The Vancouver Canucks held an off-day skate on Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s matinée against the Winnipeg Jets. The (roughly) 45-minute practice focused heavily on the power play, offering a glimpse of potential setups and line combinations that could carry into Sunday&#8217;s match.
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Sawyer Mynio, a healthy scratch in the event&#8217;s first game, quarterbacked the top powerplay unit. He was joined by Aatu Räty, Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains, and triggerman Jonathan Lekkerimäki, forming a lethal unit poised to offer some exciting moments should they be allowed to patrol the ice on Sunday.
Kirill Kudryavstev anchored the blue line on the second unit alongside Anthony Romani, Vilmer Alriksson, Riley Patterson, and Danila Klimovich. While not as potent as the top unit, this combination brings a fun dynamic to the game on its own merit.
The continued pairing of Lekkerimäki, Räty, and Bains across both even strength and special teams is an exciting development for Abby Canucks fans. Whether in Abbotsford or Vancouver, Lekkerimäki must be placed in a position of success. If this trio can develop chemistry early, it could provide a dynamic option for the upcoming season and lead to the consistent scoring potential for the organization&#8217;s top prospects.
Räty, who impressed in the first game, took time after the skate to speak with the media, reflecting on his offseason focus.
“Skating. That&#8217;s my biggest thing that I needed to work on,” said Räty. “I think it&#8217;s gotten better, but there&#8217;s still a lot of steps I could take, and then [I] kind of worked on my all-around game. Try to get stronger and faster.”
Playing up the middle and playing it well on Friday night is a positive sign for Räty, who has faced questions about whether he can stick up the middle at higher levels. We believe that adding Manny Malhotra is a positive for his overall development up the middle, and we&#8217;re excited to see what he can do with the new visionary behind the bench. Still, it’s a matter of seeing it consistently for a full season – or, at least, the majority of it.
He touched on his ability to play the wing now, and agreed that it bodes well for his game to understand all the positions up front.
“Yeah, that was kind of the first time I&#8217;ve ever played wing. I think it&#8217;s great to have a couple of different positions that you can play and kind of be more well-rounded and learn about the wingers&#8217; game too, so I think it’s great,” said Räty.
On the back end, the pairing of Elias Pettersson and Kirill Kudryavstev has been an early highlight. They played together for most of the first game and appeared to form a strong partnership. Kudryavstev spoke highly of playing alongside Pettersson, saying, “I love playing with him. He&#8217;s a big body, so [it’s] easy to play with him. I mean, I&#8217;m just enjoying it.”
This duo could be key for the Canucks, as they represent two of the organization’s top defensive prospects outside of Tom Willander. Kudryavstev’s ability to play and look good on his offhand is important, given the crowded left side in Abbotsford. Pettersson, Christian Wolanin, Guillaume Brisebois, and Akito Hirose are all vying for spots, which could leave Kudryavstev on the outside looking in. However, if he can comfortably shift to the right side, it opens up a much clearer path to significant AHL minutes.
Kudryavstev is no stranger to playing on the right, having done so in his first and second years of junior hockey. When asked about his willingness to play on his off side, Kudryavstev responded simply and enthusiastically: “I just don&#8217;t care. If I&#8217;m playing, whatever, I can play forward or in goal. I just love to play.”
He may have just opened an idea for a new t-shirt with this quote.
Look, the reality is that playing on your off-hand in a prospects tournament and doing so as an inexperienced rookie at the pro level are two separate beasts. With that in mind, we aren’t holding our breath. However, if this is something he proves can be done, it opens the door to a vast window of opportunity with just Christian Felton standing in his way of ice time. Otherwise, it’s off to Kalamazoo or back to Junior.
Elias Pettersson, not mentioned in our <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/3-takeaways-canucks-win-oilers-young-stars?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">3 takeaways</a> article, was also impressive in Game One. Known for his physical play, Pettersson led the way with a big hit right out of the gate and continued to bring intensity throughout the game.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
EPD laying the body early in the first period! 
🎥: Vancouver Canucks <a href="https://t.co/JpvJNl2mkN">pic.twitter.com/JpvJNl2mkN</a>
&mdash; CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1834785216398831798?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 14, 2024</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Even during today&#8217;s practice, he was visibly seeking out his next target. You just don’t find players with such a mean streak who can skate like him and transition the puck. If we had to bet on Elias Pettersson being a fan-favourite in Abby this season, we&#8217;re taking the over with a bullet.
The Canucks will be back in action tomorrow (Sunday) with a matinée game against the Winnipeg Jets at 2:00 pm PT. Fans can catch the game streamed live and for free on the Canucks&#8217; official website, Canucks.com. Stay tuned for more updates and insights from the Young Stars Classic here at CanucksArmy.
Sponsored by bet365
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Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Aatu Räty, and Arshdeep Bains during the Vancouver Canucks' 2-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the 2024 Young Stars Classic from Penticton, BC.

The Vancouver Canucks held an off-day skate on Saturday afternoon ahead of Sunday’s matinée against the Winnipeg Jets. The (roughly) 45-minute practice focused heavily on the power play, offering a glimpse of potential setups and line combinations that could carry into Sunday's match.
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Sawyer Mynio, a healthy scratch in the event's first game, quarterbacked the top powerplay unit. He was joined by Aatu Räty, Max Sasson, Arshdeep Bains, and triggerman Jonathan Lekkerimäki, forming a lethal unit poised to offer some exciting moments should they be allowed to patrol the ice on Sunday.

Kirill Kudryavstev anchored the blue line on the second unit alongside Anthony Romani, Vilmer Alriksson, Riley Patterson, and Danila Klimovich. While not as potent as the top unit, this combination brings a fun dynamic to the game on its own merit.

The continued pairing of Lekkerimäki, Räty, and Bains across both even strength and special teams is an exciting development for Abby Canucks fans. Whether in Abbotsford or Vancouver, Lekkerimäki must be placed in a position of success. If this trio can develop chemistry early, it could provide a dynamic option for the upcoming season and lead to the consistent scoring potential for the organization's top prospects.

Räty, who impressed in the first game, took time after the skate to speak with the media, reflecting on his offseason focus.

“Skating. That's my biggest thing that I needed to work on,” said Räty. “I think it's gotten better, but there's still a lot of steps I could take, and then [I] kind of worked on my all-around game. Try to get stronger and faster.”

Playing up the middle and playing it well on Friday night is a positive sign for Räty, who has faced questions about whether he can stick up the middle at higher levels. We believe that adding Manny Malhotra is a positive for his overall development up the middle, and we're excited to see what he can do with the new visionary behind the bench. Still, it’s a matter of seeing it consistently for a full season – or, at least, the majority of it.

He touched on his ability to play the wing now, and agreed that it bodes well for his game to understand all the positions up front.

“Yeah, that was kind of the first time I've ever played wing. I think it's great to have a couple of different positions that you can play and kind of be more well-rounded and learn about the wingers' game too, so I think it’s great,” said Räty.

On the back end, the pairing of Elias Pettersson and Kirill Kudryavstev has been an early highlight. They played together for most of the first game and appeared to form a strong partnership. Kudryavstev spoke highly of playing alongside Pettersson, saying, “I love playing with him. He's a big body, so [it’s] easy to play with him. I mean, I'm just enjoying it.”

This duo could be key for the Canucks, as they represent two of the organization’s top defensive prospects outside of Tom Willander. Kudryavstev’s ability to play and look good on his offhand is important, given the crowded left side in Abbotsford. Pettersson, Christian Wolanin, Guillaume Brisebois, and Akito Hirose are all vying for spots, which could leave Kudryavstev on the outside looking in. However, if he can comfortably shift to the right side, it opens up a much clearer path to significant AHL minutes.

Kudryavstev is no stranger to playing on the right, having done so in his first and second years of junior hockey. When asked about his willingness to play on his off side, Kudryavstev responded simply and enthusiastically: “I just don't care. If I'm playing, whatever, I can play forward or in goal. I just love to play.”

He may have just opened an idea for a new t-shirt with this quote.

Look, the reality is that playing on your off-hand in a prospects tournament and doing so as an inexperienced rookie at the pro level are two separate beasts. With that in mind, we aren’t holding our breath. However, if this is something he proves can be done, it opens the door to a vast window of opportunity with just Christian Felton standing in his way of ice time. Otherwise, it’s off to Kalamazoo or back to Junior.

Elias Pettersson, not mentioned in our <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/3-takeaways-canucks-win-oilers-young-stars?utm_source=dlvr.it&amp;utm_medium=twitter">3 takeaways</a> article, was also impressive in Game One. Known for his physical play, Pettersson led the way with a big hit right out of the gate and continued to bring intensity throughout the game.

https://twitter.com/CanucksArmy/status/1834785216398831798

Even during today's practice, he was visibly seeking out his next target. You just don’t find players with such a mean streak who can skate like him and transition the puck. If we had to bet on Elias Pettersson being a fan-favourite in Abby this season, we're taking the over with a bullet.

The Canucks will be back in action tomorrow (Sunday) with a matinée game against the Winnipeg Jets at 2:00 pm PT. Fans can catch the game streamed live and for free on the Canucks' official website, Canucks.com. Stay tuned for more updates and insights from the Young Stars Classic here at CanucksArmy.

Sponsored by bet365
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Canucks Young Stars notebook: An exciting trio emerges, Räty’s rising stock, and Kudryavstev’s offhand transition

Vancouver Canucks prospect Tom Willander.

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