Welcome back to the Blackfish Prospect report.
It’s a wonderful time in prospect land. The Vancouver Canucks‘ American League affiliates are well on their way to securing an AHL playoff spot, thanks to an incredible month of March. NCAA prospects have begun to sign their tickets with the Canucks, while others are on the verge. And finally, the remaining crop is about to kick off their road to the Memorial Cup.
Buckle in for another jam-packed report here at CanucksArmy.

Abbotsford Canucks

The train may be slipping off the tracks in Vancouver, but it’s smooth sailing down on the farm.
With a two-game sweep in Manitoba, the Abbotsford Canucks are now enjoying a seven-game winning streak, which has propelled them up the standings to sit in third place among the Pacific Division – three points shy of second.
Max Sasson and Arshdeep Bains continue to lead the charge, combining for seven more points in two games.
A salute must be made to Max Sasson, the hottest player in the AHL during their seven-game stretch.
With another four points over the weekend, he now has 10 points in seven games. The best part is that they come in various forms.
From slick dishes to timely goals, Sasson has been extremely effective down the stretch. This “clutchness” also extends to the penalty kill, which he recently added to his repertoire on the farm.
Oh, and of course, there is his overtime goal, where he circled around until he found the moment to strike.
We have to give some flowers to Ty Mueller, who also picked up four points over the weekend, including a late insurance goal for his ninth goal of the season. He also led the team with seven shots in those two games.
With 33 points for his rookie campaign, he’s right on pace with most of the team, with the second-highest point total (Christian Wolanin) sitting at 35 points.
Speaking of flowers, how about this beautiful move from Danila Klimovich for his team-leading 22nd goal of the season?
That’s the move of a confident prospect. Yowza.
Finally, Jett Woo, who left early and missed one game last weekend, was back in action and picked up an assist over the weekend.
The real flowers are in net, where both Nikita Tolopilo and Ty Young have split duties during this seven-game heater.
Tolopilo made 24 of 26 saves for this third straight win, and while Young gave up four on 33 shots, he still had a terrific outing and his fourth consecutive AHL victory.
With a healthy Thatcher Demko, there is a good chance that Arturs Silovs will drop back down to Abbotsford. Unfortunately, that likely leaves Ty Young as the odd man out. It’s a shame, as he’s played very well during his stay and likely deserves to finish what he’s started.
If that’s the case, you won’t have to wait long to see him back in Abbotsford. He’s cemented himself as a fixture on this team for next year. There are NO questions about it.

CHL

The regular season is over, and first-round matchups have officially been set. Here’s what you need to know.
Although a strong team, the Barrie Colts enter the playoffs in a very tight Conference. For reference, seeds two (Barrie) through five all wrapped up their seasons tied with 88 points, just five back of the first-place seed.
Luckily, the Colts finished atop their division, giving them a relatively easy opponent in round one, the Niagara Ice Dogs.
Game one of that series goes on Thursday, March 27, at 4:00 pm PT.
As for the players, the two Canucks’ representatives come in sporting polar opposite forms.
Anthony Romani enters the playoffs red-hot and is one of the highest producers in recent weeks. He wrapped up his final week with another four points (two goals, two assists) in two games to cap off a point-per-game draft-plus-one season.
That is all thanks to a terrific run of 20 points in his final 12 games of the season.
As expected, he will play a massive role in Barrie’s playoff success in hopes of a long Memorial Cup run.
As for Riley Patterson, his finish sang a different tune. Despite a very strong mid-season, he wraps things up in a slump with just one assist through his final eight games.
He finishes with a near identical point-per-game clip (slightly higher) as he did in his draft-eligible and rookie seasons, firing at a 92-percent clip with 59 points in 64 games.
Despite the slow finish, he still finished second on Barrie with 25 goals, second in assists with 34, and tied for the team lead in points with 59.
The Brampton Steelheads finished dead smack in the middle of the Eastern Conference and will have their work cut out for them with their opponent, the Oshawa Generals.
Game one of that series will take place on Friday, March 28, at 5:00 pm PT.
Unfortunately, Vilmer Alriksson continues to nurse an upper-body injury, and his playoff status remains unclear.
Despite missing a good chunk of games in the back half of the season, he did create new highs in many fewer games. In 43 games, he finishes with 15 goals and 35 points, breaking the 33 in 67 games that he posted in his draft-plus-one season.
While those aren’t necessarily numbers to get excited about, he brings so much more to the table than his ledger. Vancouver staff should be excited to sink their teeth into his development, likely the moment his OHL season is over and done with – assuming he’s healthy enough to do so.
Over in the Western League, dates and times are set, and things will kick off on Friday for both of the Canucks’ skaters.
Obviously, the talk of the town is Sawyer Mynio over in Calgary.
With another goal and pair of assists this week, he wraps his final junior regular season at nearly a point-per-game with 45 points (14 goals, 31 assists) in 49 games played.
That wraps up an incredibly strong couple of years post-draft for the young defender. Since being drafted 89th overall in 2023, the defender has now scored 30 goals, 68 assists for 98 points, and 132 penalty minutes in just 112 games.
He will play a major role in a Calgary Hitmen run, which they hope will take them all the way to the Memorial Cup in Rimouski. They certainly have the roster to make that run.
Game one of their series goes on Friday, March 28, at 5:00 pm PT.
Over in Edmonton, the Oil Kings will take on the Prince Albert Raiders. As anticipated, Parker Alcos did not light up the scoresheet by any means but upped his role and played solid minutes for his squad.
He finishes his draft-plus-one season with 13 points in 57 games, two fewer points than his rookie season in 10 fewer games. We are excited to see what his third year in Junior brings next season.
Game one of that series also runs on Friday at 5:00 pm PT.
Finally, we go to Quebec, where Basile Sansonnens is gearing up for a long run. As hosts, they are guaranteed a spot in the Memorial Cup tournament.
Rimouski opens its first round against Charlottetown on Friday at 4:00 pm PT.
Statistics have never been his forte, so his 12 points in 54 games shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
What we love is that plus/minus number. Finding a comfortable spot on Rimouski’s second pair, he finished as a plus-21 in his rookie season. He’s a shutdown defender by definition, so a strong plus/minus is always a reassuring measure.
Newly drafted players aside, Sansonnens represents one of the few names that will represent the Canucks at the World Juniors next season. Sad.

NCAA

After a thrilling quarterfinals victory over UMass the week before, Boston University did not advance past the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Championship, losing 5-2 to UConn.
Of course, that just means Tom Willander is inching closer to his potential signing with the Vancouver Canucks. Despite the loss, Willander was fine. He was on the ice for just one goal against, which was in the final moments with the netminder pulled.
Aiden Celebrini, on the other hand, scored a terrific goal in the game’s dying moments, snapping a hard shot to the far side. It wasn’t nearly enough to mount a comeback, but it’s nice to see him find one, regardless.
Despite the loss, BU punched a ticket into the NCAA National tournament, placing them in the Toledo division. We wrote about the tournament already, but here are the details you need to know:
“The tournament features 16 seeded teams split across four regional sites: Allentown, Pennsylvania; Fargo, North Dakota; Toledo, Ohio; and Manchester, New Hampshire.
Following a single-elimination format, one team will emerge victorious from each regional to advance to the coveted Frozen Four.
The Terriers, boasting Canucks prospects Tom Willander and Aiden Celebrini, have been placed in the Toledo bracket alongside Michigan State, Ohio State, and Cornell University.
BU’s first match is against Ohio State, scheduled for Thursday, March 27th, at 11:00 a.m. PT in Toledo, Ohio.
A victory in this opening game will propel BU to the Toledo finals (likely March 29), where they will face the winner of the Michigan State-Cornell matchup. The successful team from Toledo will then secure a spot in the Frozen Four finals, set to take place in St. Louis, Missouri, on April 10 and 12.”
Willander watch is nearly upon us.
Speaking of NCAA signings, the Canucks, both Vancouver and Abbotsford, landed some deals this week. First was goaltending prospect Aku Koskenvuo, who officially signed his Entry-level contract and is now a full-fledged member of the Vancouver Canucks’ system.
He posted an 8-9-1 record across those 20 games, posting a 2.81 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage, and one shutout.
After three years at Harvard, the 2021 137th overall (fifth-round) pick posted a 14-16-5 record, with a 2.91 goals-against average, a .905 save percentage, and three shutouts.
It’s unclear what Aku’s true pathway will be. But given Abby’s jam-packed crease, it would be wise to assume split roles in Kalamazoo for now.
In Abbotsford, Jackson Kunz signed a one-year AHL deal that will run through the 2025-26 season. He will join the team immediately on a professional tryout contract.
The 6-foot-3, 227-pound forward plays a rugged game built on causing havoc at the net front. He’s tough to move out of the paint, boxes opponents out, and creates a tough space for the netminder to do their work in.
As an AHL-signed kid with little NHL upside, he slides off our Blackfish roster, but he’ll be a name to keep an eye on over the next few years to see where his game tracks.

Sweden

Over in Farjastad, they have finally commenced their playoff run after receiving a bye straight into the quarterfinals.
They are currently taking on Linus Karlsson’s former team, Skelleftea, where they are tied 1-1 in the series. Lucas Forsell has been banished to the 13th forward role in both games.
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