We are back with our 2025 mid-season edition of our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks prospect rankings.

If you are curious about our ranking criteria, check them out in our HM installment.

Number 11 is…

Team: Abbotsford Canucks | Age: 21 | Position: Centre/Left Wing | Height: 5’11″ | Weight: 185 lbs | Shoots: Left | Drafted: Fourth round, 105 overall, 2023 | Last year’s rank: 17

One of the highest movers on our CanucksArmy list is former double-entry NHL draftee Ty Mueller.

From being passed on at the draft twice to turning pro after one year to representing his AHL team as a rookie in the 2025 AHL All-Star game, it’s been quite the two years for the soon-to-be 22-year-old

With 26 points in 40 collegiate games as a Junior with Nebraska-Obama, a year in which he was honoured with a Hobey Baker nomination, Mueller’s responsible two-way game caught the eyes of the Abbotsford Canucks’ bench staff.

After all, responsible centres that can chip in on the scoresheet don’t come around daily.

Turning pro after just one year within the system, he’s now navigating through his AHL rookie year and has brought that exact brand to the American League and carved himself a consistent role.

With 22 points in 41 games, he is among the top 15 in rookie scoring and even led his Abbotsford team at one point. The points are a very nice touch, and he’s shown at the NCAA level that he can provide offence with a sneaky, good release and crafty hands.

Heck, he put those hands on display recently at the AHL All-Star game in Coachella Valley.

But if we are being honest, it’s not necessarily the points that we are interested in. They are a nice touch and certainly necessary, but Mueller’s game intrigues him because he can plug and play in any situation and provide a steady two-way presence.

Despite his rookie tag, Abbotsford’s new bench boss, Manny Malhotra, has recognized this instinct early and has used Mueller in every situation imaginable. Whether it’s the first line, third line, powerplay, penalty kill, on the wing, up the middle or in the final minute of the game, Mueller is being placed on the ice for deployment.

Simply put, he’s a classic Swiss army knife. He’s earned roles on both special team units, and the head coach does not shy away from putting him out in defensive situations.

He’s also hovering around 50% on his face-offs for the year and is one of four effective pivots on this team.

“The way I try to play is to be someone who he can trust and be able to play on both sides of the puck and be able to keep them from getting chances and also generate chances,” Mueller mentions why his new head coach continues to trust him in big moments.

What’s most impressive? His consistency as a young rookie. Not so much in the points department, as those have come and gone throughout the season, but you know what you are getting on a nightly basis in terms of responsibility and effort levels.

Mueller understands that it takes more than point production to get himself to where he wants to go. He’s hyper-focused on delivering that two-way element for his team. He’s never content with his game and always pushes himself to do more.

“I just think it’s just as important to be able to defend as it is to be able to create chances,” Mueller states. “Obviously, you win hockey games by scoring goals, but it sure helps if you can keep the other team from scoring some, too.”

Heck, he even told Abbotsford Canucks play-by-play announcer Brandon Astle that he models his game after Sacha Barkov and Patrice Bergeron as a complete 200-foot player.

It’s hard not to root for a kid with this type of drive.

Ceiling: The Vancouver Canucks have a similar profile type playing among them as we speak. Given his two-way, play-anywhere style, there is a real Pius Suter vibe. Will he get to that point? Again, this is just the ceiling. Yet, there is something that just screams “responsible NHL role player” about his game. We see the potential for him to slide in as a bottom-six player, with the ability to chip on the scoresheet from time to time.

Floor: At the very least, he’s shown that he’s most definitely a strong and reliable pivot at the American League level. If he doesn’t crack the NHL full-time, there is a good chance he will stick as a classic NHL/AHL tweener.

ETA: As impressive as his rookie season has been, there’s still work to be done to become an NHLer. The responsible two-way game is there, but the tools need polishing and reps. Management has already established that they like his game, and with that in mind, we could see him getting some looks as early as next season — similar to the Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains treatment. Although, don’t expect a full-time look until the 2026-27 season.

That’s our #11 spot. Stay tuned for another installment later today here at CanucksArmy.