LATEST | Recent ranking reveals the true problem in the Canucks system

The Vancouver Canucks' prospect pool took a pretty big hit a couple of weeks ago when the team shipped the OHL's leader in points among defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz to the Calgary Flames as part of the package for Elias Lindholm.

With Brzustewicz now gone, which is unfortunate, but that's the price you have to pay to get top talent, the Canucks have several other prospects that fans should be excited about, including Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Tom Willander.

On Tuesday, The Athletic shared their prospect pool rankings, and the Vancouver Canucks sit roughly in the middle of the pack among teams around the National Hockey League, coming in at 18th. The year-over-year rankings by The Athletic saw the Canucks rise ten spots from 2023, where they were 28th.

Here are the 14 prospects highlighted by The Athletic in their article:


1) Jonathan Lekkerimaki - Orebro HK (SHL).
2) Tom Willander - Boston University (NCAA).
3) Vasili Podkolzin - Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).
4) Aatu Raty - Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).
5) Elias Pettersson - Orebro HK (SHL).
6) Arturs Silovs - Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).
7) Jacob Truscott - University of Michigan (NCAA).
8) Arshdeep Bains - Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).
9) Danila Klimovich - Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).
10) Sawyer Mynio - Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL).
11) Cole McWard - Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).
12) Kirill Kudryavtsev - Soo Greyhounds (OHL).
13) Ty Mueller - University of Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA).
14) Nikita Tolopilo - Abbotsford Canucks (AHL).

There are some intriguing prospects in the Canucks' system that tend to get overlooked, and there are certainly a few players that could become top-end talent. While the Canucks are focused on going all-in this season, it's an exciting time for the franchise, and they're heading in the right direction for the present and the future.

While there has been improvement in the Canucks' prospect pool, if they intend on building for the future, they should consider keeping their best prospects and top picks.

What are your thoughts on the Canucks' prospect pool being ranked 18th by Athletic? Too low? Too high? Just right? Let us know your opinion in the poll below!

Source: The Athletic