We are back with our CanucksArmy top 20 Vancouver Canucks summer prospect rankings. With the Canucks now in a full-fledged rebuild, the future is the organization’s main focus.

The 2026 NHL Draft concluded less than a month ago, and the Canucks added nine new players to their prospect pool. Headlined by first-rounders Caleb Malhotra and Adam Novotný, the Canucks’ first four draft choices were spent on forwards. They added three more through rounds 4-6, using just two selections on a goalie and defenceman.

With the new crop of prospects, we’ve made a slight tweak to our eligibility criteria for this year.

We’ve raised the age range from U23 to U24, but limited players to under 25 NHL games. That would eliminate Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Liam Öhgren up front, as well as defencemen Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, and Elias Pettersson (D).

As for the rankings themselves, that criterion remains the same.

Upside is first and foremost. Where do these players end up if they hit their full potential? Age is also a factor. Players such as Ty Mueller, who’s played a pair of NHL games over the last two years but is teetering on the edge of age eligibility at 23. That alone earns him a spot on our list, but at his age, if he doesn’t develop into a full-time NHLer soon, the writing may be on the wall for his future.

Now that the rules are established, let’s begin with our list of Honourable Mentions:

Koskenvuo falls to the honourable mentions list not because of a bad season, but because he was a casualty of the insertion of seven new prospects in the system.

The Finnish netminder split last season between the Abbotsford Canucks and the Kalamazoo Wings. Koskenvuo played most of his season in Kalamazoo, where he finished with a 12-10 record, a 3.15 goals against average, and a .908 save percentage, with one shutout in 22 ECHL games. When he earned a promotion to Abbotsford, he performed well behind a poor team. Koskenvuo had a 2-5 record, a 3.20 goals against average, and a .895 save percentage, with one shutout in nine AHL games.

With Nikita Tolopilo earning his stripes at the NHL level last season, Koskenvuo is likely to split the crease with Ty Young in Abbotsford next season. Depending on his performance, we could easily see him moving up in our mid-season rankings.

The first of the Canucks’ two sixth-round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft, Bernat earns a spot in our honourable mentions.

Bernat spent his draft year with Tappara’s U20 team in Finland, where he scored 15 goals and 16 assists for 31 points in 37 games, adding a goal and four points in 13 postseason games. Next season, the 6’4″ winger will come overseas and join the Owen Sound Attack of the OHL.

And according to CanucksArmy prospect guru Dave Hall, Bernat can rip the pill.

Rounding out our honourable mentions, we have the last pick of the Canucks’ 2026 draft, Samuel Eriksson.

The towering defenceman uses his frame in the physical game. Eriksson is a mean, rangy defenceman who can shut opponents down with a crushing hit or with his stick work. The Swede spent most of his season with Färjestad BK’s U20 team, where he recorded three goals and three assists for six points in 32 games. The defensive defenceman’s efforts were noticed, as he earned a one-game audition with Färjestad’s big club in the SHL.

With our criteria outlined and our honourable mentions listed, it’s time to dive into our top 20 Canucks prospect summer rankings. Check back here at CanucksArmy for our daily countdown.

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