Start the countdown.
As of this writing, we are just ten days away from Vancouver Canucks hockey. As is often the case, the 2024/25 preseason kicks off with the Young Stars Classic in Penticton. The first game for the Young Canucks is a September 13th matchup against the Young Edmonton Oilers.
The Young Stars tournament generally serves as an extra preliminary training camp. Only a certain number of players on the Young Stars roster will continue on from there to the main camp, with the rest heading down to Abbotsford’s camp or re-assigned to various junior teams.
The Young Stars roster has not been announced yet, but we do have a pretty good idea of who’s going to be there based on the reporting of our own Dave Hall.
And every year, at least one prospect makes a name for themselves in Penticton and puts themselves on a better path toward eventually making the regularly-aged Canucks.
In 2024, there are a few candidates who might have more to gain from a stand-out performance.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Lekkerimäki may or may not be the Canucks’ best prospect. That distinction goes to either him or Tom Willander. But with Willander back in the NCAA for this season, Lekkerimäki is definitely the Canucks’ top prospect in Penticton, as well as the one with the greatest potential to make an impact in 2024/25.
But Lekkerimäki is still incredibly fresh, having only made it over for his first six games of North American hockey with Abbotsford at the tail-end of last year. The plan will be for Lekkerimäki to continue acclimatizing in the AHL, and only he can change that plan from here.
If Lekkerimäki wants to accelerate his path to the NHL, it has to start in Penticton. In other words, if the team is going to seriously consider giving him a spot to start the 2024/25 season, it will have to be because he’s head-and-shoulders above other options, and that starts with being head-and-shoulders above the other prospects in Penticton.
If that doesn’t happen, there’s no real problem. Lekkerimäki remains a top prospect, and his timeline remains where folks expect it to be. The opportunity present is one of speeding up his arrival date, not altering its inevitability.
 
Aatu Raty
Raty holds a place of prominence in the Canucks’ prospect cupboard as the only player with any real chance of becoming a top-six centre. With that position and role being so highly valued in the NHL, that grants Raty some extra value. It also adds some impetus to perhaps get Raty some NHL time sooner rather than later so a clearer picture of his big-league potential can be painted.
The opportunity could come as soon as this year. There may be NHL spots available at centre. Nils Åman isn’t guaranteed to make the team, and Pius Suter may line up on the wing. But those are spots that Raty would need to force his way into, and like Lekkerimäki, it pretty much has to start with him standing out from the crowd in Penticton.
Either way, Raty is incredibly likely to see NHL games this year. The Young Stars Classic will be more about setting him up to compete for a spot right out of Training Camp and to put himself more firmly in the conversation about the Canucks’ future forward corps.
 
Cole McWard
Every time Canucks management talks prospects, they seem to bring up McWard’s name as a big part of the future. They also talk about him as if the future is now.
McWard signed out of the NCAA as a free agent at 22, which is younger than the typical NCAA UFA but still older than most prospects making their pro debut. As such, after a successful rookie campaign in Abbotsford, McWard is already approaching a crucial point in his development.
Unlike Lekkerimäki and Raty, we think McWard will be given every chance to make the Canucks roster out of Training Camp. He’s a RHD, and the Canucks already have five of them on their NHL roster. However, players like Noah Juulsen and Mark Friedman can never feel too confident about the security of their spots.
A strong Penticton performance – especially on the offensive side of the puck – puts McWard on the fast track to competing directly with Juulsen and Friedman at Canucks training camp.
 
Jett Woo
Sticking to the topic of potential extra RHDs, we get to Woo. Now, there is a chance that Woo does not take part in the Young Stars Classic. He’s 24 and has already attended a fair number of these tournaments in years prior.
While McWard is going to receive his first real chance at making the team as an extra defender, Woo might be on his last. Having completed four full pro seasons, Woo’s rapidly approaching make-or-break time.
If he does attend the Penticton tournament, Woo needs to look dominant against a bunch of less-experienced players. We’re talking rock-solid defensive play, smart passes, and, of course, a bunch of bone-crushing hits. Doing so puts him back in the conversation for the NHL roster in 2024/25. Anything less really hurts his chances.
 
Arshdeep Bains
Bains had a tough go in his handful of NHL auditions last year. He was often behind the play, leading many to question his long-term future with the Canucks.
That said, Bains still had an excellent sophomore AHL season with 55 points in 59 games, and the book on him is not fully written yet. He could reclaim some of the hype with a stellar Penticton performance – like leading the Young Canucks in scoring. With the Canucks short on offensive prospects in general, Bains will get a prominent spot on the tournament roster, needing to take advantage of that to show he’s got that ‘extra gear’ he was missing in 2023/24.
 
Tristen Nielsen
Nielsen has been battling uphill his entire career. Undrafted, he joined the Abbotsford Canucks in 2021/22 and worked his way up to an NHL contract by last year. Now, he looks to take the next step in solidifying himself as a legitimate NHL prospect.
If Nielsen ever makes the Canucks, it’ll be as a fourth-line energy type. And it won’t be easy to earn that role this year, with names like Kiefer Sherwood, Phil di Giuseppe, and Sammy Blais already set to compete for limited forward spots.
But a great showing in Penticton, followed by more of the same in main camp, could very well put Nielsen on the fast track to being one of the first bottom-six injury call-ups. That, in and of itself, would be enormous progress for this player. One thing we can count on for certain: Niesen is going to give it his all.
 
Sawyer Mynio
Alright, this one is a bit of a cheat. Having just turned 18 a couple of months ago and still just a year out of the draft, Mynio is not making the Canucks’ roster this year. He’ll be returning to Seattle of the WHL for a fourth season with the Thunderbirds.
So why is he on this list? Because Mynio is in line to make an entirely different hockey team – the 2025 Canadian World Juniors roster.
A dynamic performance in the summer showcase has Mynio firmly in the running for the squad, as did his chemistry with Zayne Parekh, who will be skating for the Young Flames in Penticton. If Mynio can keep that showcase energy going into Penticton, it will set him up nicely to fully pencil himself into the Canadian lineup over the first couple months of the WHL season.
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