Thanks to an incredible individual effort from Daniel Sprong and an overtime winner by Jake DeBrusk, the Vancouver Canucks outlasted an inexperienced Calgary Flames side at the Abbotsford Centre on Wednesday night, winning 4-3 in overtime.
Early on in the preseason, most star-level players are pacing themselves. The point isn’t to dominate, it’s to find your timing, your feet and your hands. The goal is always to win, but not at all costs. What matters is being ready to go when the puck drops and the games count on the other side of Canadian Thanksgiving.
For players competing for roles, minutes and opportunity, however, these games mean a little more. Likewise for those Canucks players pushing to secure a full-time job at the NHL level at the back end of the 23-man roster.
Given the disparate goals of various players and teams, and the focus on systems implementation as opposed to game planning specifically for your opponents, the preseason can be a difficult time to evaluate a hockey club. The Canucks, on Wednesday for example, generated opportunities and executed some of the breakout schemes that so impressed us in the Okanagan last weekend ably against the Flames. However, in turning the dial and loosening the reigns on rush attacking opportunities, the club uncharacteristically surrendered rush chances in bulk.
At this time of year, that’s not a cause for concern. It’s a marker of the progress the Canucks have made in seeking to add a more dynamic attacking element into their team game so far and the work that lies ahead to get to where they want to be — not in late September, and truthfully, not even in mid-October, but in May when the chips really hit the table.
Having watched Vancouver’s first set of back-to-back exhibition games, here are some notes on various Canucks players with something meaningful on the line this season. Which players are trending up, which are holding steady and whose chances are fading in the early preseason?
Trending up
Daniel Sprong
In one game-breaking play, Sprong showed the Canucks why his offensive skill set is too valuable to overlook. With 14 seconds left and the club trailing by a goal against the Flames, Sprong built up speed, singlehandedly deked his way through the Flames defence and tucked in a gorgeous goal past Devin Cooley to tie the game. It was the type of jaw-dropping highlight-reel play you’d expect from a superstar.
Daniel Sprong does it himself to tie up the annual Abbotsford classic 3-3 with under 15 seconds remaining. A genuine “holy eff” highlight. #Canucks pic.twitter.com/1YnVcflwDv
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) September 26, 2024
Sprong’s tying goal will draw all of the buzz but the truth is he was dangerous offensively all game. We planned on having him in this “stock up” tier before he even scored. Sprong was threatening on the power play — he just missed the net on a couple of excellent chances as a shooter but also made some sharp passes to set up his teammates when Calgary’s penalty killers fronted his shot aggressively.
He was dynamic and creative at even strength, especially off the rush. Sprong made nifty plays to help his line create controlled offensive zone entries. He hit the post on a chance in the second period. His playmaking stood out as well — he set up Aatu Räty at the doorstep for a chance in the first period and made a slick, cross-seam pass off the rush to Phillip Di Giuseppe for a good look in the third period. There was even a play where Sprong intercepted a pass in the defensive zone to force the puck out and relieve pressure.
The most impressive part about all of this is that Sprong wasn’t even playing with high-end linemates like Elias Pettersson and DeBrusk against the Flames. He showed he’s capable of driving the bus offensively by himself.
Aatu Räty
Räty has been one of Vancouver’s most obvious standout performers through the first two preseason games.
The wily, skilled centreman has excelled in particular in the faceoff circle, quickly earning Rick Tocchet’s trust to win draws in all three zones. He even does a switchy faceoff move on his weakside draws, taking them as if he were right-handed. You’d have to imagine that caught Tocchet’s attention, given the lack of right-handed centre options the Canucks bench boss has at his disposal in this lineup.
Beyond that, though, Räty has looked quicker, clever and gritty on an every-shift basis. He’s been consistent positionally and creative offensively and even executed some of the key things the Canucks worked on at training camp in-game:
Aatu Räty hits his “landmark” on this breakout, and hits Arshdeep Bains with a pass to send him in all alone.
This is executed exactly how the #Canucks drew it up: pic.twitter.com/j8COoN69A5
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) September 26, 2024
Räty’s path to making the 23-man roster will include a ton of obstacles over the next two weeks, but he’s forced himself squarely onto the radar as a contender to be an NHL-level player at the outset of this season by building on a stellar Young Stars tournament and an excellent training camp with a pair of impressive showings in Vancouver’s first two exhibition contests.
Artūrs Šilovs
Vancouver’s goaltending situation without Thatcher Demko looks a lot more stable now than it did after the first couple of days of training camp. Kevin Lankinen’s acquisition was the most impactful change but seeing Šilovs dominate during Sunday’s scrimmage and follow it up with a sensational performance against the Seattle Kraken should help fans breathe a sigh of relief.
Šilovs’ athleticism and explosive lateral movement were really impressive on Tuesday night. He made a few highlight-reel saves, reacting to broken plays in front and saving Vancouver’s defenders after some brutal defensive zone giveaways.
Arturs Silovs is putting on a show tonight! 👏👏
🎥: Sportsnet | NHL pic.twitter.com/C0qdXbFfS9
— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) September 25, 2024
Šilovs also looked confident tracking pucks through traffic, which was an apparent weakness during his NHL cameo last season. The 23-year-old Latvian deserves to be the opening-night starter ahead of Lankinen if Demko remains on the sidelines.
Holding steady
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Lekkerimäki has had some incredible moments in his first two preseason games. He’s flashed dynamic puck-carrying ability, hasn’t looked out of place defensively — aside from a giveaway on his very first shift on Tuesday night against the Kraken — and has impressed with a wide array of slick passes.
One standout area to isolate in particular is his smooth distribution on the power play. He looks entirely NHL-ready when managing his one-timer side flank with the man advantage.
As well as Lekkerimäki has performed and as unique and exciting as his offensive toolkit is at the age of 20, it’s probably best to place him in the “holding steady” tier after two exhibition games. In part, this is because other players competing for forward spots, Sprong in particular, have been even more impressive.
And in part, it’s because Lekkerimäki was far more effective and noticeable on Tuesday, in the first leg of back-to-back games for the precocious Canucks sniper, than he was in the second leg on Wednesday night. That matters. Learning how to manage the rigours of an 82-game schedule is a key component of the learning experience of playing North American professional hockey full-time. Also, it was in his less impactful outing on Wednesday night that Lekkerimäki had the opportunity to skate with a more realistic NHL-level line.
There’s a lot of road to run here, Tocchet suggested this week that Lekkerimäki will play in as many as five exhibition games this preseason, and it still seems he’s got a real opportunity to crack this Canucks lineup on opening night.
Linus Karlsson
Karlsson was one of the Canucks’ best forwards against Seattle. He leveraged his long wingspan and heaviness along the boards to win battles. His puck protection and power moves toward the net opened up playmaking options. He made a slick one-touch pass on the power play to assist Nils Höglander’s opening goal.
Unfortunately, Karlsson was much quieter playing the second leg of a back-to-back against the Flames. He wasn’t nearly as disruptive on the forecheck or impactful in small-area play around the net. Karlsson took a high-sticking penalty that negated Vancouver’s power play and led to Calgary scoring four-on-four.
The 24-year-old Swedish winger needs to sustain the level he performed at against Seattle to have a credible shot of cracking the 23-man roster.
Sammy Blais
With Vasily Podkolzin gone and Dakota Joshua sidelined, the Canucks could benefit from some extra size on the left wing. Blais could be an attractive option — he’s played over 250 NHL games, offers a gritty, heavy style and was a highly coveted asset until injuries started becoming a problem.
Blais was relatively quiet during the Canucks’ first preseason game. He didn’t play poorly or noticeably struggle, but he also didn’t stack enough productive shifts to capture the market’s attention. Blais was significantly better against Calgary, especially in the first half of the game. He was able to create havoc down low in the offensive zone, including one sequence where he threw three big hits all in the same shift.
Blais still has a path to earning a contract because of his unique profile, and we’ve seen flashes of his energy and physicality, but he needs to show it on a more consistent basis.
Arshdeep Bains
Bains generated chances in bunches attacking off the rush on Wednesday night in Abbotsford. He looks meaningfully quicker this season than he has in past years and that’s surely going to give him an opportunity to play NHL games again this season.
Ultimately, however, even though Bains looks like he’s taken a step, improved and performed well, the competition for roster spots up front on this Canucks roster is wildly fierce. There’s maybe a job or two available for forwards at the back end of the roster, and one of those jobs may be very short-term until Joshua returns.
Generating chances and performing well is important, but it’s probably not sufficient for a waiver-exempt player who really needs to kick the door down to break camp with the NHL team.
Trending down
Elias Pettersson, the defenseman
We’re approaching this from the context of players’ chances to make the opening night NHL roster, something that was always a long shot for 20-year-old defenseman Elias Pettersson.
In Vancouver’s preseason debut, Pettersson’s first taste of NHL exhibition action as a professional, the pace of the game seemed to be an adjustment for him. The play was chaotic and scrambly around him during the first half of Vancouver’s victory over the Kraken at Rogers Arena.
Jumping from the Allsvenskan, where Pettersson spent most of his draft-plus-two campaign, to the level of the NHL preseason is a significant step for a young player. And in that context, there was actually a lot to like about Pettersson’s game.
Physically, Pettersson looks NHL-ready, and his size played on occasion throughout his NHL preseason debut. He also led all Canucks skaters in five-on-five ice time and was a regular penalty killer, which is really the point of the exhibition exercise. Getting that opportunity was massive for a young defender at Pettersson’s developmental stage.
Most importantly, Pettersson improved as the game went on. Where he was a bit scrambly early, he was composed and decisive late. He found the usual authority in his two-way game, with a couple of impressive sequences — a well-timed pinch in the third period to maintain possession, a nice bit of stickhandling down low to earn a clear on the penalty kill — late in the contest.
It’s apparent that his ultimate date of arrival at the NHL level lies somewhat further in the future than mid-October, but Pettersson acquitted himself very well throughout the Young Stars tournament, training camp and his preseason debut.
Nils Åman
Åman made an excellent impression at last year’s training camp. He was noticeably faster and stronger and was one of the club’s best players during last fall’s scrimmage.
This time, Åman has failed to make a meaningful impression. The lanky 24-year-old centre needs to provide more value, whether it’s breaking up plays defensively with his wingspan or anticipation, driving play or causing headaches for opponents on the forecheck. He didn’t provide any of these ingredients consistently during the game against Seattle. The only positive is he won more draws than he lost on Tuesday night. That’s a good sign given his faceoff struggles last season but that alone isn’t going to move the needle.
Räty’s impressive start should further increase the pressure on Åman to step up.
(Photo of Aatu Räty handling the puck in front of Vilmer Alriksson: Bob Frid / Imagn Images)
