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

Today, we crack into our top-10 prospects with a goaltender coming off a strong rookie season. His game has taken a small step back in year two, but he remains a viable option down the road.

If you’re looking for a refresher on our ranking criteria, be sure to check out our Honourable Mentions installment before diving in.

Ty Young’s sophomore season is a good reminder of just how volatile goaltender development can be.

Sitting stagnant as our ninth-ranked prospect, despite some graduates in our system, doesn’t necessarily mean an indictment of his long-term potential. Instead, it reflects a season that has taken a step back after a very encouraging rookie campaign.

Things looked promising coming out of Young’s first professional season. So much so that management publicly brought up his name on numerous occasions. That, coupled with some uncertainty brewing in Abbotsford’s crease, there was a legitimate opportunity for him to seize a larger role at the AHL level.

That opportunity didn’t go as planned.

Starting the season in Abbotsford, Young went winless in seven appearances and allowed five or more goals on three occasions. He finished that stretch with a 4.75 goals against average and an .840 save percentage, which quickly forced a reset and demotion back down to the Kalamazoo Wings. To his credit, he took the reassignment with his chin up and has handled his tenure as best as you’d like to see from a young player.

Busting out the gate with three straight wins, he maintained a 7-2-0-0 record through his first nine starts. That record has taken a bit of a hit in recent weeks and now stands at 7-4-1, with three consecutive games allowing four or more goals.

But an important element in Young’s story is that he’s still just 21 years old. The number of U22 goaltenders playing in the American League is slim, – five, to be exact – and even fewer of whom are putting up stellar numbers. Montreal’s Jacob Fowler and Pittsburgh’s Sergei Murashov being the heavy exceptions.

As CanucksArmy’s David Quadrelli and noted “goalie guy” eloquently put it in our summer prospect rankings, Young fits the exact mould of goaltenders teams target with Ian Clark’s influence: big, mobile, technically sound. He naturally seals the lower portion of the net well and has already shown improvement in crease movement and post integration, all of which are traits that remain translatable regardless of short-term results.

That underlying skill set is why his long-term outlook hasn’t cratered, even as the sophomore season hasn’t been met with flowers.

Ceiling: Goaltenders are unpredictable by nature, but Young showed legitimate upside during his rookie season. If his development stabilizes, there’s still NHL starter potential in his profile.

Floor: Based on his early professional success, we’re comfortable projecting him as a reliable AHL goaltender at minimum.

ETA: Vancouver’s goaltending pipeline remains both fluid and fragile. Thatcher Demko’s health continues to loom large, Nikita Tolopilo has emerged as a capable NHL option, and Aku Koskenvuo has established himself as a viable prospect duking things out alongside him. Still, there’s a scenario where Young comes knocking on the NHL door within the next two to three seasons. Like Aku, a realistic target sits around 2027–28 or 2028–29.

That’s our #9 spot. Stay tuned for another installment tomorrow here at CanucksArmy.

Our previously ranked prospects:

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