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Steven Ellis talks Cootes, Malhotra, Lekkerimäki, and more Canucks prospects: Canucks Conversation

Photo credit: © Steven Ellis | The Nation Network

By Clarke Corsan

Jul 30, 2026, 14:05 EDTUpdated: Jul 30, 2026, 14:06 EDT

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On Tuesday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by Daily Faceoff’s Steven Ellis to discuss Braeden Cootes and Caleb Malhotra, Brooks Rogowski’s impressive showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase, Vancouver’s 2026 draft class as a whole, and where Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s development currently stands.

Ellis has been one of the most impressed observers of Rogowski’s performance at the Summer Showcase, saying the Canucks’ 2026 33rd overall selection has exceeded expectations in a much larger role than anticipated.

“This is a guy who I thought of as having a clear, very real role of probably a fourth-line centre on this team,” Ellis said. “But with the way he’s played at this tournament in a second-line role, he’s legitimately been one of the best players in the tournament and that’s exciting. Some teams haven’t brought their best players and the US team was expected to do well, but Rogowski has been a game changer every single game.”

While Ellis doesn’t see elite offensive upside, he believes Rogowski has all the tools to become an effective NHL player.

“He’s a mobile, six-foot-seven centre who can really skate, which is the big thing with him,” Ellis said. “I don’t think he’s going to put up a ton of points in the NHL, we’re not talking Tage Thompson numbers here, but at the very least I could see him being a really good 4C, maybe his ceiling is 3C.

“Watching him in Oshawa, he’s a key play driver for that team but he’s not going to go out there and blow the doors off anybody offensively. Watching him last year at the U18 World Championship with USA in a fourth-line role, he didn’t play a ton but I thought he was one of the better players USA had. I think we’re talking max a 3C but I see him as a very effective fourth-line guy who’s tough to beat in tight and that mobility is really nice. But hey, a big guy who can skate like that, maybe he adds some extra offensive tools and fights his way up the lineup.”

Ellis also came away impressed with Vancouver’s draft class as a whole.

“Going and getting a guy like Caleb Malhotra who could be the first-line centre for Canada’s junior team in a few months is looking like a pretty smart move,” Ellis said. “Adam Novotny was a really good pick at 24. A lot of scouts had him going in the 15-20 range so I thought that was good value.

“With Rogowski, did they leave some talent on the board to get him? Maybe. Did they get a guy who has a clear path to the NHL? Absolutely. Niklas Aaram-Olsen is another guy who some people thought was a potential first-round talent. Overall, solid at the top and I think Vancouver had a pretty solid draft.”

Looking ahead to the World Juniors, Ellis expects Canada’s strength to come on the blue line rather than up front.

“It’s going to be an interesting group because they’re lacking a real difference maker up front,” Ellis said. “You look at last year and they had Michael Hage, Gavin McKenna, Tij Iginla, a bunch of good scoring threats. This year, their offence isn’t going to be that great. Their defence is going to be unbelievable. They could legitimately bring seven guys who could be top-pairing defencemen in the NHL, so that’s going to be a really strong group.

“Malhotra is definitely in the running to be that number one or two centre. They’re probably trying to get him with Jake O’Brien, who he played with in Brantford. For Cootes, there’s a good argument that he could be in Vancouver to start the season and if that’s the case I don’t see him at the World Juniors. That being said, he’d probably be more of a good middle-six player if he makes Team Canada, not because he’s not a good player, but his energy and two-way reliability might fit a different role than trying to fit him in a scoring role.”

Ellis also shared his concerns about Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s development, while emphasizing that the Canucks still need to put him in situations where he can succeed.

“I don’t love his game anymore. The injuries pushed his development back a little bit,” Ellis said. “With that being said, he’s a goal scorer and I don’t think he’s going to forget how to score. If he can continue doing it at the AHL level, I hope they give him an opportunity once he gets that full-time roster job. Put him in a spot to succeed. Don’t put him on the third line, don’t put him in a defensive role, send him out there to rip shots on net.

“With any goal scorer, they need their confidence and they can lose that confidence quickly. A good example of that is Vasiliy Podkolzin. He was a dangerous scorer in his age group with a great shot but he wasn’t scoring in the NHL and it took him a while to figure it out. With Lekkerimäki, there’s an argument that it could happen to him and since he’s not an all-around player, not going to be throwing hits, he’s got to find a way to be effective which is shooting the puck and creating chances, but Vancouver has to give him those chances.”

You can watch the full replay of the episode below!