The 2025 NHL draft has come and gone, and the Vancouver Canucks have introduced six new names to their prospect pool. It couldn’t have come at a better time, as the depth chart was getting relatively thin thanks to a few graduates.

With our criteria in mind, we officially have just 26 players to rank for this instalment.

In most years, CanucksArmy has typically focused on U23 skaters. However, we’ve decided to open the criteria and will continue to do so going forward.

So, without further ado, let’s go over some rules.

The first rule we have here at CanucksArmy is that a prospect must be under the age of 25, which eliminates Linus Karlsson (25), Jett Woo (will be 25 in late July) and Nikita Tolopilo (25) from contention.

Prospects must also have played fewer than 25 NHL games (regular season and playoffs), instantly cutting a handful of the organization’s prized names. Players such as Aatu Räty (48), Max Sasson (29), Elias Pettersson (28) and newly acquired Victor Mancini (31) have all been eliminated from contention. Most of whom would have sat quite high within our rankings.

Don’t worry; we will provide constant reminders throughout the list of rules.

Next, here is a list of criteria which we take into consideration for our prospect rankings.

First and foremost is the upside: where do we think their top potential could be? Will these players realize that upside? Who knows. We understand that not every player will hit, but what could they become in a perfect world?

For better or for worse, it’s important to remember that the path a prospect takes in their development is rarely linear. Some high-pedigree kids never pan out, while others develop late and carve out respected careers. You simply never know.

Age will play a factor. At just 19 years old, Riley Patterson will have a much longer developmental path and, as a result, a greater chance of hitting that upside than 24-year-old Arshdeep Bains.

We also consider the depth chart. Kirill Kudryavtsev is a skilled defender but faces competition from many other left-shot defenders in the system. So, where does he fall in the pecking order? Having higher-lauded names in front of him directly affects his spot in the depth chart, ultimately weighing him down in our ranking system.

We stress that their spot on the depth chart is far less impactful than the former, but it is still always considered when ranking our prospects.

With the rules in place, let’s dive right in and start with our Honourable Mentions list.

Despite his intriguing 6-foot-5, 205-pound profile, Daimon Gardner once again falls short to sit just outside our top-20 ranks here at CanucksArmy.

Transferring over to St. Cloud State last summer, we had hoped the transition would lead to an elevated role and upped statistical output. Unfortunately, the numbers, although double that of his freshman season, remain modest.

That said, he did wrap up his sophomore season with a bang, enjoying elevated top-six minutes to contribute six of his 14 points in the final eight games of the campaign. Encouragingly, he found that success while skating primarily on the team’s top line from the left side.

If he can back up his second half with a strong start in 2025-26, we could see him squeeze into our top-20 mid-season rankings. He’s currently right on that cusp. He skates well, especially for a player of his size, with a solid release and a frame that likely translates to the pro game.

Now it’s just a matter of putting it all together at once.

Aiden Celebrini continues to bring one of the more infectious levels of enthusiasm to the game. With a strong drive to continually improve, the Vancouver product showed development in nearly every facet of the game in 2024-25.

While he continued to dress primarily as a third-pairing defender on a heavy-set Boston University blueline, he set personal bests in goals (2), assists (6), points and plus/minus (plus–8). He also finished fourth (tied) on the team in blocked shots, jumping in front of 44 shots – almost double that of his 2023-24 total.

He also scored the game-winning goal in the regional semifinals, which eventually propelled BU to the Frozen Four.

Fresh off his third Development Camp, he came in even more driven to lead by example and improve his game. He has a solid skating foundation and has continued to develop his offensive game throughout the years.

Celebrini continues to be a project prospect, but with a strong dedication to his craft, there’s still a path toward becoming a defensive addition to the organization’s right-side depth.

We see flashes of brilliance, but those flashes are just not consistent enough for us to warrant a top-20 mention. His 2024-25 deployment didn’t help his case. He eclipsed the 10-minute mark of ice-time just once through his final 13 games, skating primarily as the team’s fourth-line winger.

That led to just one goal and five points through 29 NCAA games with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs. Luckily, he’s transferred to Northeastern for his Junior year in hopes of finding more ice time.

He’s a fluid skater with soft hands and offers playmaking intrigue, but will likely need his full four years of eligibility to show where his game is headed next.

Although a seventh-round draft pick (2025), Matthew Lansing offers potential as a reliable, all-situational centre. Putting on four different jerseys in 2024-25, Lansing wore many hats, ranging from top-line centre down to a shutdown fourth-line role with Team USA at the IIHF U18 Worlds.

He plays a hard-nosed game and can be relied upon in any spot on the ice. What stood out to us at this year’s Development Camp was his willingness to drop his shoulder and drive the net.

Oh, he’s got some decent hands, too.

Like all on this list, he’s a project prospect with some intriguing potential.

Dustin Byfuglien was Gabe Chiarot’s favourite player growing up, and he currently models his game after Brady Tkachuk. That’s all you really need to know. He’s a hard-working winger who plays a determined 200-foot game with a low-key offensive skillset.

His game isn’t particularly known for its offensive pedigree, but his jump from five to 21 goals in his second OHL season suggests there could be more growth in his game. He finishes plays by driving hard to the paint, and shows a decent release from mid-range.

He should play a larger role within the Brampton Steelheads middle-six in 2025-26, at which point we can re-evaluate through his draft-plus-one season.

Now playing at 225 pounds, this 18-year-old shutdown defender had a solid draft-plus-one campaign.

Transferring over to the QMJHL, he enjoyed a top-four role on a Memorial Cup team in Rimouski while also seeing time representing his country at the World Juniors.

When all was said and done, he took part in 85 games through his draft-plus-one season. Contributing just two goals and 15 assists in that time, his offensive contributions are few and far between.

But his smooth skating and heavy shutdown ability bring interesting potential down the road. Considered on loan, Sansonnens will return to the Swiss circuit, where he will join former Canuck defenceman Erik Brännström in Lausanne HC.

It’s going to be a competitive environment to secure ice time, but playing against men is always a good indicator of where one’s game stands.

Recently acquired by the Vancouver Canucks in a deal that sent 2024-25 Calder Cup MVP Arturs Silovs out the door, Chase Stillman joins our prospect ranks. Albeit in a small role out of the gate, as we get more familiar with his game. Although a former round pick, Stillman has yet to prove himself at the professional level and has never truly carried an offensive upside.

That said, he skates well and brings a ton of energy to the ice on a shift-to-shift basis. Dating back to his AHL rookie season, where he put up 24 points (14 goals, 10 assists) in 54 games, it wasn’t long ago that he showed promise to kick down the door eventually.

The Canucks are taking an easy swing at a relatively young 22-year-old who has yet to find his way. If they can sink their teeth into his development, there’s potential as a bottom-six energy contributor.