 | Weight: 201 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Undrafted
At 24, he’s just on the cusp of being ineligible for our rankings. But we couldn’t miss the opportunity to offer gratitude toward one of the hardest-working prospects, who may not be on your radar at all.
Ty Glover, brought in from Pittsburgh (shocker) courtesy of the Jack Rathbone trade, has quietly been an entertaining prospect to watch on a nightly basis. He won’t “wow” you with production, and he’s been glued to Abbotsford bottom-six. Yet, he consistently provides energy and is always one of the quickest and hardest-working players on the ice.
While the upside may not be high, his game screams “Tocchet-type,” and although he is quite far down in the pecking order, there could be a chance for a game or two at some point to play fourth-line minutes.
With our criteria and HMs out of the way, it’s time to get into the nitty-gritty of our top 20. Stay tuned as we dive into our list tomorrow here at CanucksArmy.
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