Defenceman Victor Mancini is set to make his Vancouver Canucks debut tonight against the Utah Hockey Club, while Carson Soucy is a healthy scratch. Hours ago, it was confirmed the 22-year-old was called up from the Abbotsford Canucks, but it was unclear at the time if he would be suiting up.
Arturs Silovs is the #Canucks’ confirmed starter Sunday @ Utah HC, per Rich Tocchet.
Quinn Hughes will not play. Victor Mancini and Arshdeep Bains draw in for Carson Soucy, Nils Åman.
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) February 23, 2025
Mancini was dealt to Vancouver earlier this month from the New York Rangers as part of the huge trade that saw JT Miller shipped off to The Big Apple. He has since registered one assist in five games played with the Canucks’ AHL affiliate, adding to his 10 points in 23 games played in the minors this season with the Hartford Wolf Pack.
Hailing from Hancock, Michigan, the right-shot defenceman was drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NHL draft by the Rangers while playing at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. He joined the Wolf Pack at the end of last season, including playing in all ten of their playoff matches. Mancini then made his NHL debut this year, starting the season with five points in a 15-game stint with the Rangers before being sent down to the minors.
Earlier this week, he came in at number six on CanucksArmy’s mid-season prospect rankings. citing his potential as a solid depth piece due to his physicality, big 6-foot-3, 229-pound frame, and ability to start plays with incredible speed.
VANCOUVER DEBUT ‼️🚨 #Canucks pic.twitter.com/kygeisVTQy
— daily victor mancini (@dailymoosepics) February 23, 2025
Mancini comes into the roster in place of Carson Soucy, who continues to be at the centre of trade rumours ahead of the March deadline. Soucy played last night, registering a secondary assist on Jake DeBrusk’s game-opening goal against the Vegas Golden Knights in their ultimate 3-1 loss.
Soucy has struggled with the Canucks this season, registering only nine points in 55 games played, and currently sitting at -15. With one year remaining on a $3 million AAV contract, he has become a question mark for the team with the trade deadline looming. On Friday’s edition of DailyFaceoff’s trade targets list, he landed tenth. Insider Frank Seravalli notes that despite his full no-trade clause, he may be open to a move if he continues to be a healthy scratch, as he will be tonight.
The Canucks take on Utah HC at 5pm PST from Salt Lake City.
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