Caleb Malhotra led all Boston University skaters with over 19 minutes of ice time in last night's exhibition game. After watching back the game tape, I thought he had a very strong outing with six of his 10 shot came at 5v5. He did go 7-for-18 performance in the faceoff circle, Show more
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Blackfish: Romani opens strong, Cootes continues to impress and Malhotra shows his offensive potential
Photo credit: © Daily Faceoff Vancouver
Welcome back to Blackfish: our weekly Vancouver Canucks prospect report.
As always, check out this week’s episode of the Blackfish Prospect Show, where Tyson Cole and I break down the latest from the Canucks prospect pool.
Malhotra showcases his offensive potential
Let’s kick off this week’s updates with the organization’s third-overall pick from the 2026 NHL Draft, who enjoyed himself quite the weekend. Well, as good as you can get without actually finding the scoresheet, that is. Now, we must preface this entire segment by acknowledging that this game was merely an exhibition contest against a lower-tier opponent in Brown University. That said, Caleb Malhotra did just about everything he could short of scoring.
Once again, the young forward was heavily utilized in all situations for Boston University, firing a game-high 10 shots on goal and registering 14 total shot attempts. Operating from the half-wall on the first power play unit, Malhotra generated four of those shots on the man advantage, with the remaining six coming at five-on-five.
For a player whose defensive responsibilities have typically been the standout element of his game, that offensive involvement was incredibly encouraging. And so far, his defensive reliability has already come as advertised and translated nicely to the collegiate level.
But the bigger question we’ve always had surrounding Malhotra is how much of his offensive game would follow. He enjoyed a significant uptick in production during his first and only OHL season, but could he carry that momentum into a considerably more challenging NCAA environment? If this weekend was any indication, he may have more offensive potential than some have given him credit for.
Malhotra was dynamic, creative, and aggressive on pucks throughout the game. He refused to stay stagnant in his positioning, consistently working to find open ice and create opportunities. Whether it was firing from the circles, getting opportunities in tight or showing off some soft hands around defenders, there was plenty to like.
Again, the level of competition must be considered. But the fact that Malhotra is already being trusted in every situation while showing this kind of offensive initiative is exactly what we hoped to see in the early stages of his collegiate career.
Now, let’s see him carry that into games that count and start hitting the scoresheet on a consistent basis.
Romani comes out firing
Sticking with the NCAA, Anthony Romani had himself a weekend.
Whenever we’ve discussed Romani, we’ve emphasized just how important this sophomore season could be for his development. The opportunity was always going to be there, but it’s a matter of stepping up and taking advantage.
Well, three goals, four points, and 13 shots on target is a pretty convincing way to start. And boy, were those goals pretty. Romani opened his season with a slick backhand-to-forehand move on a breakaway, patiently outwaiting the netminder before finishing the play. He followed that up with a booming one-timer from the half-wall on the power play, showing off the lethal release that has long been the calling card of his offensive game.
How are ya, Anthony Romani? That's one way to get your sophomore year started. #Canucks
It was a solid season opening game for Anthony Romani, who finished with two goals, an assist and a game high eight (8!) shots on net. #Canucks
Then, the following day, he took things a step further. With Western Michigan operating on the power play, Romani exploded up the ice before delivering a beautiful backhand tuck for a shorthanded marker.
Anthony Romani with the shorthanded beauty 🤯
Even more than Malhotra, Romani consistently found open ice and fired at will, and when all was said and done, he finished the weekend as Michigan State’s most-utilized player, thanks in large part to extensive (six-plus minutes) penalty-killing minutes.
If opening weekend was any indication, Romani isn’t just going to see an increase in ice time this season. The Spartans will count on him as a significant all-situations player.
We did find the shorthanded goal to be particularly interesting, even beyond the fact that it was a gorgeous move. We’ve long maintained that Romani’s skating needed improvement if he was going to translate his offensive tools to the professional level. While his stride still shows areas that need work, there were encouraging signs that he may have added another gear over the summer.
His ability to find open ice has always been one of the more intriguing elements of his game. Combine that with his high-end release, improved pace, and growing responsibilities, and you’ve got yourself one fascinating prospect to follow this season. If he can continue building on this opening weekend, we could be talking about a player pushing toward a professional opportunity sooner rather than later.
Around the NCAA
At Quinnipiac, Matthew Lansing added another assist, bringing his season total to three points through four games. The seventh-round pick has had a quietly productive start and continues to find ways to contribute while playing primarily in the Bobcats’ bottom six.
Unfortunately, not every NCAA update has been positive, as Kieren Dervin has yet to suit up for Michigan through four games of action.
We knew his move to the Wolverines would likely result in a decline in ice time, given the depth and competition within the program. But so far, that decline has meant an absence from game action altogether. It’s still early, and we may not know the reasons behind his absence, but it’s certainly not the start we were hoping for.
For a prospect who needs more consistency in his game, regular minutes will be an important part of his development.
Cootes continues to look the part in Abbotsford
Over in Abbotsford, it was the Braeden Cootes show.
Statistically, the young centre led the charge with a goal and two assists, finding some strong chemistry alongside returning forward Kole Lind and newly signed Trey Fix-Wolansky.
His assists were the product of smart give-and-go plays and quick, thoughtful decisions with the puck, while his goal came courtesy of some hard work around the net.
It wasn't pretty, but Niklas Aaram-Olsen picks up his first unnoficcial NCAA point (Exhibition). #Canucks
Kole Lind snaps his second goal of the game, assited by TFW and Braeden Cootes. This trio has been buzzing all night 🔥
Braeden Cootes jumps on the loose puck on the power play. He's now rocking a three point game. #Canucks
But beyond the numbers, Cootes continues to look every bit like a player who belongs at the American Hockey League level. He looks comfortable, confident and perhaps most importantly, he’s brought that same relentless workhorse mentality that made him such an intriguing player throughout his junior career. There just hasn’t been much of an adjustment period.
During this week’s Blackfish Prospect Show, our producer, Jacob Fraser, made an excellent observation about Cootes’ zone entries. Specifically, his ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone with ease, gain the offensive blue line with possession and immediately kick-start offensive opportunities. And that got us thinking back. We dug through our archives and found an old discussion in our Blackfish reports, along with a several-minute clip, that highlighted that exact element of his game during his junior career.
At the time, we wondered whether his incredible ability to transport the puck and create controlled entries at the junior level would translate to the professional level. Well, here we are. Cootes has already shown an impressive ability to carry the puck through the neutral zone and establish offensive possession against professional competition. It’s a small observation, but one that makes a large difference in the game of hockey.
In almost every facet, Cootes is showing early signs that this part of his game may translate just fine. He’s playing heavy minutes, contributing in every situation and now putting up points.
More contributions from Abbotsford
Cootes wasn’t the only young Canuck making an impact. Vilmer Alriksson added another goal, pouncing on a loose puck to find the back of the net. Meanwhile, Ty Mueller continued his impressive start to the campaign, scoring in his fourth straight game.
Riley Patterson also continued to contribute quietly, adding a pair of assists to bring his total to three through the first four games of his inaugural professional season.
Medvedev finding some early stability
Turning to the CHL, Aleksei Medvedev found himself in two shootouts this week, splitting the decisions with a win and a loss. In the loss, he stopped an impressive 36 of 39 shots, while in his lone win, he turned aside 25 of 28. All told, Medvedev has had an encouraging start to his season, with a 2-1-1 record and a .910 save percentage. After the inconsistency we saw throughout his 2025-26 campaign, we’ll gladly take it.
Interestingly, this week also brought some trade speculation surrounding the young Russian netminder. Rumblings began circulating about a potential deal that would send Medvedev to the Peterborough Petes. While those rumours have seemingly cooled, the possibility certainly gave us pause. On one hand, Medvedev joining fellow Canucks prospect Adam Novotný would be a fun storyline to follow. On the other hand, we’re not entirely convinced Peterborough would provide the ideal environment for his development. The Petes have shown themselves to be a defensively challenged team, and that isn’t necessarily the situation we’d want to throw a young goaltender into while he’s trying to rebuild his confidence and consistency.
For a netminder desperately seeking a bounce-back season, the environment matters.
Novotný continues to drive the play
Speaking of Adam Novotný, Vancouver’s first-round pick added another pair of secondary assists to his season totals this week. The Petes have struggled to find consistent results lately, and Novotný’s offensive production has cooled slightly from the torrid pace he established to open the season.
But don’t mistake that for a lack of impact; when Novotný is on the ice, things still happen. He’s still driving possession, creating opportunities, and showing the same relentless motor that made him such a standout throughout the summer.
One thing we’ve been keeping an eye on is his chemistry with undrafted forward Cooper Dennis. The two appeared to develop a strong connection early in the season, but since being separated, Novotný’s production has slowed. That’s not to suggest the line change is solely responsible, but we’d certainly love to see the pair reunited to find out whether they can rekindle some of that early magic.
Rogowski carrying a struggling Generals squad
Finally, we’ll wrap things up in Oshawa, where Brooks Rogowski continues searching for his first goal of the 2026-27 season. The towering centre added another two assists this week, bringing his season total to six.
On paper, it’s been a relatively quiet offensive start for the recently drafted prospect. We knew heading into the season that the Oshawa Generals were going to be in tough, and those early struggles have certainly materialized. Despite the lack of goals, Rogowski’s six points lead the team in scoring, while also continuing to handle significant responsibilities in the faceoff circle, winning 54.3% of his 105 draws. For a player whose development has always been about more than simply putting up points, there are still positives to take away. More on him next week.
And with that, another busy week of Blackfish is in the books. Between Romani’s explosive start, Malhotra’s encouraging offensive showing and Cootes looking increasingly comfortable at the professional level, there is plenty to be excited about.
We’ll be back next week with another full rundown of everything happening around the Vancouver Canucks prospect pool.
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Breaking News
- Blackfish: Romani opens strong, Cootes continues to impress and Malhotra shows his offensive potential
- Scenes from morning skate: Chytil to make season debut for Canucks vs. Panthers
- What does the younger Elias Pettersson’s breakout mean for the Canucks and their rebuild?
- Kole Lind talks signing in Abbotsford, why he’s impressed by Braeden Cootes, and more
- Is the Canucks’ awful penalty kill hurting their ability to play tough?
Vancouver CanucksTeam Cap Summary
Cap Summary
2026-27
2027-28
Projected Cap Hit
$88,074,947
$71,329,167
Projected Cap Space
$15,925,053
$42,170,833
Current Cap Space
$17,259,555
$42,170,833
Active Players
23/23
13/23
Draft Picks
Round
'27
'28
1
1
1
2
2
2
3
1
1