It may be his third stint with the Vancouver Canucks, but Luke Schenn finds himself in a role similar to one he’s played here before.

In the 2021-22 season, the 31-year-old veteran defenceman, re-finding his game, was paired with 21-year-old offensive star defenceman-in-the-making Quinn Hughes. Schenn served as the protector, handling all the defensive responsibilities on the pairing and allowing Hughes to flourish offensively. Knowing Schenn had his back defensively, Hughes was able to risk offence for defence, which ultimately played a hand in him becoming one of today’s best blueliners in the National Hockey League.

Fast forward to 2026-27, Schenn was placed in a similar position when new head coach Manny Malhotra paired him with 20-year-old Zeev Buium to begin Canucks training camp.

Now 36, Schenn understands his assignment on this pairing with Buium will resemble his previous one with Hughes. At training camp, Schenn reminisced on other veteran defencemen who helped mentor him when he was entering the league, and feels fortunate to be able to pay it forward yet again:

“I guess when I was a young guy, I had a great mentor and guys who I played with,” Schenn remembered. “Dating myself here, but I played with Tomas Kaberle for a few years, and then Kimmo Timonen in Philly, and I just remember how they treated me, and their wisdom and veteran presence, and how they rubbed off on me. Now it kind of feels like roles reverse, where you get to maybe mentor someone else, and as much as you feel like you’re maybe mentoring someone, I feel like I’m the lucky guy who gets to play with these young guys who are up and coming.

“We all know how good a defenceman Quinn was and has become in this league, and how special he is, and you know, you don’t want to compare anyone, but obviously Zeev has an incredible skill set and toolbox himself too. Watching him from a distance when he first broke into the Wild, and how he kind of stepped in and ran that power play in the playoffs, and then watching him a little bit last year and following the trade a little bit, you can just tell how bright his upside was. I got a couple buddies who were in Minnesota and told me what a great young guy he was, and just how he understands the locker room and gets what it’s like to be a pro, and he puts in the work and has just a ton of confidence. He’s kind of proven at every level, and he’s going to make great strides here in the NHL; we’re relying on him big time.

“I just feel fortunate to get to play with him. And as much as maybe he’s leaning on me, I think it’s a partnership, and I can lean on him.”

While Schenn feels fortunate to be in this position to play with a defenceman like Buium, this opportunity to have a mentor like Schenn is not lost on the young defenceman. And although it may just be the first few days of training camp, the learning has already begun for Buium:

“I mean, a lot,” Buium replied when asked what type of lessons he can learn from the veteran Schenn. “I mean, I think he’s been a guy who’s literally been in every possible situation as a player and been able to learn a lot from him off the ice, and he’s kind of taken me under his wing a little bit. So that’s been pretty awesome. Just to be out there with him, I think it’s just the little things that he notices, you know, especially defensively. Offensively, this is the first time we played together, so obviously didn’t do too much O-zone today, but just trying to grow chemistry together. I think defensively, even out there today, he was a huge help for me, just having that presence, and he kills plays so well and just those veteran things that, you know, I’m trying to get better at every day.”

We’ll see how this pairing plays together in the preseason and if Malhotra and his staff ultimately decide to stick with the duo for opening night. However, the Canucks have made a hefty investment in Buium, signing him to an eight-year, $75.04 million extension. Having an example of how Schenn can work with a young defenceman and help them develop into a superstar not too long ago would put Buium in the best position to succeed and hit his maximum potential.