Despite a down season, many prospect experts still believe in Vancouver Canucks goalie prospect Aleksei Medvedev.

On Thursday, Daily Faceoff prospect guru Steven Ellis released his top-25 NHL-affiliated goalie prospects list and ranked Medvedev 20th, down four spots from his 2024-25 ranking. Here is what Ellis had to say on the Canucks goalie prospect:

“Medvedev’s numbers were lackluster in London, but they weren’t the typical powerhouse team we’ve come to know and love, either. The Russian goaltender is very athletic and moves exceptionally well, which is what made him one of the top goaltenders off the board in 2025. The 6-foot-3 keeper can struggle with rebounds from time to time, but he has the ability to dial himself in and win games on his own. So despite the numbers falling off a bit, I’m not too worried. I still think the raw talent and toolkit are there for Medvedev to be an NHL goaltender, but there’s also no rush to get him there, either.”

The Canucks selected Medvedev in the second round (47th overall) of the 2025 NHL Draft. In his draft year, the Russian netminder put up solid numbers as a backup to Austin Elliott, posting a 22-8-2 record, a 2.79 goals against average and a .912 save percentage, with three shutouts. He outplayed Elliott in the regular season, but Elliott played all 17 of the Knights’ playoff games that postseason.

Expected to take over the starting role in 2025-26, he quickly lost it after some early struggles. Medvedev finished the year with a 16-15-3 record, a 3.26 goals against average, and a .906 save percentage. Undrafted 20-year-old goaltender Sebastian Gatto wound up taking hold of the crease, logging a 24-8-2 record, a 2.37 goals against average and a .916 save percentage, with three shutouts.

“I feel like, obviously, I had a little bit of an off year. I was off to a really good start, but then I lost my game a little bit,” Medvedev said about his season in London. “But I thought it just gave me a really good perspective on the game of hockey. When you’re in that discomfort of not playing your best, you keep looking for stuff to improve your game. So I was able to find so many great things that helped me and explore them a lot more in this offseason.”

Medvedev is expected to be at Canucks training camp in Penticton in September. He plans to return to London next season, where he will be given the starter’s role again.