The Vancouver Canucks’ prospects recently closed the book on their 2024 Young Stars Classic in Penticton. The tournament featured matchups against other Western Conference Canadian teams: the Edmonton Oilers, Calgary Flames, and Winnipeg Jets. As the NHL prepares for the upcoming training camp week, similar rookie tournaments took place across the league, with standout performances drawing attention.
DailyFaceoff’s Steven Ellis compiled a list of impressive young players from these rookie tournaments, highlighting 15 prospects from around the league who stood out. Among the notable names was Vancouver Canucks’ prospect Vilmer Alriksson. The towering 6-foot-6 Swede delivered a standout performance with a tournament-best three points (two goals and one assist).
Among those listed were Jiri Kulich of the Buffalo Sabres, Denton Mateychuk of the Columbus Blue Jackets, and Brad Lambert, who represented the Jets in Penticton.
Ellis noted:
“Vilmer Alriksson, LW (Vancouver Canucks):With two goals and three points, Alriksson tied for the Young Stars tournament scoring lead—something that nobody really expected. A fourth-round pick in 2023, it’s hard to miss all 6-foot-6 of Alriksson on the ice. But he’s more than just a big body, showing some considerable skill and an excellent shot. Alriksson’s pure strength allows him to beat opponents quite easily often, and he’s not that bad of a skater, either. He landed some massive hits, which helped him gain some new fans along the way. Alriksson is a long shot to become an NHLer at this point, but his camp performance was impressive.”
Alriksson also earned top performer honours from CanucksArmy, recording two goals and three assists across the three games while consistently standing out in each match. The 2023 fourth-round pick is slated to enter his second year with the Guelph Storm of the Ontario Hockey League after notching 33 points (17 goals, 16 assists) in 67 games in his rookie year. Alriksson’s size, skill, and physicality make him an intriguing prospect. While his path to the NHL may be long and far from guaranteed, his performance at Young Stars has certainly raised expectations.
