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NHL.com’s August 29, 2026 prospect ranking puts centre Caleb Malhotra first among the Vancouver Canucks’ prospects, followed by Braeden Cootes, Adam Novotný, Jonathan Lekkerimäki and goaltender Aleksei Medvedev. That is one publication’s dated editorial ranking—not an official Canucks depth chart or a consensus list. Vancouver’s 2026 draft added nine players, and the club’s September showcase roster provides a broader, time-specific look at its younger prospects.
How to read the Canucks’ prospect rankings
A prospect ranking is an evaluator’s view of a player’s potential, not a promise about where he will play or when he will reach the NHL. NHL.com’s August 29, 2026 feature ranks the five players below. Treat its order and projected arrival seasons as that article’s assessment, not the organization’s definitive depth chart. Player roles, eligibility and development timelines can change, and another evaluator may use different criteria.
Production also needs context: a point total in the NHL is not directly comparable with one in the AHL, NCAA, Canadian Hockey League or a European league. Consider a player’s position, current league, role, development route, health and the date of the assessment alongside the numbers.
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NHL.com’s top five Canucks prospects
1. Caleb Malhotra — centre
NHL.com ranks Malhotra first after a productive 2025–26 season with Brantford in the Ontario Hockey League: 84 points, including 29 goals and 55 assists, in 67 regular-season games, plus 26 points in 15 playoff games. The feature highlights his two-way game and developing playmaking and says he is headed to Boston University in 2026–27. That NCAA route means his next step is not necessarily an immediate NHL roster push.
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Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson told NHL.com: “We’ll make decisions with him and his team with the thinking of not the next 12 months, but the next 12 years.” The comment describes a long-term development approach, not a timetable or guarantee.
2. Braeden Cootes — centre
Cootes played three NHL games in 2025–26 before returning to the Western Hockey League. After a trade from Seattle to Prince Albert, he recorded 23 points in 20 WHL playoff games. NHL.com describes him as a defensively responsible, right-shot centre and identifies the AHL as a likely starting point, while noting he will have an opportunity to compete for an NHL role.
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Johnson told NHL.com: “Same thing (as Malhotra), I want to do right by Braeden and what is best for the next 10-12 years, not what is best for the next six months.” It is a development philosophy, not confirmation of Cootes’s roster destination.
3. Adam Novotný — forward
Novotný scored 65 points—34 goals and 31 assists—in 58 Peterborough OHL games in 2025–26. NHL.com points to his shot and skating and estimates an NHL arrival in 2028–29. That arrival season is the publication’s projection, not a club commitment.
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4. Jonathan Lekkerimäki — forward
Lekkerimäki split 2025–26 between Vancouver and Abbotsford, recording three points in 13 Canucks NHL games and 20 points in 21 AHL games. NHL.com says injuries and illness limited his season and reports that he underwent season-ending shoulder surgery on February 26. The feature lists 2026–27 as a possible NHL arrival, which should not be read as confirmation that he will make or remain on the roster.
5. Aleksei Medvedev — goaltender
Medvedev posted a 16-15-3 record, a 3.26 goals-against average and a .891 save percentage in 36 London OHL games in 2025–26. NHL.com describes those results as a decline from his previous season while noting that Vancouver remains impressed by his size and skills. Its projected NHL arrival is 2028–29.
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What Vancouver added in the 2026 draft
The Canucks selected nine players at the June 27, 2026 NHL Entry Draft. The club’s draft announcement identifies Malhotra, a forward, as the third overall pick and Novotný, also a forward, as the 24th overall pick. The full selection list is:
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| 3 | Caleb Malhotra |
| 24 | Adam Novotný |
| 33 | Brooks Rogowski |
| 41 | Niklas Aaram-Olsen |
| 78 | Dmitri Ivchenko |
| 97 | Yaroslav Bryzgalov |
| 129 | Connor Davis |
| 176 | Lucian Bernat |
| 184 | Samuel Eriksson |
The team’s release also reports 42 points in 46 OHL games for Rogowski and 55 points in 64 WHL regular-season games, followed by 14 points in 15 playoff games, for Bryzgalov in 2025–26. These are club-reported season statistics, not forecasts of NHL performance.
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What the September showcase roster tells you
For its September 12–13, 2026 prospects showcase in Abbotsford, Vancouver announced a 24-player roster: 14 forwards, seven defencemen and three goaltenders. The Canucks scheduled games against Seattle’s prospects on both days. The showcase announcement is useful for seeing a wider selection of younger players than a top-five ranking, but it is a dated event roster—not a complete list of organizational prospects or a permanent eligibility list.
What the pipeline outlook does—and does not—show
The available picture is a mix of routes and timelines: Malhotra is headed to the NCAA; Cootes has junior experience and an AHL possibility; Lekkerimäki has already played in the NHL and AHL; and Novotný and Medvedev are associated with later NHL arrival estimates. Those routes make a single comparison based on points or arrival year misleading. NHL.com’s projections are estimates, and the 2025–26 statistics describe past seasons rather than guaranteed future production.
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