The Vancouver Canucks will play hockey in the next few weeks, kind of. The Canucks prospects will play in the annual Young Stars tournament in Penticton, BC this weekend. The team will have their training camp beginning on September 19, which is coming up very fast. It will also be held in Penticton and run until September 22. Then, preseason starts on September 24 against the Seattle Kraken. The Young Stars tournament and training camp mark the beginning of the hockey season and a chance to start fresh. But as always, there are storylines. Here are three storylines heading into the 2024 Canucks training camp.
Three Canucks Storylines Heading into Training Camp
#1: The Goaltender Situation Heading into the 2024 Canucks Training Camp.
This is the biggest storyline heading into the 2024 Canucks training camp.
Thatcher Demko was a finalist for the Vezina trophy last season. However, he suffered a knee injury in a March game against the Winnipeg Jets. He missed the rest of the regular season and Casey DeSmith and Arturs Silovs took over the crease. Demko did return for game one of the Canucks first-round series against the Nashville Predators.
But then Demko seemed to reinjure his knee in game one and missed the rest of the Canucks playoff run which saw Silovs steal the show in the crease. At the year-end press conference, Demko revealed that he would have been ready if the Canucks made it to the Conference Final.
In August, things got weirder. Rick Dhaliwal of CHEK TV and Thomas Drance of The Athletic reported that Demko may not be ready for training camp and was still rehabbing from the knee injury.
Over the past week, Dhaliwal reported that Demko’s progress was: “slow and steady.” Sportsnet insider Elliotte Friedman stated that he believes that the Canucks are not panicking and that their star goaltender would not miss significant time.
Things are Strange
But things got even weirder. In late August, it was revealed that Silovs had a “knee ligament inflammation” and missed Latvia’s Olympic qualifying tournament. (Latvia still qualified) It turns out Latvia’s management decided it wasn’t worth the risk to play him despite his knee problem not being serious. That was a bit of a scare, but Silovs was seen back skating with his teammates last week. So that’s a good sign that he’ll be ready for training camp. (Hopefully)
That begs the question, will the Canucks bring in another goaltender? Demko does not seem to be ready and there is a chance Silovs may not be as well. Demko’s health is going to be a storyline all season. The Canucks will have to manage that carefully.
The Canucks have also signed Jiri Patera in the offseason. However, they have been linked to veteran goaltenders Kevin Lankinen and Antti Raanta.
Training camp is always a time for PTOs to be signed and it is still possible a goaltender is signed. The Canucks season will rely on the goaltending and the health of Demko as well as Silovs. If things go wrong, even early, it will be problematic.
#2: Will a Prospect Impress?
The Young Stars tournament is a chance for Canucks prospects to impress. Their big auditions are at training camp and during preseason.
At the 2024 Canucks training camp, there are a bunch of intriguing names.
New to North America
The biggest is Jonathan Lekkerimäki. Vancouver drafted him 15th overall in 2022. After a tough draft plus one year which included him having mono, the Swedish winger blossomed in 2023-24. He scored 19 goals and 12 assists for 31 points in 46 SHL games. Lekkerimäki was also the MVP of last year’s World Juniors due to having seven points in seven games. Lekkerimäki and Sweden won silver on home soil as they lost to the United States in the gold medal game.
The 20-year-old has a deadly shot and it was one of the best of the 2022 draft class. Now it is a big test for Lekkerimäki to put his shot, vision and IQ on display. Can he adapt to the North American ice surface? It seems likely he will start the season in Abbotsford but a strong camp and preseason could make Rick Tocchet and his staff think differently.
Besides Lekkerimäki, there are a few other prospects to keep an eye on. There is Elias Pettersson, the defenceman. He was taken in the third round in 2024 and has been known for being solid defensively and using his body. Like Lekkerimäki, he is expected to play the season with the Abbotsford Canucks. (He has played eight games with them last season.)
From the AHL
Some prospects from Abbotsford will try to make the most of the next few weeks to earn spots with the big club. That includes Aatu Räty and Arshdeep Bains. Both have had some experience in the NHL but needed some experience and seasoning in the AHL.
Bains played eight games with Vancouver last season but it was clear he wasn’t ready for the NHL but there was promise. Bains had 55 points in 59 games in Abbotsford last season. As for Räty, he arrived as part of the package that sent Bo Horvat to the New York Islanders. Like Bains, it was clear he wasn’t quite ready for the NHL. In Abbotsford, Räty has worked on his two-way game. Both Bains and Räty could be decent bottom-six NHL players one day but training camp could be the start of making “one day” happen sooner.
#3: Elias Pettersson‘s Wingers
Elias Pettersson has a ton of pressure on his shoulders this season. After a disappointing playoff (which can be explained by a lingering knee injury) and the first year of an eight year contract worth 11.6 million dollars per season, all eyes will be on him.
One of the reasons why Pettersson can not produce the numbers is that is his wingers haven’t been helping him out. For this upcoming season, he has plenty of good options.
Jake DeBrusk is very likely to start training camp and the season on his wing. He is the Canucks biggest free agent signing of the summer. While he has dry spells, he is great around the net, and defensively and can score goals.
But what about Pettersson’s other wing? Another newcomer, Daniel Sprong, could be an option as he is known for scoring goals. He scored 18 last season and 21 the year before. There is also Danton Heinen. He brings versatility and his ability to win puck battles. Both Heinen and Sprong are good options.
Then there is Nils Höglander and Brock Boeser. Both of them have had plenty of experience playing with Pettersson. Höglander put up career-high numbers last season while playing with Pettersson and other parts of the lineup. His offensive and defensive play improved greatly and playing with Pettersson is an opportunity to have another career year. As for Boeser, he had a lot of chemistry with J.T. Miller but his finishing could benefit Pettersson.
Main Photo Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn Images
