Vancouver Canucks hockey is getting closer. With the weather (slowly) cooling, the leaves changing, and September rolling along, Canucks games are approaching.
Well, technically, the Canucks did play hockey over the last weekend with the prospect showcase games against the Seattle Kraken. But Vancouver’s staff, players, and prospects will head to Penticton for training camp from September 18 to 21.
Training camp marks the unofficial beginning of the hockey season. No, the Canucks won’t be sitting around a campfire, eating s’mores and singing the Campfire Song. They’ll be busy preparing for the upcoming season.
Training camp and preseason games give Canucks fans plenty to analyze heading into a new season.
There are plenty of storylines heading into training camp in Penticton. Let’s take a look at four of them.
#1: Bottom six spots up for grabs
There are several players vying for a spot in the bottom six. We’ll keep it brief here as we covered the bottom six in depth last month.
That includes Vitali Kravtsov, who was signed in the offseason. He had a brief stint with the Canucks in 2022-23 and spent the last couple of years with the KHL’s Chelyabinsk Traktor. Last season, Kravtsov was sixth in KHL scoring with 58 points in 66 games. He was signed for some additional depth.
Kravtsov will be competing with the likes of Linus Karlsson, Arshdeep Bains, and Max Sasson for spots in the bottom six. Karlsson led the Abbotsford Canucks in points in the playoffs with 39 in 32 games, leading them to the Calder Cup. Sasson looks to bring his size and strength, while Bains looks to bring his grit, tenacity, and goal-scoring ability.
Of course, there is 2022 first-rounder Jonathan Lekkerimäki. It seems likely he will start the year in the AHL, but he has a chance to prove at camp and in the preseason that he is more NHL-ready than people realize.
#2: Will Tom Willander make the Canucks?
2023 first-round pick Tom Willander is also one to watch.
He scored two goals and tallied 22 assists for 24 points in 39 games with Boston University. Those aren’t bad numbers at all. At the World Juniors, Willander scored two goals and managed three assists in seven games. Sweden finished fourth.
Willander is going to try to compete for a spot on a Canucks defence that is much improved compared to this time last year. He will be competing for that third pairing spot with Elias Pettersson, the defenceman.
There is a lot to like about Willander as he is a mobile defenceman and is good at both ends of the ice. However, he is still a work in progress, and it would take a very strong camp and preseason for him to make the team on opening night.
#3:How healthy will Thatcher Demko and Filip Chytil look?
Injuries have decimated the Canucks over the years.
Goaltender Thatcher Demko has been a victim of the injury bug multiple times. Last season, he wasn’t 100% heading into training camp due to a popliteus injury he suffered in 2023-24. As a result, he missed a large chunk of the season.
The Canucks need Demko to be healthy and back to his best this season. On paper, he and Kevin Lankinen are one of the best tandems in the league. It will be interesting to see how he moves and stops pucks at camp.
Vancouver needed a second-line centre this offseason, and they still do. It is easier said than done to acquire one. But the Canucks may or may not have one already in Filip Chytil.
But again, that is a tough ask. Chytil, acquired in the January trade that sent JT Miller to the New York Rangers, has shown flashes of being a second-line centre throughout his career. However, he has been inconsistent and has had a history with concussions, including one that he suffered in a game against the Chicago Blackhawks on March 15 after being hit by Jason Dickinson. That caused him to miss the rest of the season.
In an interview with Pavel Mandat of Czech outlet Hokej Cz, Chytil stated he is 100% and ready to go since May. Training camp and preseason are good opportunities to show the organization and fans his reliability. If he does well, it could boost his confidence for the regular season.
#4: Third line centre
Speaking of centres, the Canucks have questions about the third-line centre role with Pius Suter leaving to sign with the St. Louis Blues.
Teddy Blueger can play that role, but he is more suited for the fourth line role. Ideally, the Canucks could use a third-line centre who can also put up some offence. Suter was just that.
But there is another candidate who could start the season as the team’s third-line centre. That is Aatu Raty. The 22-year-old has had some stints in the NHL since being acquired in the Bo Horvat trade in January of 2023. He has impressed in the AHL with 52 points in 72 games in 2023-24 and 40 points in 43 games in 2024-25.
Now could be the time for him to make the jump to the NHL. Raty has always had the potential to be a solid middle-six centre due to his strong two-way play and ability to win faceoffs. Now he needs to prove his AHL seasoning was worth it. Raty really needs to impress at camp and preseason.
