On today’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by Daily Faceoff’s prospect guru Steven Ellis to check in on the Canucks’ prospect pool and some of their key players.
Steven began with some praise for the Canucks’ prospect pool, once considered weak.
“This is an above-average pool. You’ve got a good forward in Lekkerimäki and a good defenseman in Tom Willander,” Steven said. “Arturs Šilovs is still considered a prospect because he hasn’t played full-time in the NHL. Then you have Pettersson, Aatu Räty, Arshdeep Bains—who had a really good season. This was a team that was using its third goalie in the playoffs and still looked pretty good, especially considering nobody expected to do as well as they did. You’ve got a team that looks competitive, you have that core signed up for a long time, and you have a lot of valuable pieces in the prospect pool. When you look at this pipeline, you’d expect it to come from a team still in a rebuild, so it’s definitely an exciting future.”
Steven then discussed Lekkerimäki’s progress and potential.
“A big thing for him this year was getting the opportunities after that playoff run. He carried that momentum into the SHL, then went on to have an outstanding tournament at the World Junior Championship. For a goal-scorer like him, with the shot he has, you need to play in situations where you feel confident. That confidence really showed at a level we hadn’t seen before; the puck started to go in, and he seemed happier on the ice. He’s playing with the right mindset, and I do think he’ll be a top-6 forward for the Canucks one day.”
When it comes to Lekkerimäki playing in the NHL this year, Steven believes there are a few hurdles to overcome before he slots into the lineup.
“You’d need a perfect spot for him,” he said. “Is he going to be able to play top-6 right away? I don’t think so. If he’s not ready, send him to the AHL and let him continue building on that confidence. Sending him to a team like Abbotsford, which has some skill to work with, will give him opportunities and maximize his ice time at an early age; he’s still only 20.”
Next up for discussion was Tom Willander, who will be returning to Boston University for his second season in the NCAA.
“He’s a trailblazer,” Steven began. “It’s rare to see European defensemen in the NCAA because most of those players try to play pro hockey. For him to go to college like he did was very surprising. He missed a couple of games early on, but it didn’t take him long to figure things out. Boston University was very competitive until the end. Having Macklin Celebrini to pass to isn’t the worst thing for production, but what really stood out was that he was playing upwards of 20 minutes per game. He looked excellent and performed well at the World Junior tournament. He’s a speedy, two-way player who I think will be a big part of the World Junior tournament again this year. I wouldn’t be surprised if he turns pro after this next year in the NCAA, maybe spends a year in the AHL, and goes from there. The key thing with most prospects in this group is there’s no reason to rush them. If you think the Canucks are going to be competitive right now, let that happen, and these players will naturally find their way into the lineup. When it comes to Willander, maybe it’s two years before he’s in the NHL. I do think he should play at least one year in the AHL, and I think he’s going to be a big part of that top-4 for a long time.”
Finally, Steven mentioned a defenseman from the 2023 draft class who he believes has more upside than people give him credit for.
“I’m a big believer in Sawyer Mynio, especially after watching him at the World Junior Summer Showcase last week. You’d see these skilled guys try to get around him, and he was just a pain in the ass. He made himself so difficult to play against, stopping guys in front of the net. It’s interesting the way he plays.”
Mynio, 19, was drafted 89th overall by Vancouver in 2023. He’s spent the last three years with the Seattle Thunderbirds and even got into Abbotsford’s lineup for a single game last season.
“He’s not super aggressive; if guys are rushing, he’s not going to pinch to prevent them. He’ll let you get close, but then he’ll lay you out if you get too close,” Steven continued. “Watching what he was able to do this year, he seemed really confident with the puck, and you want these guys to play with confidence—you notice when that starts to fade. He went from his draft year, not shooting the puck much, to last year, scoring 20 goals because he was willing to rush the puck in, pinch, and do all those things with the puck. I’ve seen his game evolve in a big way over the last year, and I believe he’s going to be an NHL player one day.”
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