The Abbotsford Canucks have stumbled out of the gate with a 2-7-0-1 record, sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Division. Still, Hall believes the issues go well beyond the crease.

“Patera has looked really good,” Hall said. “I believe he had the play of the week with one of his saves in the AHL this week. He’s been phenomenal, and I was a bit surprised they’re running a three-man rotation.”

With Nikita Tolopilo and Ty Young rotating alongside Jiri Patera, the depth in net has been tested early – especially after Tolopilo was injured on banner-raising night.

“Tolopilo unfortunately appears to be injured, so it’s been Patera and Young for a bit,” Hall continued. “But Patera has been quietly very strong. Whether it comes to goalies or plus-minus, I wouldn’t look at the stats too much right now because they’re not going to be good with how bad Abbotsford is playing – which includes Ty Young, whose stats are horrific.”

Despite the numbers, Hall emphasized that both goalies have held up reasonably well under difficult circumstances.

“I’ve really liked Patera. Young has played pretty well, but I’ve noticed he has a lot of rebounds on pucks that should be soaked up and have led to quite a few goals,” he explained. “We saw that last year from him as well – a lot of his first shots go in the net or squeakers here and there – but so far the goalies have been good. They’re just getting hung out to dry in Abbotsford right now.”

After an eye-catching NHL preseason, Victor Mancini has spent the start of the year in Abbotsford – a move Hall says is about refining the finer details of his game.

“For Mancini, I think it’s a less-is-more situation,” Hall said. “He gets a little overzealous in his play. When he makes a nice play, he gets excited. You see it a bit in Tom Willander too; when they simplify their game is when they’re going to be at their best.”

Hall sees the potential but says the key for Mancini is consistency and composure.

“Mancini is a perfect case for that – when he makes a nice play or gets a point, he gets excited and starts getting careless in all three zones,” he explained. “At the AHL level, you can get away with stuff like that, like we saw with Erik Brännström last year, but at the NHL level, you have to make sure you’re playing a composed game in all three zones at all times.”

That adjustment period, Hall says, is normal for a young defenceman.

“Right now, I think he’s caught in the middle trying to figure out where that line is in his game,” he added. “It’s the same with Willander – they both need to simplify and not try to do too much. Stick to their role within the team, and that’s where they’ll be at their best.”

Perhaps the most exciting name Hall discussed was 2025 15th overall pick Braeden Cootes, who’s come out of the gate strong with seven points in six games for the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds after logging three starts at the NHL level with the Canucks to start the year.

“He’s all over the ice,” Hall said. “For stat-watchers, he’s got seven points in six games, so he’s over a point per game but could be so far above that. There’s no PDO in the WHL, but if there was, he’d be pretty high with all the posts and chances he’s had that just haven’t been going in for him.”

Even without a dominant team around him, Cootes has been driving play at both ends.

“He’s single-handedly creating chances, and overall it’s basically everything you want to see,” Hall explained. “He’s winning his draws at around a 56% rate, he’s doing everything and driving play. Seattle isn’t going to be great this year so he probably won’t hit two points a game, but he’s come as advertised.”

Hall even hinted that Cootes’ play could earn him a surprise invitation to represent Canada this winter.

“If you asked me two months ago, I would’ve said it was a long shot to make it on the World Junior team for Canada,” he said. “But with the way he plays and given his experience as captain, and now some NHL experience to lean on, we might be talking about an 18-year-old who slides in the back door and makes the Team Canada lineup come December.”

In Hall’s eyes, Cootes’ start couldn’t have been more promising.

“Overall, it’s been as expected – I’m very impressed with Cootes,” he concluded. “He’s all over the ice, his skating is great, he’s a one-man entry, and I think we’ll see some points come his way this year.”

From Abbotsford’s struggling start to Cootes’ breakout in Seattle, Hall painted a full picture of the Canucks’ developmental system – one with plenty of challenges, but plenty of potential waiting to emerge.