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Blackfish: Abby plays spoilers, Cootes thrives and Safanov contributes to KHL history
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Dave Hall
Apr 1, 2026, 15:45 EDTUpdated: Apr 1, 2026, 15:41 EDT
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Welcome back to Blackfish: our weekly Vancouver Canucks prospect report.
Abbotsford may be out of the race, but they’re still finding ways to impact the standings as spoilers. Meanwhile, the CHL postseason is underway, the NCAA tournament has wrapped for Canucks prospects, and playoff hockey overseas is already delivering storylines.
There’s plenty to get into this week.
Let’s dive in.

Abbotsford Canucks

The Abbotsford Canucks snapped their five-game losing streak and replaced it with a two-game sweep over the San Diego Gulls, playing spoiler in the Pacific Division playoff race. While the wins don’t change Abbotsford’s fate, they were able to make things interesting for San Diego, leaving them just one point up in the playoff race.
Abbotsford outscored the Gulls 10-5 across the two games, with Jiri Patera getting both starts while Ty Young remained on the bench.
Leading the way once again was Ty Mueller, who continues to make a strong case for an NHL look. He picked up a goal and two assists, extending his team lead in points. The goal came into an empty net, but the production continues to rack up and for us, so do the questions. What more does he need to do to get a look in Vancouver?
He leads the team in points, contributes in all situations, takes key faceoffs, and plays both special teams. Whether it’s offensive production, defensive responsibility, leadership, or reliability in the dot, Mueller checks every box. His upside may project as a bottom-six NHL role, but he’s done everything in his power to earn a call-up.
It’s time to start evaluating players at the NHL level, and Mueller should be at the top of that list.
Kirill Kudryavtsev is another name that deserves that conversation. He added two more assists over the weekend and continues to quietly be one of Abbotsford’s most consistent defenders since his debut in early 2024. He may not rely on physical prowess to defend, but he provides stability, strong defensive reads, and reliable two-way play.
He now sits just two points behind Sawyer Mynio — in 13 fewer games — which only strengthens the case that he could handle a short NHL stint.
Mynio also added two assists, with both he and Kudryavtsev connecting on a Danila Klimovich power play goal. With Jack Thompson now running the top unit, the two young defenders have been handling secondary duties on the man advantage.
Mynio has been one of the better stories on the team this season, but if we’re looking strictly at NHL readiness, Kudryavtsev still feels like the more realistic option for a call-up.
As for Danila Klimovich, he continues to climb the franchise record books. With another pair of goals, he reached 67 career AHL goals, moving into second all-time in Abbotsford history, now just three behind Linus Karlsson for first.
Of course, context matters. Klimovich sits second all-time – behind Chase Wouters – with 275 games played, far more than Karlsson (164) or Sheldon Dries (111). Regardless, it’s still a notable achievement for the 23-year-old, who may or may not be back with the team in 2026-27.
Bennett Schimek continues to impress early in his pro career, picking up two points, including his first professional goal.
The goal was a beauty and a perfectly placed shot with minimal daylight to show above the netminder’s shoulder. He added another primary assist, bringing him to four helpers, all primary, since joining the team. His offensive instincts and vision continue to stand out right away.
Down in Kalamazoo, Aku Koskenvuo has responded in a big way after what has been a somewhat disappointing stretch down in the tier three farm. With back-to-back wins, he stopped 81 of 83 shots, extending his streak to three wins and pushing his save percentage back above the .900 mark.

CHL

The CHL playoffs are underway, with all six Canucks prospects in action.
The lone exception is Aleksei Medvedev, who remains on the bench as the backup in London. Given the play of Sebastian Gatto, who has arguably been the best netminder in the OHL in the back half, it’s not surprising. Medvedev is still just 18 years old and will have every opportunity to reclaim the crease next season.
The goaltender choice hasn’t helped their case, as the Knights currently trail the Soo Greyhounds 3-0 in the series.
Leading the way is Braeden Cootes, who has been outstanding to start the playoffs. Through three games, he has six points (two goals, four assists) and 12 shots, placing him among the top scorers in the WHL postseason.
He’s been driving play at both ends of the ice and showcasing his full two-way game. Both of his goals were scored in the series opener, after he fired similar shots to the shortside top corner.
One standout moment came in Game 3, where he tracked down a defender, forced a turnover, and immediately set up a scoring chance in tight. That’s the type of play that exemplifies the type of player he is: never give up, nasty to play against and can sprinkle in some soft skills.
For our money, he’s been the Raiders’ best player as Prince Albert now holds a commanding 3-0 series lead over Red Deer.
Also in the WHL, Parker Alcos and the Kelowna Rockets have jumped out to a 3-0 series lead over Kamloops. Alcos has contributed two assists and a plus-6 rating through the opening stretch.
In the OHL, Riley Patterson continues to carry Niagara’s offence. With two goals and two assists, he leads the team in scoring early in the series.
As has been the trend all season, his goals are coming from high-end releases. Barrie has done a good job limiting Niagara overall, forcing Patterson to drive much of the offence himself.
Barrie currently leads the series 2-1.
Gabriel Chiarot has bounced back after a quiet finish to the regular season, scoring in back-to-back games as Kitchener holds a 3-0 series lead. Both goals came in a similar fashion, utilizing his heavy shot, which is his best quality apart from his usual physical, energy-driven game.
Meanwhile, Kieren Dervin and the Kingston Frontenacs are in a tough spot, trailing their series 3-0. Dervin has recorded two assists and a minus-4 through three games.

NCAA

Despite strong regular seasons, both Anthony Romani (Michigan State) and Matthew Lansing (Quinnipiac) were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament after reaching their respective regional finals.
Romani was the more likely of the two to potentially earn a contract this spring, but reports suggest the Canucks are not rushing that decision and will allow him to return for his sophomore season.
That may ultimately be the best outcome for his development. While his production was encouraging, his skating and physical limitations would likely have been tested at the pro level. Another year in college should allow him to take on a larger role and continue building his frame.

Rest of the World

In the KHL, Ilya Safonov made a bit of history. Winning the game five’s initial faceoff, he tapped the puck forward before sending a perfect pass to pick a primary assist in just seven seconds. That holds as the quickest goal scored in a KHL match. Safonov’s Ak Bars won their opening round over Vitaly Kravtsov’s team by a 4-1 series win.
He also scored the double-overtime goal in Game 3, en route to Ak Bars winning their opening-round series 4-1.
Over in Switzerland, Basile Sansonnens and Lausanne HC hold a strong position in their series, though Sansonnens has played a limited role, logging just 19:14 of ice time across four games.
That will do it for this week’s Blackfish report. Stay tuned, as we have something new dropping for next week’s report. Until next week, folks.
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