Whenever the Vancouver Canucks step up to the draft podium, there is a distinct and familiar blueprint for the goalies they like to target, and 2026 third-round pick Dmitri Ivchenko certainly follows that blueprint. He comes in at number 11 on our top 20 ranking of Canucks prospects.

Dmitri Ivchenko was a rapid riser on draft boards throughout his draft-year campaign. After debuting at 8th among European netminders on NHL Central Scouting’s midterm rankings, he surged all the way up to 4th in the final rankings. Playing primarily as a backup for Omskie Yastreby in the MHL, Ivchenko posted an impressive 11-5-1 record paired with a .922 save percentage across 19 appearances.

Shortly after the Canucks drafted Ivchenko with the 78th overall pick, CanucksArmy’s own Lachlan Irvine broke down Ivchenko’s tape further. Here’s one line I really liked from Lachlan’s write-up that really sums up Ivchenko’s game:

“The first thing you’ll notice about Ivchenko is his calm, collected movements. Like a car with great braking, Ivchenko seems to move into each save with smooth, solid fluidity… Ivchenko’s head follows the puck first, then his body follows with quiet feet and precision.”

Here’s what one anonymous NHL goaltending scout told me about Ivchenko:

“Size, athleticism, superb reads, calm and in command, a great skater, positional consistency and efficiency, patient feet to drive his reactivity. He’s got strong balance across the inputs, elite character traits for the goalie position — responsible, work ethic, discipline, attention to detail, self-initiative, etc.”

To put it simply: Ivchenko plays a composed game inside his crease. At 6-foot-3, he’s got good size and maximizes his frame by maintaining quiet feet and keeping his toes right along the edge of the blue paint when challenging shots. He’s also very comfortable in his post play, frequently utilizing the Reverse VH (RVH) drop on plays in tight, which aligns with how the Canucks want their goaltenders to play. When forced into uncomfortable situations, he relies on strong athleticism and his strong second-effort compete level to make some real highlight-reel saves.

There are, however, clear areas that need refining, and that’s kind of the fun with goalie prospects. Ivchenko can struggle tracking pucks from distance through heavy traffic, occasionally getting beat cleanly and reacting late to high passes. Furthermore, because he played in a backup role in Russia’s junior league (MHL), his sample size against higher-tier international and professional competition remains relatively small. That will be something we’re watching closely, but the potential for Ivchenko to be an NHL starter is absolutely there.

Ceiling: Starting NHL Goaltender. The tools are all there.

Floor: KHL backup. The tools are all there, but we’ve seen plenty of Russian players over the years never end up making the jump to North America, and even if they do, there are plenty of players who spend a couple of years in the ECHL or AHL before saying “thanks, but no thanks” and returning home to play in their home country.

NHL ETA: Ivchenko joins a crowded and talented Vancouver goaltending pipeline that includes recent early-round pick Aleksei Medvedev, as well as Ty Young and Aku Koskenvuo. With two years of MHL eligibility remaining, the expectation is for Ivchenko to return to Russia and work towards earning a larger starter’s workload and an eventual promotion to the KHL. Assuming Ivchenko wants to take a run at plying his trade in Abbotsford, he’s likely two years away from that. From there, his NHL ETA will depend entirely on how he performs to establish himself on a competitive Canucks goaltending depth chart.