Not to be confused with the 18-year-old, Middletown, Delaware native Connor Davis, who played USA high school hockey for Salesianum High School – as this author did when writing the news article after the Canucks drafted a Connor Davis. 

The Canucks took a flier on this Connor Davis in the fifth round of the 2026 NHL Draft, and after further evaluation, CanucksArmy likes the swing.

An overager out of Cedar Rapids of the USHL, Davis scored 26 goals and 29 assists for 55 points in 59 games, adding a pair of goals in two playoff games last season. Now making the jump to the NCAA next season with the University of North Dakota, Davis can focus on bulking up on his 6′, 187-lb frame and further develop his offensive game.

The first thing you’ll notice when watching Davis play is his never-ending motor. His feet are always moving in both ends of the ice. Offensively, he picks up speed to pull off dekes to the outside, constantly keeping defenders on their toes. According to prospect experts, Davis does struggle to cut through space into the interior, but further skills training can improve that.

When the offensive side of his game isn’t flowing, Davis uses his motor on the forecheck to pressure opposing defenders into a quick decision, sometimes leading to turnovers, or on the backcheck to retrieve pucks and quickly transition back to offence.

In our short viewings of Davis at Canucks Development Camp, we were really impressed with his shot. He’s got some zip on this wrist shot, which seems to be a common trend among the Canucks in this draft. The results show that whatever Davis did last offseason to develop his shot worked, as his 26 goals had him tied for 15th in the USHL in goals this past season.

Here is what Daily Faceoff prospect expert Steven Ellis had to say shortly after the Canucks selected him:

Davis has all of the tools in his toolbox; it’s just a matter of whether he can put it all together to carve out a hockey career.

Ceiling: It’s quite early to project what he may become, especially when evaluating an overager. But if he takes the same leap in his draft-plus-two as he did last year, his ceiling could be set at a bottom-six scoring option.

Floor: Based on his tremendous motor, his never-quit-on-the-play mentality will make him a head-coaching darling and give him a safe floor as a middle-six offensive contributor.

ETA: As an overager, Davis has that extra year of development on most of the Canucks’ 2026 draft choices. Despite that, he will need to further refine his game in the NCAA against tougher competition than he faced in the USHL last season. We’d imagine a couple of years in the NCAA and a few more in the AHL before we start realistically picturing Davis making an impact in the NHL.

Keep up to speed with our rankings so far with our honourable mentions and criteria, and our rankings thus far:

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