Vancouver Canucks prospects hit the ice at Rogers Forum on Friday for their first and only practice before their two-game showcase against the Seattle Kraken this weekend.

We didn’t have to wait long before we saw what projects to be their starting lines for this weekend’s showcase. The players were split between blue and white jerseys, so it was tough to project lines 1-4, but here is how the players skated:

Braeden Cootes centred a line with Ilya Safonov and Bennett Schimek, while Ty Mueller was in between Adam Novotný and Gabe Chiarot in blue jerseys. In white jerseys, Riley Patterson paired with Yaroslav Bryzgalov, followed by a towering trio of Brooks Rogowski, Vilmer Alriksson, and Austin Brimmer. Ryan St. Louis, Martin’s son, skated as the extra. Lucian Bernat, one of the Canucks’ sixth-round picks in the 2026 NHL Draft, was not on the ice today. Abbotsford Canucks head coach Ryan Papaionnau said he is unsure whether Bernat will suit up this weekend, adding they are waiting to imaging on a potential injury.

On the back end, the most experienced blueliners were paired with three invitees: Sawyer Mynio with Tim Rego, Kirill Kudryavtsev with Arseni Anisimov, and Joe Arntsen with Alonso Gosselin. Carson Cameron would rotate in with Anisimov on Kudryavtsev. Goaltenders Ty Young, Aku Koskenvuo, and Aleksei Medvedev were all accounted for as well.

The first drill had two defenders play keep-away from three forechecking forwards. Oftentimes, the forwards were able to strip the puck from the defenders. However, Kudryavtsev single-handedly fought off the big-boy Rogowski line, dipsy-doodling along the boards and eventually cleared the puck. Very impressive from the 5’11” defenceman against a line that consisted of a trio of forward that stand 6’4″, 6’6″, and 6’7″.

Coaches then had players working in the neutral zone on puck retrievals turned into quick transitions back up the ice and zone entries, with the other half of the team trying to defend them. Then we got a look at special teams and how the top two power play units will line up.

The top unit consisted of Cootes, Novotný, Rogowski, Safonov and Kudryavtsev. The forwards played very fluidly and moved around the ice, making it hard to predict exactly how they will line up tomorrow night. However, we would guess it would look fairly similar to how they lined up in the clip below, with Cootes and Novotný on the flanks, Safonov and Rogowski at the net front and bumper spot, with Kudryavtsev manning the point.

The second unit, however, played in more structured roles. Mynio at the point, Mueller and Schimek were on the half-walls, Alriksson at the net front, and surprisingly, Patterson in the bumper. We would have imagined Patterson on one of the half-walls, but Schimek’s shot on one side appears to be valuable to the coaching staff.

It was easy to tell that this was a prospect showcase practice. All of the players were hungry to stay out on the ice after the coaches opened the benches, indicating practice was over. All the players stayed on the ice for nearly an extra 20 minutes. On one side, players formed a ‘U’ shape from the goal line to the middle of the slot to the other side of the goal line. The player in the slot would shoot on net, while the others had to grab the rebound and score.

I wasn’t fully watching at the end, but after Mueller scored, the whole group of nine cheered and all came in for a big group hug. Potentially they needed to score so many consecutively before they were allowed off the ice? I’m not sure, but the kids were having fun together, and that’s all that matters.

Novotný on what he wants to accomplish over this weekend: “As a team, we want to win those games. That’s for sure. And as an individual, I just want to give my best, you know, play my hockey, be the best version of myself, and help the team as much as I can.”

Rogowski on what he’ll be focusing on these next two games: “Yeah, I think just that learning piece, kind of learning from the guys. Obviously, get some confidence, get some consistency. You know, learn how it is to play with some older guys, some older men. I think it’s just learning and taking what I can every day I’m here.”

Canucks prospects will take on the Kraken’s prospects at the Rogers Forum Saturday at 4 PM, and again on Sunday at 1 PM.