Now that the dust has settled on the Vancouver Canucks’ development camp and the NHL Draft, we have a new perspective on the prospect rankings.
Several players impressed in camp and will move up the rankings, but we’re also basing our top 10 on what these prospects did last season and how we rate their potential to make an impact at the NHL level.
We’ll keep Jack Rathbone in the rankings as he’s 23 years old and still eligible to be recognized as a rookie when he makes his NHL jump this season. As for Will Lockwood, even though he still qualifies as a rookie, we’ll leave him off the prospect list. Lockwood is now 24 years old, and it’s time to start looking at him more as a professional hockey player than a prospect. We’re giving Rathbone another shot at the rankings, but hopefully he’ll be off this list soon.
With all that said, let’s move on to my top 10 rankings and find out what makes these players the best prospects in the Canucks system.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
#10: Arturs Silovs, G, 21 years old, 6’2″, 200 lbs
At number 10 on our list is Latvian goalkeeper Artur Silovs. He spent last season with the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL while also being loaned to the ECHL for 10 starts with the Trois-Rivières Lions.
Silovs impressed us from the first camp we saw him at – which happened to be a training camp in Victoria just months after being selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Silovs has length in the crease and is extremely athletic. We saw him perform well as a 20-year-old rookie in the AHL last season, but due to the emergence of Spencer Martin, Siloves was the odd man out in the trio and had to be sent down to the ECHL for games due to Mikey DiPietro being ahead of him on the depth chart.
There is uncertainty surrounding DiPietro’s future as we saw Rick Dhaliwal report that his agent Darren Ferris has permission from the Canucks to talk to teams and help with a trade. The writing is on the wall that Silov will move into a battle for the starting role in Abbotsford with newly signed NHL-AHL tweener Collin Delia.
Arthur Siloves robs Jared McCann on the doorstep. Silovs outstanding so far pic.twitter.com/EDpp6PZX88
— Harman Dayal (@harmandayal2) September 27, 2021
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
We know Silov and goalkeeping coach Ian Clarke are on great terms. You can see it on display in development camp, and from a raw skill standpoint, Siloves looks like the type of goalie Clarke wants to work with. Silovs managed to steal the show for Latvia at the World Cup last summer when he recorded a 0.952% save percentage over four games. He came up big for Latvia after Elvis Merzlikins let them down.
#Canucks prospect Artur Silovs gets W for Latvia at #IIHFWorlds ! 🇱🇻 pic.twitter.com/cxCR3ouUDA
— Rink Wide (@rinkwidepodcast) May 20, 2022
The upcoming season could prove to be another challenge for Siloves, but it looks like he’s over the steep part of his early career. Two seasons ago, Silovs played one AHL game during the COVID year, and then he only got into 10 AHL games this past season.
With Collin Delia in the mix, Silovs will have to earn his starts this season, but his strong performance at the World Cup and continued improvement under the guidance of Ian Clark gives us a really positive outlook for Silovs’ future. If he can make 25-35 starts this season, it would be a huge win for the 21-year-old and would set him up as an AHL starter for the 2023-24 season.
DiPietro is still in the mix with Abbotsford, but we expect to see him traded before training camp. If he isn’t dealt, it could put a wrench in Silovs’ AHL usage. We’ll see how the AHL goaltending situation plays out, but we believe Silov has the potential to rise to the top by the end of this season if he plays the way we believe he can.
#9: Linus Carlson, RW, 22 years old, 6’1″, 194 lbs
After scoring 26 goals in the SHL and being ninth in goals among all players in the Swedish top league, Linus Karlsson is coming to North America and we expect him to play a big role in Abbotsford this fall.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
There was a lot to like about Karlsson in our first in-person looks at him at Canucks development camp. He clearly has good hands and possesses a shot that was elite in the SHL and will likely shine in the AHL this fall. We have no doubt that he will have offensive success with Abbotsford this season.
I did some digging to find 17 of Linus Karlsson’s 19 NHL goals this season.
Enjoy the feeling of what a scorer he is! pic.twitter.com/YS3hZ5j66A
— Chris Faber 🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) February 25, 2022
We liked the hands, we liked the shot, but we have some concerns about his foot speed. His agility shouldn’t cost him at the AHL level, but he will need to improve before we can see him succeed at the NHL level. Fortunately for him, Abbotsford skating coach Mackenzie Braid has done an excellent job improving the skating skills of many current Canucks, and Karlsson should get plenty of time to work with Braid this fall.
Our expectation for Karlsson is to be a top six winger in Abbotsford who will definitely get power play time but should also get some opportunities on the penalty kill. Getting a chance to help out the shorthanded team in the SHL was rewarding for Karlsson last season, as he told us he was proud to earn the coach’s trust and be used in those defensive situations.
From what we’ve seen at the SHL level as well as in development camp, Karlsson will play hard in the corners and may surprise some people with how physical he can be. It’s not like he throws huge shots in the open, but he’s good at being the undersized guy when heading into a board battle and using a quick stick with good body leverage to push players off the puck and win possession in 50-50 battles.
Linus Carlsson has some tricks up his sleeve. 👀 pic.twitter.com/H65zfH2Pae
— Chris Faber 🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) July 14, 2022
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
If he can add some quickness to his legs, we could see Karlsson in the NHL as early as this season. He has some very interesting skills and is a good development story to follow at Abbotsford with Jeremy Colliton and his team.
#8: Lucas Forsell, RW, 18 years old, 6’0″, 165 lbs
There are plenty of reasons to be excited about Lucas Forcell, who is coming off a year in which he started the season as a 17-year-old and finished as a professional hockey player with 30 games in the NHL. He’s one of the cleanest players you’ll see as he didn’t take a penalty in those 30 professional games, while also being impressive on the forecheck and showing a willingness to impose his light body in the corners of much bigger defenders.
Forsel has scored four goals in 30 SHL games and hopes to be a top nine striker in the SHL as early as this autumn after signing a two-year contract extension with Ferjestad. The best traits of his game are the way he sees the ice and his ability to skate around defenders. Forsell also isn’t afraid to go to the dirty areas and often pays the price for his lack of size and strength. It will be a long way before we talk about Forsell coming to North America, but it will give him a few years to really work on preparing his body for the day-to-day life of AHL or NHL hockey.
Good shift from Lucas Forsell who finds Marc Gatcomb in the slot and he makes no mistake. pic.twitter.com/JoyRRDdZNS
— Chris Faber 🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) July 14, 2022
We’re looking forward to a big year for Forsel, who really earned the trust of his coach after Ferjestad changed coaches midway through the season. The new coach used Forsell in top-six situations, gave him power-play time and really allowed the teenager to flourish in a new role. There was a three-game stretch where Forsell scored in each of those games recently after the coaching change.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Another goal for #Canucks 18 year old prospect Lucas Forsell.
He has a three-goal streak in the SHL. 👀
Stocks going 🆙 pic.twitter.com/DRbaOqnrvz
— Chris Faber 🔥🎙 (@ChrisFaber39) February 22, 2022
There are a lot of good offensive instincts in Forsell’s game, but the reason we really liked his game was just how hard he skated and worked. Even though he’s small, he doesn’t play like it. Forsell will get into the corners, go hard to the net and isn’t afraid to take physical punishment if the reward is a goal chance.
In the coming years, he should be able to add weight to his current 6’0″, 165lbs frame. Once he adds some size, he will be a force on the forecheck and should be very strong on the boards as he already looks like he can fit in at the SHL level.
Forsell is still so young and there is already a lot to like about his skills and the way he plays the game. We’ll definitely be keeping an eye on him as his season continues.
7: Aku Koskenwuo, G, 19 years old, 6’5″, 181 lbs
I can’t say this enough, we were blown away by Aku Koskenvuo at Canucks development camp. He is a physical specimen whose legs are as long as the waiting list for Joey in Edmonton. Koskenvuo impressed us in his pre- and post-workout sessions with Ian Clarke, and as he heads to Harvard next season, there’s a lot to like about the big Finnish goalkeeper.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Koskenvuo had a sub-.900% save percentage in the Finnish J20 league last season, but it’s a league bombarded with goals. He did not concede a goal in his two international matches with the Finland U20 team. This is hope…
Add Comment