Jim Benning Draft Review
Part Three: 2016
Alex Rickman
January 10th, 2023
In this third installment of our Jim Benning draft review series, we examine the 2016 draft. After going over the 2014 and 2015 drafts, Benning has not exactly proven himself a competent drafter apart from some level of success with early picks. Along the way, a series of talented prospects either had their development bungled by the team in cases such as that of Adam Gaudette and Jake Virtanen. Other prospects were shipped out of Vancouver before they were given a chance to prove themselves, Jared McCann and Gustav Forsling proving two good examples of that. Will this draft be the one where Benning proves his worth, or will this be another blemish on his draft record? Let’s find out.
Round 1, pick 5- Olli Juolevi
Once seen as the future of the Canucks defence, Juolevi’s career didn’t go the way anybody in Vancouver hoped it would. After suffering a series of injuries in junior, Juolevi had his development stall out, preventing him from ever being an impact player at the top level. What makes this pick even more painful is that with the 6th, 7th, and 9th picks of the draft, Matthew Tkachuk, Clayton Keller, and Mikhail Sergachev, all of whom would’ve been infinitely better adds than Juolevi. While changing the past simply isn’t possible, this is certainly a pick Benning would like to have back.
Round 3, pick 64- Will Lockwood
Lockwood still has some hope to become an NHL regular and has looked good in his limited NHL game time this year but at this point, his ceiling is likely 4th liner at best. Following a brief stint in the NHL during the 2021 season, where he looked like a second coming of Tyler Motte, Lockwood was unable to replicate this form when he received another call-up at the end of the 2021-22 season. With his age, there is still hope for Lockwood, but he will need to make the jump soon if he hopes to ever become a consistent NHLer.
Round 5, pick 140- Cole Candella
Candella, who is currently manning the blue line for the University of PEI, was never offered an entry-level contract by the Canucks. With his relatively large frame and solid offensive numbers for a defenceman in the OHL, it’s easy enough to see why the Canucks would give him a chance with a mid-round pick. Unfortunately, it never came together for Candella, who was only able to play 49 games of professional hockey, none of which were in the NHL.
Round 6, pick 154- Jakob Stukel
A Surrey native, Stukel as a local kid and high point producer in the WHL made sense to take a chance on. Unfortunately, Stukel never developed far enough to reach the NHL. His only AHL experience came with the Bakersfield Condors, where he spent parts of 3 seasons. Stukel, a Slovenian-Canadian, is now playing in Switzerland with EHC Basel, where he’s been producing at a high rate in his first-season with the team.
Round 7, pick 184- Rodrigo Abols
7th-round picks make the NHL once in a blue moon, unfortunately for the Canucks, neither of their two 7th-rounders in 2016 ever came close to being NHL players. Abols, selected by the Canucks for his size and grit, is your prototypical late-round pick. He possesses the ability to have success in specific areas of the game but not yet being a finished product. Abols was never able to refine his game enough to reach the NHL but has found success playing in Sweden and with the Latvian national team.
Round 7, pick 194- Brett McKenzie
McKenzie was thought of as an intelligent, 2-way forward when he was drafted. Like many of the other picks in this draft, McKenzie was also never able to reach the level needed to crack the Canucks lineup or be signed to an ELC, and is now with the Toledo Walleye of the ECHL. One can see why the Canucks would be interested in a player like this with a late pick, but unfortunately for McKenzie and the Canucks it was never meant to be.
Conclusion
Through his first 3 drafts as Canucks GM, it’s hard to see where Benning’s reputation as a good drafter comes from. With the exceptions of Boeser and Demko, so far only 2 players from his first drafts have managed to stick around in the NHL, and both were selected with early picks. While not every mid-round pick is going to work out, and the majority of them will never play in the NHL, seeing no mid-rounders managing to make the Canucks roster through 3 drafts means questions definitely need to be asked about where Benning got this reputation.
In the next installment of this series, we will look to the 2017 draft, where Benning made one of the best picks of his tenure with the Canucks. But how did the rest of the draft turn out for Benning and Co? Stay tuned to find out.