Welcome back to Blackfish: our weekly Vancouver Canucks prospect report.

We’ve got some exciting news for all of you prospect enthusiasts, and this week’s installment comes with something a little extra.

If you missed the announcement, we’ve officially launched a brand new show: The Blackfish Prospect Show. As you might expect, it’s fully dedicated to prospects — whether that’s Vancouver Canucks prospects, NCAA free agents, or draft-eligible players, we’ve got you covered.

The show will feature Tyson Cole alongside your Blackfish author, Dave Hall. Each week, we’ll break down all the key storylines and answer your questions. So be sure to send them in, and we’ll be pulling from your submissions for every episode.

You can check out Episode One now, available on CanucksArmy YouTube and in podcast form under the Canucks Conversation feed.

We’re also working on a few tweaks to Blackfish for next season, so there’s plenty more on the way.

But for now, let’s dive into this week.

The Abbotsford Canucks welcomed fans to Rogers Forum for the final time this season, dropping both games to the Coachella Valley Firebirds.

It wasn’t the most eventful weekend, but Bennett Schimek continued to impress, picking up a goal and an assist for his second multi-point effort in just three games. He’s quickly become a bright spot in what has otherwise been a tough finish for the group.

However, help is on the way, and the Canucks are about to receive a youthful boost. Following Niagara’s first-round elimination at the hands of the Barrie Colts, Riley Patterson has officially joined Abbotsford for the remainder of the season. Given the minutes Schimek has received right out of the gate — and the fact that Abbotsford has been running shorthanded up front — it’s fair to expect Patterson to be deployed in a meaningful role right away.

The Canucks head to Calgary this weekend for a two-game set, where Patterson is expected to make his professional debut. In his brief playoff run, he did everything he could to keep Niagara alive, posting four goals and four assists in five games. As he has in all of his training camp games for the Vancouver Canucks, Patterson will wear No. 68 for the Abbotsford Canucks.

Abbotsford also handed out its year-end awards during the final home game, recognizing two prospects.

Sawyer Mynio took home Rookie of the Year, which should come as no surprise. The 20-year-old has logged heavy minutes all season, playing in every situation and emerging as a go-to option on the backend.

Meanwhile, Ty Mueller was named team MVP, which is fitting as well. Whether it’s big faceoffs, special teams, or leading by example, Mueller has been the heartbeat of this team all season long.

He wasn’t in attendance to salute the fans, as he’s enjoying a cup of coffee up in Vancouver. He hasn’t shown much yet at the NHL level — but he also hasn’t been given much opportunity.

Down in Kalamazoo, Aku Koskenvuo has found another level. He picked up back-to-back wins for the second straight weekend, including his first ECHL shutout. Over his last five starts (all wins), he hasn’t allowed more than one goal, stopping 169 of his last 173 shots.

The CHL playoffs have moved past the opening round, with three of the Canucks’ six representatives advancing.

As mentioned, Riley Patterson has already made the jump to Abbotsford following his elimination.

Also exiting in five games were Aleksei Medvedev and the London Knights. After sitting out the first three games, Medvedev got the call with the team down 3-0 and delivered, stopping 25 of 26 shots to extend the series. Unfortunately, London couldn’t build on it, falling in Game 5 to end their run. It closes the book on a disappointing draft-plus-one season, but he’ll now turn his focus toward a critical offseason and a chance to reclaim the crease next year.

Kieren Dervin and the Kingston Frontenacs were swept by the Ottawa 67’s in a series where Kingston struggled to generate much of anything. Dervin has now officially played his final junior game and will move on to the NCAA next season as a Penn State commit.

On the other side, Braeden Cootes, Parker Alcos, and Gabriel Chiarot have all advanced to the second round.

Cootes and the Prince Albert Raiders were pushed late in their series, but ultimately came away with a five-game win. As has been the case all season, Cootes was excellent. Even when he’s not on the scoresheet, he’s driving play every shift — pushing pace, forcing turnovers, and consistently making an impact as a two-way presence. This kid is just a pure gamer.

They’ll now face Saskatoon in Round Two.

Schedule:
Game 1 — Saskatoon at Prince Albert | Friday, April 10 | 6:00 pm PT
Game 2 — Saskatoon at Prince Albert | Saturday, April 11 | 6:00 pm CT
Game 3 — Prince Albert at Saskatoon | Tuesday, April 14 | 6:00 pm CT
Game 4 — Prince Albert at Saskatoon | Wednesday, April 15 | 6:00 pm CT
*Game 5 — Saskatoon at Prince Albert | Friday, April 17 | 6:00 pm CT
*Game 6 — Prince Albert at Saskatoon | Sunday, April 19 | 3:00 pm CT
*Game 7 — Saskatoon at Prince Albert | Tuesday, April 21 | 6:00 pm CT
*If necessary

Parker Alcos and the Kelowna Rockets moved on in dominant fashion, sweeping the Kamloops Blazers. Alcos posted a strong plus-8 rating in the series and will now face a much stiffer test against Everett and phenom Landon Dupont.

Schedule:
Game 1 — Kelowna at Everett | Friday, April 10 | 7:05 pm PT
Game 2 — Kelowna at Everett | Saturday, April 11 | 6:05 pm PT
Game 3 — Everett at Kelowna | Tuesday, April 14 | 7:05 pm PT
Game 4 — Everett at Kelowna | Wednesday, April 15 | 7:05 pm PT
*Game 5 — Kelowna at Everett | Friday, April 17 | 7:05 pm PT
*Game 6 — Everett at Kelowna | Sunday, April 19 | 5:05 pm PT
*Game 7 — Kelowna at Everett | Tuesday, April 21 | 7:05 pm PT
*If necessary

Gabriel Chiarot also advanced after Kitchener swept Saginaw. He contributed two goals in the series and will now face the Soo Greyhounds — the same team that eliminated Medvedev and London.

Schedule:
Game 1 — Soo at Kitchener | Friday, April 10 | 4:00 pm PT
Game 2 — Soo at Kitchener | Sunday, April 12 | 4:00 pm PT
Game 3 — Kitchener at Soo | Tuesday, April 14 | 4:07 pm PT
Game 4 — Kitchener at Soo | Thursday, April 16 | 4:07 pm PT
*Game 5 — Soo at Kitchener | Friday, April 17 | 4:00 pm PT
*Game 6 — Kitchener at Soo | Sunday, April 19 | 4:07 pm PT
*Game 7 — Soo at Kitchener | Tuesday, April 21| 4:00 pm PT
*If necessary

Both Braeden Cootes and Kieren Dervin were recently nominated for the same awards in their respective leagues. For Cootes, he’s up for the William Hanley Trophy, while Dervin is up for the Brad Hornung Memorial Trophy. Both are awarded to the WHL and OHL’s Most Sportsmanlike Player.

Basile Sansonnens saw his season end in Switzerland, with Lausanne eliminated in the opening round.

He played sparingly down the stretch, often deployed as an extra defender. That said, we really liked what we saw from him this season. He showed flashes of the physical, pro-style game that makes him an intriguing seventh-round prospect.

Looking ahead, he becomes a bit of a wildcard. Another year in Switzerland in a larger role would make sense.

In Russia, Ilya Safonov is set to begin his quarterfinal matchup against Dinamo Minsk, where he’ll face fellow Canucks prospect pipeline connection, Vitaly Pinchuk.

That will do it for this week’s instalment of Blackfish. Thanks for reading, and WATCHING. Please leave any comments or questions you may have for next week’s show in the comment section below, starting with BF: