Team

Betting

CanucksArmy has no direct affiliation to the Vancouver Canucks, Canucks Sports & Entertainment, NHL, or NHLPA

Scott Wheeler talks Canucks prospects, why he believes in Buium, and more: Canucks Conversation

Photo credit: © Bob Frid-Imagn Images

By Clarke Corsan

Aug 1, 2026, 12:00 EDTUpdated: Aug 1, 2026, 03:16 EDT

Comments

On Friday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler to discuss several Canucks prospects and why he remains one of Zeev Buium’s biggest believers.

Wheeler started by sharing his impressions from the World Junior Summer Showcase, where several Canucks prospects have been representing.

“Rogowski looks like he’s going to be, at this stage, probably the fourth-line centre for that team; that’s how he’s being deployed so far,” Wheeler said. “He was good in Windsor, did his thing, showed his size making a couple of plays, scored a nice goal, engaged physically, doesn’t look like he’s a step behind. Lots of positives for him heading into this season.”

Wheeler also expects Braeden Cootes to play an important role for Canada when the World Juniors begin.

“Cootes wore the ‘C’, was good, scored an overtime goal, was noticeable in terms of being on pucks, making the right play,” Wheeler said. “I wouldn’t say he flashed much other than the goal he scored, but he’s going to be a big part of this Canada team. They’ve had Cole Reschny and him wearing the ‘C’ throughout the week as they rotate in and out of the lineup. I expect one of those two guys will wear the ‘C ‘, and for Cootes being an Edmonton kid with the tournament being played in Edmonton, would be a big deal for him.”

Wheeler added that while Canada is loaded down the middle, Cootes should still carve out a meaningful role.

“They’ve got a lot of really good centres so they’re going to have to figure out the pecking order there,” he said. “I would expect two of Reschny, Malhotra, or Desnoyers to slot in ahead of Cootes. I envision Cootes to be a third-line centre here and a good one.”

“As for Caleb Malhotra, he’s been one of their better players,” Wheeler said. “He didn’t really flash a ton of high-end skill that you’re looking for but his line in particular with Brady Martin and Philippe Veilleux has been Canada’s best line. I imagine Martin and Malhotra will be a top-six pairing on this team, so it’s good to see the Canucks with three guys involved in that event.”

Beyond the World Juniors, Wheeler also had high praise for Vancouver’s first round selection, Adam Novotny.

“I’m a big believer in Adam Novotny,” Wheeler said. “I think he’ll be something similar to Öhgren, but he’s a better skater than Öhgren so the ceiling is higher. Novotny is just a stocky, strong, athletic, fast, hard-shooting competitive player, and those guys play in the league. There’s very little risk for Adam Novotny’s profile of him not becoming a middle-six winger in the league and not scoring around 20 goals. I think he’s going to have a long career and be a good player.”

The conversation then shifted to Zeev Buium, where Wheeler made it clear just how highly he thinks of the Canucks’ top defensive prospect.

“I’m as big of a believer in Zeev Buium as anyone and think he’s going to be a star in the league,” Wheeler said. “He’s one of the best college hockey defencemen of the last decade-plus, including Zach Werenski, Charlie McAvoy, you go down the list and he was every bit as impactful as those guys in all three zones. More so than Owen Power or Artyom Levshunov, Zeev was as good as anyone and won when it mattered.”

While Buium’s defensive play was questioned during his NHL debut, Wheeler believes that’s an area that will improve with time.

“I know he had a hard time defending at the NHL level and that is going to continue to be an area of emphasis for him, but he was actually an excellent defender in college and at the World Juniors,” Wheeler said. “He was a very busy defender in college, glued himself to opponents’ hips and played tight gaps. When you get to the NHL, that’s the hardest style of defending to play. If you lose your confidence and start sitting back and giving guys space, then it’s a tricky game and we saw that last year.”

“Part of that is strength, part of it is players are naturally stronger and quicker at the NHL level,” Wheeler said. “But defending was a really strong part of his game. He took time and space away from the very best players in college hockey across two seasons and I think he’ll get there defensively. He may never be a lockdown guy, but I think he’ll be above average, and if he’s above average defensively and high-end offensively, that’s a top-end player in this league.”

You can watch the full segment below!