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Scenes from practice: Boeser in non-contact jersey as Canucks skate at UBC
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Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Jeff Paterson
Feb 23, 2026, 16:44 EST
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As they prepare to resume their National Hockey League schedule this week, the Vancouver Canucks returned to the practice ice at the University of British Columbia on Monday morning.
After missing practice on Saturday with what the team described as an illness, Brock Boeser was back with the group but wearing a red non-contact jersey. Boeser missed the five games before the Olympic break with a concussion, but returned to practice on Tuesday and Wednesday of last week before leaving Friday’s practice early.

What we saw

The Canucks started their session on the big rink at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Winter Sports Centre and worked on special teams. Despite the non-contact jersey, Boeser was part of the team’s top power play unit along with Elias Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk, Marco Rossi and Filip Hronek. While that group worked at one end of the ice, Zeev Buium, Tom Willander, Conor Garland, Evander Kane and Linus Karlsson formed the second power play unit. Daniel and Henrik Sedin were heavily involved in overseeing the work with the man-advantage, with one twin working at each end of the ice.
After about 20 minutes, the Canucks packed up and switched to the fresh ice of the Father David Bauer rink for the remainder of their practice.
With just five games to go until the NHL trade deadline, Adam Foote says he has not been told to sit anyone out for asset management reasons. However, the coach acknowledged that, with the March 6th deadline so close, things can change in an instant. 
Foote also said a snowstorm on the East Coast has delayed Kevin Lankinen’s return from the Olympics. As such, Lankinen will likely be given much of the week off when he gets back to Vancouver. Nikita Tolopilo, recalled from AHL Abbotsford on Monday morning, and Jiri Patera were the two goaltenders at practice, and they will likely suit up for the Canucks game against the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday. Foote said it was highly unlikely he’d ask a travel-weary Lankinen, who didn’t see a second of game action for Finland in Milano, to suit up even as a backup. 
Zeev Buium continues to wear a full cage to protect a facial injury suffered in late January. However, the defenceman has been a full participant in every practice since last Tuesday and is projected to be in the lineup against the Jets.
Today’s practice included a spirited one-on-one battle between Filip Hronek and Nils Höglander that continued well after the whistle. As the drill came to a conclusion, the two players were jawing at each other before going their separate ways. 

What we heard

Adam Foote on ramping up a second week of practices with games on the horizon: “Well, they’re ready to play. When you see guys getting into it in those battle-type drills, you can tell they’re itching to get a game in. They practiced hard again today. So they’re trending up. That’s how I feel.”
Foote on why Boeser needed a non-contact jersey on Monday: “He didn’t feel good a couple of days ago. The staff just had to make sure it was a viral issue and not his concussion. He looked really good today and my guess — and I haven’t talked to the trainers yet – is that he’ll be in a regular jersey tomorrow.”
American Conor Garland on how much talk there was in the locker room about Sunday’s gold medal game: “Really good game. Really good tournament. The guys performed very well especially in the medal round. A lot of tight games. Best on best. It was worth the wait.”
American Max Sasson on making sure he was up and ready to watch the US battle Canada: “Well, I wasn’t going to miss it. So I set my alarm for 4:50 am. Being from the US it was funny to watch it on the Canadian broadcast when all my friends were watching the US network. I was chirping the Swedish guys when we beat them. They took it a little better. Kaner (Evander Kane) and I were texting during the game, so we were having some great back and forth. A lot of debate in the locker room today about the three on three.”
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