It is now June, which means it’s officially draft month. By month’s end, the Canucks – barring any other deals – will have a crop of 10 new prospects in the organization, four of which are high-profile with four selections in the top 41 picks. While we here at CanucksArmy will have plenty of draft coverage throughout the month, there are some talking points around the league.

It had been speculated for a few days, but it was confirmed today that former NHL scout Judd Brackett will join John Chayka and Mats Sundin’s staff with the Toronto Maple Leafs as an assistant general manager. In the same post, Freddie Hamilton was named Chief of Staff.

Brackett, 49, began his scouting career with the Gatineau Olympiques of the QMJHL in 2005. He spent three years with the Olympiques before heading to the Canucks as an amateur scout in 2008. Brackett served in that role in Vancouver for a whopping seven years before earning a promotion to director of amateur scouting. Under his leadership, Brackett had some big hits: Elias Pettersson in 2017 (fifth overall), Quinn Hughes in 2018 (seventh overall), and Arturs Silovs (156th overall).

However, after the 2019-2020 season, Brackett took the same role as director of amateur scouting with the Minnesota Wild. In Minnesota, Brackett’s selections remained top tier, landing the likes of Jesper Wallstedt in 2021 (20th overall), Liam Öhgren in 2022 (19th overall), Danila Yurov in 2022 (24th overall), Charlie Stramel in 2023 (21st overall), and Zeev Buium in 2024 (12th overall).

The Harwich, MA native will now be joining a Maple Leafs organization that is in trouble draft pick-wise, as they do not have their first-round picks for the 2027 or 2028 drafts. They will have to rely on Brackett’s expertise to hit on some of their later-round picks in hopes of turning the Maple Leafs around quickly.

The day after capturing the 2026 Memorial Cup with the Kitchener Rangers, Jack Pridham’s draft rights were traded from the Chicago Blackhawks to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

During the Memorial Cup run, there were reports out there that Pridham was going to de-commit to Boston University, meaning that if the Blackhawks did not sign him by June 1, the organization would lose his draft rights and re-enter the 2026 NHL Draft. It appears the relationship between the player and the team had soured, leading Pridham’s camp to look for a new home.

After the trade, EliteProspects’ Cam Robinson shared that it appears Pridham will be joining the University of Denver.

Pridham, 20, was drafted by the Blackhawks in the third round (92nd overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. He played 12 games with the West Kelowna Warriors of the BCHL, scoring five goals and 10 points before moving on to the Rangers of the OHL. With his new team, Pridham scored 27 goals and 54 points in 48 games.

The 6’2″ winger took another step in 2025-26, scoring 46 goals and 44 assists for 90 points in 65 games. In the postseason, Pridham had two goals and 15 assists for 17 points in 18 games. Pridham led the Memorial Cup in goals (5) and points (9) in just four games en route to hoisting the trophy over their heads.