Just weeks before the 2025 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks Amatuer Scouting Team were making moves.
On a quiet Thursday in mid-May, the team announced the signing of Latvian forward Anri Ravinskis to a two-year, entry-level contract starting in the 2025–26 season.
Born in Riga, Latvia — the same city as current Canucks Teddy Blueger and Arturs Silovs — Ravinskis is a 22-year-old, left-shooting winger with a commanding 6-foot-3, 201-pound frame.
Despite being undrafted, he’s carved out a unique path through European and North American leagues, recently earning the Canucks’ attention for his size, work ethic, and physical play.
Ravinskis’ semi-pro hockey journey began in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), where he was selected 34th overall by the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada in the 2021 CHL Import Draft.
Over two seasons, he tallied 54 points (29 goals, 25 assists) and 39 penalty minutes over 98 games, while adapting to the fast-paced, physical North American game.
From there, Ravinskis crossed the Atlantic to Finland, where he competed at three levels over the last two years: junior (U20 SM-sarja), second-tier Mestis, and top-tier Liiga.
In his 2023–24 Mestis season with Ketterä, Ravinskis ranked fourth among U21 players with 30 points (14 goals, 16 assists) in 45 games, posting a career-best plus-11 rating.
He carried that success into the 2024-25 season, where he kicked off the season at a near point-per-game pace with 21 points in 23 games. With success in Mestis, he signed a three-year agreement with HPK (Liiga) midway through the season, joining the top-tier for the remainder of the campaign.
In his Liiga debut, he scored a goal and an assist and eventually finished his 2024-25 stint with 17 points (eight goals, nine assists) in 27 games — a respectable .63 points-per-game clip to finish seventh among U22 skaters. That’s with an average of 13:42 of ice-time per game.
Meanwhile, Ravinskis has been a longstanding fixture of the Latvian International Team. He competed in the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships, recording four points in 11 games combined.
More recently, he debuted in the 2025 IIHF World Championships, scoring a goal and an assist in seven games while ranking second on Team Latvia with 21 hits.
It’s expected that he’ll eventually take his talent back over to North America, and skate with the Abbotsford Canucks. However, given their crowded press box, we wouldn’t expect him to sign an ATO and join the club for the playoffs.

So, what kind of player is Ravinskis?

Well, let’s start with Canucks General Manager, Patrik Allvin’s statement, courtesy of NHL.com:
“Anri is a player our group has been watching closely this year in Finland and more recently at the World Hockey Championships in Sweden,” said Allvin. “Finding European free agents like Anri is a good way for our organization to improve its depth. We like his size and body type and look forward to helping him refine his skills and get used to the North American pro game.”
When going over the tape on Anri Ravinskis, it’s clear why the Canucks took a chance on this Latvian powerhouse.
At 6-foot-3 and 201 pounds, he’s a towering presence who brings a raw, exciting mix of physicality, hustle, and untapped potential in a low-risk package. While he’s a work in progress, the tools he flashes offer a canvas that could bring promise in the AHL — and hopefully beyond — with the proper guidance.
The first thing that jumps out is Ravinskis’ size. His above-average frame commands respect, and boy, does he know how to use it.
He appears to thrive on contact. That physicality was displayed at the 2025 World Championships, as he threw his body around at everything in his path.
His game against Canada, where he dished out five hits against NHL-calibre players, is a thrilling endorsement of that physical game. The video montage shows him as a one-man wrecking crew.
When Patrik Allvin mentioned the World Championships, he may have been speaking of this game, specifically.
Even when he’s not delivering hard hits, his motor runs high in our viewings. He’s relentless, chasing loose pucks on chip-ins and shielding the puck with his long reach.
Along the boards, he muscles through defenders to come out with the puck and power out of scrums with his strong lower body.
The footage captures this tenacity. Watch how he battles in tight spaces, refusing to give up possession.
As you may notice from the clips, he’s a relatively strong skater, especially for a big man. He’s not a burner, and his technique isn’t perfect. But his powerful strides get him where he needs to go. He’s surprisingly agile, making quick cuts to dodge pressure or burst up the ice on a rush.
The following string of clips highlights moments where his footwork syncs with quick hands, letting him slip around defenders with a deft move. These flashes aren’t his everyday game but show what’s possible when he’s feeling it.
It’s a foundation the Canucks can build on, especially in the fast-paced North American game.
Overall, he brings an intriguing combination of size and speed to the forefront, enough to make him a worthy gamble to coach and develop at the American League level, at least to start.

Now, let’s talk offence.

As you can see from the above stats, he’s never been – and likely never will be – a heavy producer. This is not a signing that brings a ton of offensive pedigree, as much as it provides depth for a hopeful bottom-six future.
Here are all 11 goals he has scored this season, spanning through Liiga, World Championships, and even a couple of International friendly games. One thing that stands out is the variety with which he’s scoring these goals.
In a short compilation, he shows us goals via his shot, work in tight, deflections, wrap around, and even shows some nice hand-eye to bat one out of midair:
That said, his shooting needs work. More specifically, the area where he gets his shots needs work.
While he’s got a fair release, especially from the faceoff circle, he too often settles for long-range attempts. As you’ll see, there are far too many shots from the perimeter instead of driving to the net’s “dirty areas” where goals are scored.
Do those drives happen? Of course. But they felt few and far between during our viewings.
Given his incredible frame and truculence, the volume of shots from the outside was concerning. He doesn’t appear to drive the net with the puck on his stick with the same gusto as when chasing pucks down. Yet, to his credit, these clips are taken from Liiga, where he’s still navigating his way as a rookie amongst men.
The good news? This feels fixable.
His offensive game could leap if he could channel that forechecking intensity into crashing the net.

So, what’s the big picture?

Ravinskis is a raw, physical forward with a promising blend of size, speed, and work ethic. But he’s far from a future star. Nils Aman, a serviceable depth piece with good size and decent feet, acts as a good measuring stick for where things could plateau. Names like Jonah Gadjovich, who’s now earned a role in Florida, offer a glimpse into what a serviceable power forward can grow into with time.
At worst, he’s a high-energy force for Abbotsford, disrupting opponents and adding depth. At best, perhaps he could carve out a bottom-six role at the NHL level.
But don’t let that put you off the signing, as elements in his game are intriguing enough to bring promise. The Canucks have a knack for developing under-the-radar talents in recent memory, and Ravinskis’ tools make him a worthwhile project.

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