On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by prospect scout Dave Hall for an update on Vancouver’s prospects in Abbotsford and beyond.

Danila Klimovich, the 21-year-old Belarussian, is off to a strong start in Abbotsford under new head coach Manny Malhotra.

“There’s no way to sugar-coat it; last year was a disaster of a season,” said Dave. “This is pure speculation, but there appeared to be a clear disconnect between the player and the coach last year. Even when he was in the lineup getting minutes, it was in a fourth-line role with no power play time. At this point, we know what Klimovich is, and that’s an offensive guy. This year, Manny Malhotra comes in, and Klimovich is on the power play and getting top-six minutes. He’s co-leading the team in goals with two, co-leading in points with four, and has the most shots on the team with 24. Not only that, he’s looking dangerous and actually producing, which we didn’t see last year. I’m not going to say ‘he’s back’—there are definitely still some warts—but he’s been the surprise this year.”

Another standout to begin the season has been 2023 105th overall pick, Ty Mueller.

“There’s clearly something this organisation sees in him,” Dave remarked. “He came into camp this year, and Rick Tocchet specifically called him out, saying he liked his game. He went down to Abbotsford to start as the third-line centre, and by game two he’d been moved up to the second line as a winger. He’s seeing top-six minutes, power play time, and penalty kill time at 21 years old as a rookie. He’s looked pretty good so far.”

Meanwhile, Tom Willander has started his season back at Boston University with a five-game point streak.

“We knew the defensive game and skating were polished,” said Dave. “The big questions coming into this year were his stick handling and decision-making. I’ve been quite impressed with his stick handling this year; he’s really shown an ability to walk the line. Even when he’s scoring his goals, he’s doing a better job with the stick handling. Coming into the year, we hoped he’d be given the keys with Lane Hutson gone, but of course, now he’s stuck behind another in Lane’s younger brother, Cole Hutson. Watching the power play, it’s not hard to see why Willander is behind him. Hutson is a carbon-copy of his older brother; he’s so gifted offensively. Although Willander can flash and is fun to watch, he’s not a pure offensive defenceman. He’s averaging about 21 minutes per game, so he’s still getting tons of ice time with top penalty kill and shutdown minutes. He’s looked really good; it’s only been five games, but he’s on a five-game point streak.”

Two other names mentioned were Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Aatu Räty, who are playing together on the Abbotsford Canucks following Räty’s assignment to the AHL after starting the year in the NHL with Vancouver.

“If you’re a stat-watcher and you see just two points between the two of them, you’re not going to like it,” noted Dave. “Lekkerimäki has played three games and is third on the team in shots. At this point, you can chalk him up for at least five shots a game. That line has been all over the place. I remember Tocchet describing Lekkerimäki as a buzz-saw, and that’s exactly what he is. He’s working hard—not overpowering people but coming up with pucks, dishing it out, and shooting a ton. He’s come as advertised, just been a bit snake-bitten so far. The two of them have looked fantastic. Aatu Räty only has two points but is doing all the little things right; he’s on the top penalty kill, winning almost all of his draws—you have to like what you see. I’m not too concerned about the points right now.”

You can watch the full segment below.