CALEB MALHOTRA BAY-BAY!!!
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Blackfish: Malhotra & Novotný play hero, Romani continues his goal scoring streak, and more
Photo credit: © Daily Faceoff Vancouver
Welcome back to Blackfish: Our weekly Vancouver Canucks prospect report.
As always, we begin our week with a reminder to check out our video version, the Blackfish Prospect Show, where we discuss everything mentioned in this week’s report and more!
The stats
NCAA
We’re back for another week, and once again, we are going to kick things off with some Caleb Malhotra discourse. The 2026 third overall pick showed off some of his high-pedigree potential over the weekend, picking up a heads-up primary assist along with one of the prettier overtime winners you will see.
Starting with his goal, he stopped up on the half-wall upon entry before taking matters into his own hands, cutting into the middle to beat not one, but two defenders. Once clear, he sent a perfect wrist shot to the short-side top corner for his first non-empty-net goal and first game-winner in his NCAA career.
His assist, though not as flashy as his goal, was strong as well. Taking the pass from the half-wall on the man advantage, he wasted no time in sending a quick cross-ice dish through traffic.
Viktor's first goal as a Terrier came on our first power play of the night as we extended the lead to 4-0! Watch on ESPN+: tinyurl.com/mw7djye8 @hockey_east | @NESN | @espn
Although his ice time has recently slipped below Tynan Lawrence over the last few games, his impact has been quickly gaining traction and looks to be gaining confidence with each passing game. We showcased a few examples of why his defensive game is already on point, and now he’s proving that his offensive awareness is nothing to scoff at, either.
One thing we’ve grown to appreciate about his game is his ability to make high-level, quick plays with his head up. He doesn’t have to give up time in order to make the right play, and can couple smooth hands and fancy moves with a dish or shot. This proves to be essential in all three zones, whether it be quick breakouts, neutral zone starts, or scoring chances.
This weekend will preview a big matchup between the three BU skaters and this year’s breakout NCAA player, Anthony Romani, who’s coming off a stellar weekend himself.
Securing this week’s Big Ten second-star honours, Romani added two more goals to bring his total to seven for the season. That number sits (tied) second among all sophomores, while his goals-per-game (1.17) sits second nationwide.
With two goals, Anthony Romani is up to seven goals (ten points) in six games. He sits in a tie for third nationwide. That shot is a problem.
The sophomore continues to impress on an impressive MSU team, which is a telling sign that his potential is trending nothing but in the right direction. As we brought up in this week’s Blackfish show, however, we’re still keeping expectations slightly tempered. Not because he has no shot at becoming a standout player in the future, but there is still work to be done.
We’ve seen many instances of high-scoring wingers struggle to find traction at the pro level or break into the NHL. Learning to overcome the physical barriers of those levels will be the ultimate test. And while we are huge fans of his game and certainly not trying to rain on any parades, we do feel it’s important to keep things in check. When we start seeing “top-six replacement,” it’s important to take in the big picture.
Going back to BU, Niklas Aaram-Olsen made his presence felt on the scoresheet, finding both his first point and first goal at the collegiate level. Both happened to be terrific plays. His assist came off a head-up play in the neutral zone, where he received the puck at the red line before making a quick one-touch pass to set up the breakout.
Benny's second goal in as many games made it 3-0 just 1:29 in! Watch on ESPN+: tinyurl.com/mw7djye8 @hockey_east | @NESN | @espn
The goal was the big highlight. Gaining space all by himself, he put together the hands and know-how that we always knew he had in his bag. With a quick backhand-to-forehand juke, he unravelled the goalie to find his first.
A heck of way to score your first goal, Olse! Watch on ESPN+: tinyurl.com/mw7djye8 @hockey_east | @NESN | @espn
Admittedly, this was the only real offering from him throughout the weekend. It’s not that he’s been terrible, but he also hasn’t been very effective. We’ve found that he has struggled during his start at the NCAA level and just hasn’t found the time and space to truly break out the tools we know that he has. They now have him paired up with Tynan Lawrence on the power play, where he occupies the trigger spot on the half-wall, but he hasn’t had much success just yet.
We always considered him to be a 2-3 collegiate project, so there’s absolutely no rush, and we certainly see the tools that make him what could be a dangerous player in the future.
Over in North Dakota, Connor Davis suited up for another pair of games. And wouldn’t you know, he impressed us again. While his role on the team – typically third-line minutes hovering around the 12-minute mark – isn’t flashy, he’s a player who consistently stands out with each shift. He’s outworking opponents and creating opportunities out of nothing.
Connor Davis (#Canucks) sprints past Tommy Bleyl and nearly breaks the stalemate for North Dakota with a power move off the wing
We like him. We like him a lot.
CHL
We will shift things to the CHL, where Adam Novotny had himself another big weekend (shocker). In addition to another wicked released goal earlier in the week, he let another heavy shot off for the game-winner. With 21 points (nine goals, 12 assists), he’s now firmly tied with four others in the top-10 and just four points shy of the league leaders, which includes 2027 draft-eligible Dima Zhilkin.
Adam Novotný is automatic.
Adam Novotný rips home the overtime winner. How about back-to-back game winners from a couple of top #Canucks prospects.
It’s a two-man show in Peterborough between him and Cooper Dennis, and they are leading the way very nicely.
Over in Oshawa, Brooks Rogowski is starting to find his hot hand with a cool five-point weekend (one goal, four assists). That total puts him up to 14 points (two goals, 12 assists) in 15 games, approaching the point-per-game mark. Oshawa, in general (pun intended), has struggled to find consistent offence this season, sitting in the bottom-six in scoring for the season.
Check that – with a primary assist shortly after, hes up to five points this weekend.
He’s winning 53% of his draws and doing his best in generating offence with a struggling team.
Overseas, we have Dmitri Ivchenko figuring things out to resurrect his statline. Stopping 37 of 38 shots in a 2-1 win this week, he’s now won three straight games and has lost just one shootout game over his last five. His numbers may not show it thanks to a dreadful start, but things are starting to click for the young russian netminder.
Be sure to check out our Blackfish Prospect Show producer, Jake Fraser, for his weekly Abbotsford recap for all of their news lines.
That will do it for this week’s instalment of the Blackfish Prospect report. Until next week, folks!
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Breaking News
- Blackfish: Malhotra & Novotný play hero, Romani continues his goal scoring streak, and more
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- The Statsies: Jake DeBrusk and Canucks’ top line tilt the ice despite loss to Ducks
- Should the Canucks claim Brad Lambert off NHL waivers from Winnipeg?
Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$87,993,412
$71,329,167
Projected Cap Space
$16,006,588
$42,170,833
Current Cap Space
$19,530,051
$42,170,833
Active Players
23/23
13/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1