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Scenes from practice: Canucks showing first looks at power play units

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Jeff Paterson

Sep 23, 2026, 18:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 23, 2026, 17:49 EDT

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After paring their roster at the midway mark of the preseason, the Vancouver Canucks got down in numbers and skated as one group on Wednesday morning at Rogers Arena.

The Canucks had 26 players on the ice – 15 forwards, eight defencemen and three goalies. Max Sasson was excused from practice for personal reasons.

What we saw

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Canucks lines, pairings Wednesday at Rogers Arena. DeBrusk-Pettersson-Karlsson Ohgren-Rossi-Boeser O’Connor-Chytil-Lekkerimaki Cotter-Cootes-Gallagher Bains-Raty-Stienburg Buium-Hronek Oleksiak-Schenn Pettersson - Willander Brisebois-Mancini #Canucks

6:51 PM · Sep 23, 2026

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For the first time since the start of training camp, Manny Malhotra worked on special teams with his main group. Following a 30-minute on-ice session to start the day, the players retreated to the locker room while the ice was resurfaced. On a fresh sheet, they split into two power play groups.

The first unit was the same quintet that finished second in the NHL in power play percentage after the Olympic break. Marco Rossi and Elias Pettersson worked the half-walls with Brock Boeser in the bumper and Jake DeBrusk at the net front. Filip Hronek manned the point.

On the second unit, Filip Chytil and Jonathan Lekkerimäki were in the circles with Liam Öhgren getting a look in the bumper spot and Linus Karlsson on the top of the crease. Zeev Buium was the lone point-man on the second group. Of that second unit, Öhgren is the interesting addition. He saw just 20 minutes of power play time in his 51 games with the club after the mid-season trade from Minnesota. But he has a quick release and showed well at camp in Penticton. We’ll see if he’s able to hold onto his spot with the man-advantage.

Given that Aatu Räty, Arshdeep Bains and Matthew Stienburg skated as a fifth line on Wednesday and have played in both preseason games so far, it’s quite likely the other four lines will be the forwards that suit up for Thursday’s home preseason opener against Edmonton.

That will mean the first time in Canucks uniforms for newcomers Brendan Gallagher and Paul Cotter, who skated on a line with Braeden Cootes. It will also mark the first game action of any kind for Filip Chytil since February 2 in Utah. On defence, Jamie Oleksiak is likely to make his first appearance in a Vancouver uniform on Thursday, while Luke Schenn, now in his third stint with the hockey club, will wear a Canucks jersey for the first time since February 18, 2023.

After Kevin Lankinen faced 31 shots on 83 attempts in Calgary on Tuesday, the Canucks will likely go with Nikita Tolopilo and Chris Driedger as their goalies on Thursday. Manny Malhotra did not divulge his netminding plans after practice on Wednesday.

What we heard

Manny Malhotra on reducing the roster and starting to work with the NHL group: “Well, this is a day we’ve been kind of looking forward to is getting down to the numbers that will most resemble our team on opening night. Obviously less bodies to manage and less practice planning required. Just to get to our group and see the quality and level that we have in practice and start with that line combination chemistry. It was exciting today for practice just to be able to go through some more intricate details in our game was good for us.”

Malhotra on veteran Guillaume Brisebois’ hockey journey and the fact that he’s still one of the final 28 players in camp: “For Brise, it’s his level of consistency. He’s gone through a lot over his career injury-wise dealing with few major surgeries. Without fail, he does the work and he gets himself back to game shape and proves that he is a contributor when he is in the line-up. So for me, it’s his level of consistency and professionalism that keeps him alive and keeps him around here.”

Filip Chytil on returning to game action for the first time in more than eight months: “It’s going to be fun. I can’t wait for it. I feel good. We’ll see in the game how it’s going to go. I’m excited. It’s been a long time for me. It’s a lot of excitement in my whole body and my mind is ready for it as well.”

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