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Has Victor Mancini separated himself from the Canucks’ other young defencemen?: Canucks Conversation
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Photo credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
Clarke Corsan
Sep 26, 2025, 09:00 EDTUpdated: Sep 25, 2025, 19:32 EDT
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On Thursday’s episode of Canucks Conversation, David Quadrelli and Harman Dayal were joined by Jeff Paterson to break down Victor Mancini’s strong preseason and what it might mean for the Canucks’ blue line competition.
Harm pointed out that Mancini has been one of the most noticeable players on the back end so far.
“He scored for the second consecutive preseason game, did a lot of flashy, dynamic things with the puck that frankly, nobody else on that blueline was able to do,” Harm said. “We’ve seen the coaching staff pump the brakes a little bit and talk about wanting to rein him in, and it’s fascinating because he’s playing this rover-style. When you look at the Canucks’ blueline, you already have some of those styles in Hughes and Hronek, and he’s competing for a third-pair role. As much as we get excited seeing the flashy things, what the coaching staff is looking for in a third-pair defenceman is a low-event, reliable, doesn’t make mistakes style. How do you contrast all the flashy dynamic things Mancini has done with where you actually think the coaching staff might be at in assessing the NHL readiness of his game?”
JPat agreed that Mancini has been a standout. “He looked very different in the AHL vs the NHL last season, but he’s got a lot of tools you can’t teach,” JPat said. “If I’m the Canucks, I don’t want to reign that in too much, but in the role that he’s battling for right now it’s not about flash and dash. In both games though he’s been assertive and physical, has scored in both games so the raw tools are undeniable. He’s a big man, and is a guy who checks a lot of boxes for the Vancouver Canucks, so it’s going to be fascinating to see where this thing goes. If people had this notion coming in that D-Petey has arrived, Willander as a first rounder should be on the team; Mancini was somewhere in the middle and I think he’s taken that to heart, and put his best foot forward. You bring up a good point though in the evaluation; the goals are great, but they’re gravy. That’s not really what they’re looking for from Victor Mancini, so it’s some of those smaller areas like defensive reads, etc. Overall, he’s had a really good showing in this first week and he’s going to make it very difficult for this coaching staff to tell him he hasn’t done enough to make this hockey club.”
Harm added that Mancini is starting to look like he belongs. “He’s impressed so far, I’m very pleased with how Mancini has looked,” Harm said. “If he continues to perform like this, especially as the competition ramps up and teams are icing actual NHL lineups, he’ll likely have done enough to make the NHL team and deserve that opportunity. If Adam Foote wants the defence to be more active and joining the rush, so from that perspective how can you not like what Mancini has shown? With that said, for him to truly separate from D-Petey and Willander, it’s going to be about making sure he continues limiting his mistakes.”
JPat pointed out that discipline will be key as Mancini adjusts to the NHL game. “We saw in the AHL he can get going a million miles as his feet are moving that fast, but there were plays that bordered on reckless in the neutral zone that he’s able to get away with and keep control in the AHL,” JPat said. “At the NHL a guy is going to pick your pocket and go the other way if you start to scramble in the neutral zone and try to stick handle through your opponents. So yeah, at some point, less will be more, he’ll have to dial it back a little bit, but I love the way he thinks the game and is confident enough to try some of these things in the preseason.”
With two goals in two games and a noticeable impact on both sides of the puck, Mancini has forced his way into the conversation. Whether or not that ends with him winning a roster spot out of camp, he’s clearly made the Canucks’ blue line competition far more interesting.
You can watch the full replay of the show below!

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