The Canucks in Round 1: Hit or Miss?

Are we saved? Or doomed forever? These are the questions that Canucks fans ask themselves time and time again.

The 1st round of the NHL draft took place on Friday night, with the Canucks holding two picks in the process (3 and 24). There was a lot of speculation on who the Canucks would take with their first pick, while the question for pick 24 was more about who would still be available. Those questions have been laid to rest now. Here are my thoughts on their first two picks of the 2026 NHL Draft.

PICK 3 - Caleb Malhotra

Like father, like son.

Though for a while, Vancouver’s interest in the young centre was pretty well-broadcasted, it seemed it had cooled off more recently. Sources were citing that Vancouver may have been interested in avoiding the awkward situations that come with drafting the coach’s son.

Smoke screen!

After Gavin McKenna and Ivar Stenberg were predictably taken with the first two picks in the draft, Cobie Smulders announced that the Canucks would be drafting Caleb Malhotra with the 3rd overall pick. 

Malhotra is a 6’2 centre who most recently played with the Brantford Bulldogs of the OHL. He was one of the draft’s biggest risers throughout the season, with his 84 points in 67 far eclipsing the production he managed in the BCHL the season before. He is a fantastic playmaker who has the potential to build a strong two-way game in the NHL. 

He’ll join Braeden Cootes as another center in the Canucks’ prospect pipeline, meaning that in an ideal world, the Canucks have already found their top-6 centres of the future. Beyond just those two, there’s also Marco Rossi, Aatu Räty, and Elias Pettersson. Now, I don’t expect all of those guys to be on the roster when the Canucks are ready to compete again, but they certainly have options down the middle.

Many people will speculate that this pick was only made because his dad is the coach. I don’t buy that at all. Their interest in Malhotra has been known for quite a while, even back when Adam Foote was the head coach. The truth is, every team in the league would have Malhotra somewhat high on their draft board. This is not a reach at all. The Canucks went for who they thought was the best player available, not the best son available.

Caleb Malhotra has committed to Boston University (where Tom Willander played) for the 2026-27 season, which I think is great for his development. The age range is slightly higher in the NCAA, so he’ll be playing against better competition than he would be if he stayed with Brantford. The Sportsnet panelists were speculating that maybe Malhotra could blow off the NCAA and join the Canucks immediately, but I think that would be silly. We’re in no rush to have help now. Let him develop.

In this spot, Chase Reid was an intriguing option. It seemed like the Canucks were leaning toward him in recent weeks. In the end, it was always going to be Malhotra. I guess it’s worth it so we don’t have to hear people complain about the Canucks drafting an American defenseman. More accurately, it’s worth it because Malhotra will be a strong player in this league. He’s a great addition to our future.

PICK 24 - Adam Novotný 

When pick 24 rolled around, I think a lot of Canucks fans were pretty disappointed with who was off the board by that point. Just two picks before, the Pittsburgh Penguins ruined our hopes and dreams by drafting Liam Ruck, eliminating Vancouver’s chances at drafting a new set of twins.

There were still a lot of great players available at this point. Notable names included Xavier Villeneuve, Tommy Bleyl, and Mathis Preston. Any of those would have been fantastic picks, but they may have gone for the best option: Adam Novotný.

Novotný spent the season with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL, where he registered 65 points in 58 games. 34 of those were goals, which is where Novotný really shines. He’s got a killer shot, which can be a goalie’s worst nightmare. And although his offensive stats are stellar, he’s no slouch on the defensive side of things, either. His two-way game is quite good, matching him up pretty well with Vancouver’s first pick in this draft. Novotný stands at 6’1, 205 pounds, so he’s got a pretty solid frame.

Novotný was projected to go in the middle of the 1st round by most rankings (13-17). He has 2nd-line potential in the NHL. The fact that he fell into the Canucks’ lap at pick 24 is a miracle. The fact that they actually accepted that gift also feels like a miracle. This pick alone has given me a lot of confidence in this new front office’s ability.

It’s also quite nice that the player who dropped to their pick fits their positional need perfectly as well. The Canucks significantly lack wingers, which is why winning one of the draft lotteries would have been so big for the franchise. A winger at pick 24 probably had to be the move no matter what, so the fact it was a guy who was supposed to be drafted 10 picks before just makes it even easier. Our young winger group really just consists of Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Liam Öhgren at this point. I could not be happier to add Novotný to the team as it instantly makes that group look much better. Amazing pick by the team.

It seems the Canucks had a clear draft strategy here: take the best player available, with an emphasis on both size and two-way play. Both the players they drafted in this first round are decently heavy bodies, with both also being smart players. I have no real complaints with what they decided here. I had stated that my preference was Chase Reid at 3rd overall, but I wasn’t going to find any problem if they drafted Malhotra. At pick 24, I don’t think there was any player available who’s better than Novotný. I am so exhilarated about that pick and I cannot wait to see how he develops.

The Canucks are now on the clock once again for pick 33, only instead of 5 minutes, they have 12 hours. Interestingly, both Xavier Villeneuve and Mathis Preston remain on the board for them. Either of those two should be the pick, but I lean more toward Villeneuve. His NHL comps are Lane Hutson and Quinn Hughes. The only reason he’s even dropped this far is because he spent a lot of his season in the QMJHL injured. He will be a steal for whoever drafts him, and even though we already have a young left-handed offensive defenseman in Zeev Buium, Villeneuve is too enticing to pass up at this point. Though, if they opt to go a different route, Preston would also be great. Preston was once seen as a top prospect for this draft, but a shaky season dropped him down the rankings. There’s tons of potential there and would be worth the pick. Plus, he plays for the Vancouver Giants, so he’s already familiar with the city.

After those two, there’s defensemen Nikita Shcherbakov and William Håkansson, plus forward Yegor Shilov. Any of these guys would be solid picks as well, but I think they’re a tier below Villeneuve and Preston.

No matter what the Canucks choose to do tomorrow, I’m satisfied with this first round. Malhotra was a worthwhile pick at number 3. Novotný could end up looking like an absolute steal. The Canucks look a lot better today than they did yesterday, and have officially taken another step forward in this rebuild. I trust whatever Ryan Johnson is cooking up.