Team

Betting

CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA

CA’s top 20 Canucks summer prospect rankings: #12 Vilmer Alriksson

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jacob Fraser

Jul 24, 2026, 13:00 EDTUpdated: Jul 23, 2026, 18:42 EDT

Comments

It’s yet another instalment of the CanucksArmy collective top 20 Vancouver Canucks summer prospect rankings. Today, at number 12, we bring a massive Swedish winger who just finished his first season of pro hockey in Abbotsford.

Vilmer Alriksson

The Canucks took a big swing on Alriksson in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL draft. Drafted out of the Djurgardens junior program in Sweden, the point production wasn’t very high, but the profile was certainly worth taking a bet on.

The towering winger isn’t just a big body; he’s got some offensive flair to his game with his skill, and he’s actually a fairly solid skater. Since being drafted, Alriksson immediately made the jump over to North America, playing two seasons in the OHL with both the Guelph Storm and the Brampton Steelheads. Now, this past season he spent the full year in Abbotsford, making the jump to the pro level.

The point totals this past year are underwhelming, with just six goals and three assists for nine points in 43 games. Let’s keep in mind, though, that this was his first season of pro hockey and the expectation for Alriksson at this point shouldn’t be to put up big numbers. He was drafted as a project — he doesn’t have high production anywhere he’s played since his draft year. It’s going to take some time before we see Alriksson find his footing offensively.

The flashes that Alriksson has shown, however, are very exciting, and the reason why we continue to rank him highly amongst Canucks prospects. He’s shown the ability to make plays in tight, using his size to create space and shield the puck from his opponents to beat them.

This past season in Abbotsford, Alriksson was given some opportunities to play higher up in the lineup. Although some of it was due to injuries in both Abbotsford and Vancouver, Alriksson played on the team’s top line and top power play unit occasionally. When he did play in those roles, he may not have added a ton of points to his totals, but he didn’t look out of place, and that’s an important sign for a rookie in the AHL.

Alriksson has also developed his forechecking ability. He’s still got a way to go before he truly becomes a beast of a power forward, but his ability to use his size to create space for himself and his teammates shows the capability of that being developed into his game.

Defensively, Alriksson is still a work in progress. He’s made a lot of progress, but there’s still more work to do before he’s entirely responsible. The good thing is that he’s shown he’s willing to learn and be coached, which bodes well for his future, especially as he becomes more relied upon in all situations.

As far as his overall game goes, there’s still a lot of work to be done before Alriksson is an impact player even in the AHL. He needs to find more consistency at both ends of the ice. The flashes are great and exciting, but until he can put it all together, he won’t get the opportunity needed to further develop and break out of his shell. The hope is that this project can become an impactful player in the NHL rather than just organizational depth for the Canucks.

Projection

Ceiling: The ceiling for Alriksson at this point is a bottom-six winger. There is a lot to be worked on before then, especially his defensive game. That being said, there is a world where Alriksson can become a very solid big two-way winger that can add scoring depth lower in the lineup and potentially make an impact as the net front guy on a second powerplay unit.

Floor: The floor for Alriksson is an AHL winger. If that ends up being the outcome for him, though, there may be a chance he heads back over to Europe, as we’ve seen with many players who don’t quite make the NHL. That being said, skill-wise the floor is a solid AHLer that plays in all situations.

ETA: The ETA for Alriksson is likely another two years. That could change depending on his role next season in Abbotsford, but even if that increases, it’s more likely we see him spend the full year there. After that, the 2027-28 season, Alriksson could potentially get some looks with the big club and start to push for the NHL.