We continue on with our 2026 mid-season Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings here at CanucksArmy.

Today, we bring you a young, highly skilled goaltender with starter potential written all over him. If you’re looking for a refresher on our ranking criteria, be sure to check out our Honourable Mentions installment before diving in.

It’s been a while since the Vancouver Canucks had a goaltender ranked this high in their system. You’d have to go back to Thatcher Demko.

Of course, assuming you’ve been following us closely here throughout our top-15 journey, you know that our ranks do come with caveats. Our rankings exclude players who have graduated, based on the number of NHL games played. Therefore, there are names that, under different criteria, would likely be sitting here. But Aleksei Medvedev deserves to be in the discussion as one of the Canucks’ top prospects, and although his season has taken a bit of a tough stretch, his tools and upside are still very legitimate and projectable.

Drafted 47th overall in 2025, Medvedev is the highest-selected goaltender in the organization since Demko. And in an NHL draft where goalie runs tend to snowball quickly, using that kind of capital before the position group accelerates tells you something. The team, and more specifically Ian Clark, really liked what they saw from him.

Here is what Canucks Director of Scouting Todd Harvey had to say about Medvedev and why the Canucks selected him.

“He’s a calm, calm kid, big kid, moves well in the net and does, never seems to get rattled. He has that presence in there that makes the team in front of you play a little calmer. We thought he was our guy. We kind of targeted that, and that was a good pick.

“This guy’s a good goalie. We’re pretty happy with him. I think that he’s going to show next year that he’s ready to take workload. For him to take the net in London next year and run with it is going to be big for him and his development.”

And perhaps just as important:

“Well, I mean, obviously Ian [Clark] has a lot to say on [who the Canucks decided to pick]. We looked at the draft, and he wanted this pick, and we thought it was the right time. And Clarky will be in touch with the goalies. I think we have a real good staff here for development and bringing him [Medvedev] along; he’s going to have the net next year in London. And you never know, London, they always have a good team. So maybe they get back to a Memorial Cup.”

When Ian Clark signs off on a goaltender in the second round, his track record suggests that it’s probably the right call.

The quotes above highlight some of Medvedev’s best qualities: calmness, size, and movement. And that’s not even including what might be his best quality: his athleticism.

Medvedev is extremely athletic for a 6’3 goaltender. He uses his long frame and flexibility to recover on second chances and make highlight-level saves that most assume to be a finished deal. His lateral pushes are explosive, and his ability to seal the lower portion of the net is impressive.

There are moments where he looks like a future NHL starter. There are also moments where he looks 18.

At times, that athleticism can get him into trouble. He will occasionally overcommit, overextend, or rely on his recovery ability rather than on positioning. During rough stretches, there were visible moments of uncertainty and plays where he seemed caught between reads and left himself exposed.

Working through his first season as a starting goaltender in the OHL, it’s been a bit of a tale of two seasons. His first 12 games this season were elite.

Through that first stretch of games, he was one of the league’s top goalkeepers, sporting a strong .926 save percentage with an 8-3-1 record as the bona fide number one starter for the London Knights. He was sitting at the top of the league in nearly every statistical category.

Since then, he has struggled to find his footing. Over his next 21 starts (mid-November-current), he’s posted an .886 save percentage, bringing his season total to .899 with a 3.07 goals-against average across 32 starts. A difficult stretch from mid-December through mid-January derailed his early dominance and forced London into more of a rotation with 20-year-old Sebastian Gatto.

Now, rather than being the go-to starter, he’s now swapping starts with Gatto, who sports a 16-6-2 record to go along with a 2.35 GAA and .918 save percentage.

All that said, it’s important to take Medvedev’s current numbers with a little bit of context. First of all, Medvedev is only 18 years old. He’s one of just six 18-year-old netminders to see 25 starts on the year, and he sits second among that group, with the leading netminder sporting a .915 save percentage.

Goaltenders are volatile. We know that. Medvedev has NHL starter tools, high-end athleticism, and a big frame. When evaluating ceilings across the system, very few prospects carry the ability to impact the franchise the way a legitimate starting goaltender can.

Ceiling: A future NHL starter. The tools, athletic profile, and developmental environment are all in place. At such a young age, he has ample time to grow into his game and realize his true potential.

Floor: Goaltending development is as volatile as it gets. It’s still so early in his development, but based on who we’ve spoken to, his tools feel very projectable. At worst, we believe he projects as an NHL goaltender in some capacity — whether that’s in a tandem or as a strong backup option.

ETA: Patience will be key here. He will likely remain in London for 2026–27, and given his age, Abbotsford won’t be a factor until 2027–28. Based on that trajectory, you’re realistically looking at a three-to-four-year runway before serious NHL consideration.

That’s our #2 spot. Stay tuned for our top-ranked prospect tomorrow here at CanucksArmy.