NHL Insider Reveals Vancouver Goalie Prospect Aleksei Medvedev Will Not Play Next Season for the Canucks

Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin and the team's scouting staff had a pretty solid NHL Draft last weekend and among the players they picked among the players they picked on Day 2 was goaltender Aleksei Medvedev of the Ontario Hockey League's London Knights.

Medvedev split the starts during the regular season and while he didn't play at all in the postseason, was apart of the Knights roster that won both the OHL championship as well as the Memorial Cup.

The Russian netminder had plenty of options on where he could play during the upcoming season and according to one insider, the prospect's agent has revealed where he'll suiting up in two months.

During a recent interview with NHL insider Rick Dhaliwal, Aleksei Medvedev's agent John Walters revealed that his client will be returning to the OHL and the London Knights for the 2025-26 season.

According to Walters, Medvedev had interest from NCAA schools, but he's decided to remain in the Ontario Hockey League where he'll undoubtedly become the starting netminder on strong London Knights squad.

The St. Petersburg, Russia native appeared in 34 games last season for the London Knights where he had a record of 22-8-2 along with a 2.79 goals against average, a .912 save percentage and three shutouts.

Medvedev isn't the only player from the Vancouver Canucks' 2025 draft class to turn down an opportunity to play in the NCAA next season, as first round pick Braeden Cootes has decided that he'll be returning to the Western Hockey League's Seattle Thunderbirds to serve as their captain for a second consecutive year.