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Prospect Showcase: Canucks defeat Kraken 3–2 behind strong outing from Aku Koskenvuo
Manny Malhotra during the Vancouver Canucks' 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the 2024 Young Stars Classic from Penticton, BC.
Photo credit: © Tav Morisson-CanucksArmy
Dave Hall
Sep 14, 2025, 23:05 EDTUpdated: Sep 14, 2025, 23:19 EDT
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Looking to bounce back from Saturday night’s 5–3 loss in Everett, the Vancouver Canucks prospects travelled to Seattle for Game 2 of the inaugural Prospect Showcase, taking on the Kraken at the Kraken Community Iceplex.
Notably absent from Vancouver’s lineup was Braeden Cootes, who did not return for the third period in Game 1.
The club later confirmed he was held out for precautionary reasons and is expected to make the trip to Penticton for main camp beginning September 18.
Crisis averted.

Vancouver lineup

Seattle lineup

First period

The Canucks came out with a far more composed and structured approach compared to their opening effort, limiting mistakes and showing more attention to systems early.
Thanks to that, they were rewarded with the game’s first goal for the second consecutive night.
Tom Willander, bouncing back after a shaky opener, made a smart pinch to keep the puck alive in the offensive zone.
Riley Patterson, elevated to the top line in Cootes’ absence, beat his check to the puck and fed a one-handed pass to Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who made no mistake going top corner for his first goal of the weekend.
After being held off the scoresheet in Game 1, it was a welcome sight to see the team’s go-to sharpshooter find the back of the net.
The remainder of the period saw modest back-and-forth pressure, with each side trading low-danger chances.
Aku Koskenvuo, making his first unofficial start as a Canuck, wasn’t overly busy but did have to stay sharp on a few tricky shots. He stopped all six shots he faced to help preserve Vancouver’s 1–0 lead through 20 minutes.
“We were able to apply much more pressure,” Head Coach Manny Malhotra said post-game. “We got some shots than that early, which is one thing that we wanted to establish.”
Shots: VAN 9, SEA 5

Second period

Seattle struck quickly to even the score in the second.
Following a failed clearing attempt by Lekkerimäki, David Goyette got two chances in the slot and slipped the second attempt through Koskenvuo’s five-hole to tie the game 1–1.
Midway through the period, things got a little hectic as the Canucks found themselves on their heels for a stretch, surrendering a few odd-man rushes. However, the defence settled in, and Koskenvuo stood tall, notably shutting down a high-speed breakaway to keep the game even.
Eventually, Vancouver pushed back.
The “invite line” of Aaron Obobaifo, Matthew Oreskovic, and Nick Poisson created extended zone time before the puck found Oreskovic down low. The Vancouver Giants forward slipped the puck to his junior teammate Obobaifo, who showed patience to outwait the Kraken netminder before sliding the puck home to restore the lead.
That goal seemed to energize the line, who followed it up with another strong shift, pinning Seattle deep in their zone.
They played a strong game, capping off a solid weekend for the trio of invited forwards.
Despite the early second-period goal, the Canucks enjoyed a one-goal lead after 40 minutes of play.
Shots: VAN 21, SEA 12

Third period

Parker Alcos did not return to the bench to start the third period. Like Cootes, Malhotra later confirmed that he was held out for “precautionary” reasons given the nature of the event.
The Canucks rotated their defensive pairings as a result.
The so-called “invite line” contributed again midway through the period. Oreskovic broke up the ice and found a trailing Riley Patterson, who had just stepped onto the ice.
Patterson fired a quick release from the slot to beat the goaltender upstairs and extend the lead to 3–1 for his second point of the game.
Seattle made it interesting later in the frame when Blake Fiddler — a teammate of Alcos with the Edmonton Oil Kings — cut the lead to one.
From there, however, it was the Aku Koskenvuo show.
He turned away multiple high-quality chances, including several strong looks from Jagger Firkus, Seattle’s most dangerous forward from the night.
Late in the game, Elias Pettersson was assessed the only penalty of the night after delivering a hit from behind in the corner. The Kraken pulled their goalie for a 6-on-4 advantage, forcing Koskenvuo to hold the fort.
And that he did.
The Finnish netminder stopped everything thrown his way in the final minutes, securing the win in his first unofficial appearance in Canucks colours.
He finished the game with 21 saves, as the Canucks and Kraken split the weekend series to put a wrap on the inaugural Prospect Showcase.
“He did a great job, especially down the stretch,” Malhotra said post-game. “He came up with some huge stops as the course of the game went on. He looked far more comfortable in the net in terms of rebound control and just being big and square in the net, but he did a fantastic job, obviously, on this back-to-back getting his opportunity. He made the most of it.”
Final score: VAN 3, SEA 2
Final shots: VAN 30, SEA 23

What’s Next

With the Prospect Showcase now wrapped, the team will shift its focus to the main training camp in Penticton, BC, running September 18–21.
Follow all of the action here at CanucksArmy, as we will have full coverage of Training Camp throughout the week.

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