Canucks bolster roster with nine selections
The Vancouver Canucks selected a total of nine players at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft held at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York. Among the draftees were Caleb Malhotra, chosen third overall in the first round, and Adam Novotný, selected 24th overall, also in the first round.
The team continued its selections in the subsequent rounds, picking Brooks Rogowski 33rd overall in the second round, followed by Niklas Aaram-Olsen at 41st overall, also in the second round. Other notable picks included Dmitri Ivchenko 78th overall in the third round, and Yaroslav Bryzgalov 97th overall in the fourth round.
The Canucks further added to their prospect pool with Connor Davis 129th overall in the fifth round, Lucian Bernat 176th overall in the sixth round, and Samuel Eriksson 184th overall, also in the sixth round. This comprehensive draft class aims to strengthen the organization’s future depth.
Second-round picks bring diverse experience
Brooks Rogowski, an 18-year-old centre, was the Canucks’ first pick in the second round. Rogowski spent the 2025-26 season with the Oshawa Generals in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), where he recorded 42 points, including 15 goals, in 46 games. His selection marks a significant step in his hockey career, having previously considered baseball.
Rogowski, who stands at 6-foot-7 and weighs 235 pounds, has played 112 career games for Oshawa, accumulating 65 points. He also contributed six points in 19 postseason contests. He represented the United States at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he won gold, and participated in the U18 World Championships. Rogowski has committed to play at Michigan State in two years, indicating his focus on further development.
Niklas Aaram-Olsen, also 18, was selected 41st overall. The 6-foot-1, 187-pound forward from Oslo, Norway, split his season between Orebro HK Jr., where he posted 40 points in 29 games, and Orebro HK, where he appeared in 16 contests. Aaram-Olsen has represented Norway internationally at multiple events, including the U18 World Championships in 2024, 2025, and 2026, and the Division 1A Under-20 World Championships in 2025 and 2026. He is the second Norwegian player to be drafted by the Canucks.
Additional prospects join the Canucks organization
Goaltender Dmitri Ivchenko, 17, played 19 games for Omskie Yastreby in the MHL, achieving a record of 11-5-1 with a .922 save percentage and a 1.91 goals against average, along with four shutouts. He also made eight appearances for the Omskie Yastreby U18 team.
Yaroslav Bryzgalov, a 19-year-old Belarusian forward, spent the 2025-26 season with the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League (WHL), where he recorded 55 points in 64 games. He also added 14 points in 15 playoff games. Prior to that, he played for the Des Moines Buccaneers of the USHL in the 2024-25 season.
Connor Davis, 19, registered 55 points in 59 games for the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the USHL during the 2025-26 season. The forward previously played for Salisbury School in Salisbury, CT, scoring 44 points in 31 games in the 2024-25 season.
Lucian Bernat, 18, from Bratislava, Slovakia, skated for the Tappara U20 team of the U20 SM-sarja in the 2025-26 season, where he tallied 31 points in 37 games. Bernat represented his country at the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the 2026 U18 World Championships, earning a silver medal.
Swedish defenceman Samuel Eriksson, 18, appeared in 32 games for Färjestad BK U20 of the U20 Nationell in 2025-26, recording six points. He also represented Sweden at the 2025 World Junior A Challenge, winning bronze, and the 2026 U18 World Championships, where he won gold.
During the sixth round of the draft, Vancouver acquired a fifth-round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for a sixth-round pick (161st overall) in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
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Source: nhl.com
