The 2023-24 season is well underway now and the Vancouver Canucks Prospects Report is bursting at the seams with updates across every league in the hockey world. The Canucks are off to an okay start sporting a 3-2 record, but a lot of their prospects have hit the ground running with many of them on a point-per-game or better pace to start the new campaign.
With that said, let’s start our trip around the world right here in Canada with the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) and the red-hot Hunter Brzustewicz.
Hunter Brzustewicz Off To A Scorching Start in the OHL
To say Brzustewicz is on a heater to start the season would be a massive understatement. As a defenceman, he has 20 points in his first 10 games and currently leads all defenders in the OHL in points. In fact, he leads the entire league in that category along with the most assists (15). Talk about a hot start. While it’s probably not sustainable considering he’s on pace for a gaudy 136 points, he is showing no signs of slowing down as he just posted his fourth-straight three-point night and only has four games in his last nine where he has failed to record multiple points. And while that amazing streak was broken in the Rangers’ 4-1 loss to the Mississauga Steelheads, he still had an assist to bring his point streak up to nine games. Only one team, the Saginaw Spirit, has been able to keep him off the board to this point.
Brzustewicz was a surprising pick for the Canucks in the third round as he was projected to go way earlier in the second. Obviously gifted offensively, the right-hand shot who hails from Washington, MI, has arguably entered the conversation as the Canucks’ second-best defensive prospect next to another 2023 draft pick, Tom Willander. He is seemingly an assist machine in the OHL and excels in transition, which is something the Canucks need way more of on their blue line as they continue to rebuild it around the professor that is Quinn Hughes.
Vilmer Alriksson Continues To Shine For the Storm
While it’s early in their tenure as Canucks prospects, it’s looking like the 2023 Draft class might be the best Canucks Nation has seen in years. In addition to Brzustewicz, Vilmer Alriksson has also gotten off to a quick start in the OHL this season – no not as insane as two points a game – but he does have a solid four goals and six points. All four tallies have come on the power play, and his third was what I thought would be a calling card of his – a deflection posting his 6-foot-6 frame in front of the opposing net. His first two were shots from the right faceoff dot and his latest was a tap-in from the side of the net.
Related: Canucks’ Prospect Hunter Brzustewicz Off to Hot Start in OHL
His Storm just had their three-game winning streak snapped by the Oshawa Generals, and he had points (two goals and an assist) in all three wins, including a nice backhand saucer pass against the Flint Firebirds on Oct. 14. He and his teammates were unfortunately shut out on Sunday by a score of 2-0.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki Making Waves in the SHL
I think it’s pretty safe to say that Jonathan Lekkerimaki is back. Since our last prospect report a couple of weeks ago, he has three goals and six points and is now tied for the league lead in goals with seven. Overall, he has 10 points in 12 games and is projected to hit 30 goals, which would be far and away a career-high as the most he’s ever scored in a season is 20 back in 2021-22 in the J20 Nationell. Clearly, he’s fit in on his new team, Orebro HK, and might have re-taken the mantle as the Canucks’ top prospect over Willander. Just watch this snipe on Oct. 19 against HV71 and tell me his shot isn’t NHL caliber. He threads the needle and accurately whips a shot past the goaltender for his sixth.
Lekkerimaki’s seventh was also a show of accuracy and puck handling as he smoothly skated into the middle of the ice and ripped home his seventh and third in the last four games. If he can translate that wicked wrist shot to the NHL, the Canucks might have a 40-goal scorer on their hands.
Willander & Celebrini Start Strong at Boston University
Willander and Aiden Celebrini not only made their NCAA debuts in the past two weeks but also posted their first points (and goals) of the campaign. Willander had to wait until the second game of the season to suit up for Boston University, but had a memorable start with his first goal and assist in college hockey. He also looked right at home on the North American ice, using his edges and mobility to create chances.
As for Celebrini, who was Willander’s defence partner, he got two assists in that same game against the University of New Hampshire and appeared to be the perfect complement to Willander’s skill set. He also potted his first NCAA goal on Saturday in an 8-2 rout against the University of Notre Dame and now has four points in his first four games. Willander got a point as well and is up to three points in three games.
Canucks Prospects Quick Hitters
- Speaking of strong seasons so far, Matthew Perkins, another 2023 draft pick of the Canucks, recorded his first three-point game on Friday (Oct. 20) against Bemidji State University. One of the points was his first power play goal and first goal in the NCAA. He has four points in four games to start his freshman year after spending 2022-23 in the United States Hockey League (USHL) with the Youngstown Phantoms where he posted 44 points in 60 games.
- Kirill Kudryavstev continues to be an assist machine in the OHL with the Soo Greyhounds as he now has eight and is well on his way to shattering the 42 he got last season. He continues to shine for the Greyhounds and has only been shut out four times on the scoresheet so far in 11 games.
- Moving overseas, Elias Pettersson continues his strong campaign in the HockeyAllsvenskan where he now has six assists in six games. He is currently on a four-game point streak after picking up two assists on Friday (Oct. 20) against Tingryds AIF. He is seeing a lot of ice time as well and might earn a call-up to the SHL to rejoin Lekkerimaki in Orebro.
- Finally, Hugo Gabrielsson notched his first goal in the HockeyAllsvenskan on Friday in a 3-2 win over Sodertalje SK. He is also seeing a ton of ice time so far this season; averaging nearly 20 minutes a game. The goal was his first in 85 games in the league.
That does it for this week’s prospect report. It’s definitely an exciting time to follow Canucks prospects as almost all of them are making headlines in their various leagues. Let’s hope it stays that way all season long!
