Jakob Stukel cut from Canucks, returns to WHL

On Tuesday, the Canucks made a large round of cuts, sending six players back to Major Junior. On Wednesday, they made just one, pulling the scissors out on Jakob Stukel and sending him back to the Calgary Hitmen of the WHL.

Like yesterday’s round of cuts, this isn’t really a surprise at all. Stukel, a sixth round pick from 2016, obviously wasn’t going to crack the Canucks roster. He’ll return to the WHL for his 20-year-old season where he’ll look to build on a somewhat disappointing post-draft year.

Before being drafted in 2016, the left winger from Surrey, B.C. put up 60 points in 69 games between Vancouver and Calgary, a nice season that improved after leaving the Giants for the Hitmen. But last season, Stukel only posted 53 points in 70 games, stagnant production for a player expected to take a step forward.

Stukel didn’t appear in a pre-season game, so his cup of coffee this fall was limited to practices and scrimmages at the NHL level. He hasn’t yet been signed to an entry-level deal, so this year in the WHL is pretty much make or break for Stukel.

The Canucks have five more pre-season games left, including two games against the Kings in China. After they return, we’ll start to see some more interesting roster decisions.