Vancouver Canucks Quasi-Prospect Anton Rodin Wins SHL MVP

The good news keeps rolling in on the Vancouver Canucks prospect front. First, the Canucks were able to sign and snag Nikita Tryamkin from the KHL less than a week after his season with Yekaterinburg Avtomobilist finished. Today it was announced that Anton Rodin has won the Gold Helmet award of the Swedish Hockey League, awarded to the league MVP.

It’s another in a long list of accomplishments overseas for the former Canucks second-round selection. Rodin has been a near-point-per-game player in the SHL since returning to Brynas following two unsuccessful seasons with the Chicago Wolves of the AHL.

That Rodin was able to capture this award despite suffering a gruesome ligament injury near season’s end shows the impact he was able to have in his 33-games this season.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning has spoken on multiple occasions about making a push to sign Rodin and bring him back under the Canucks wing. Thomas Drance confirmed this morning in a conversation with Benning that they still hope to go this route. 

Hard to say what kind of impact Rodin can have next season. It remains encouraging to watch from afar the amount of success he’s enjoyed in Sweden, though. It’s certainly encouraging.