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 Honourable Mentions installment.

Team: Abbotsford Canucks | Age: 23 | Position: Defence | Height: 6’1 | Weight: 192 lbs | Shoots: Right | Drafted: Undrafted | Last year’s rank: 14

If you type “steady” into your Google search engine, here is what you get as a definition:

Honestly, we couldn’t have said it better. That’s Cole McWard in a nutshell.

If you’ve been following along here at CanucksArmy, you know we’ve been pushing for McWard to get a look in Vancouver. While the undrafted defender does not bring anything “elite” to the table, he is dependable in nearly every area.

Now in his second full-time AHL season, he has improved in nearly every facet and has proven to be a tremendously valuable “plug and play” asset for Manny Malhotra and the Abbotsford Canucks.

He doesn’t see full-time power play minutes, but he could. He doesn’t kill penalties on a nightly basis, but he could.

He’s averaging around 18 minutes a game, and that’s primarily five-on-five time, where he’s been one of the team’s most effective even-strength defenders. When injuries occur, he slides in to help with special teams but hasn’t taken over a full-time role in either respect.

While he’s not necessarily considered a potent offensive threat, he’s even taken steps in his offensive production. As of last weekend, he’s tied his rookie goal numbers (4) and has set a new career-high with 18 points. Of course, with a quarter of the season left on the ledger, he’s done so in 16 fewer games.

While he’s not incredibly physical — an area he could improve in — he does a good job of making tight gaps and shutting opponents down, thanks to his smooth skating ability.

He plays mistake-free hockey, skates with his head up, can transition the puck as a mover, and carries a good shot from the point.

His pathway toward NHL games recently encountered more obstacles, as the club brought in Victor Mancini, who arguably plays a “stronger” version of his brand — not to mention the likely addition of Tom Willander in just a few short months.

Sure, McWard may not cater to top-four minutes, but if the Canucks do face injury woes and require plug-and-play to play reliable third-pairing minutes, here is your guy.

Like many names in the depth chart, McWard is an RFA this summer. Still, given his age and reliable style, we can’t imagine the two sides won’t reach an agreement. Considering the number of instances in which General Manager Patrik Allvin has mentioned his name in past press conferences.=

Ceiling: McWard plays a very sound game, but it isn’t necessarily exciting in a particular respect. He’s one who you may not notice, and that’s a compliment. With that in mind, we have no doubts that he can handle the rigours of NHL competition, but likely as a bottom-four pairing type player. With that said, the Canucks have already dangled the carrot of having him skate with Quinn Hughes, so perhaps there’s a hint more to his upside than what we initially thought. Overall, he’s a good bet as a safe and sturdy five-to-eight defenceman on any given NHL team.

Floor: At the very least, McWard is an AHL defender. He’ll be a sound 5v5 defender, will kill penalties, and can even audition as a power play option in a pinch.

ETA: We believe McWard is ready to be of service whenever needed. Will he get the opportunity? That remains to be seen. However, considering he does not have to pass through waivers, you can bet that McWard will be a call-up option for the foreseeable future and a damn good one at that.