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Alex Rickman
April 10, 2023
With the college hockey season winding down, the undrafted free-agent market for NCAA players has begun. While the Canucks could not land the biggest name on the market, former Minnesota State defenceman and now Nashville Predators player Jake Livingstone, they have been active in the market, having acquired three players from college and a European free agent at the time of writing. Let’s take a look at the newest members of the Vancouver Canucks and what they may bring to the team, as well as what the team could look to add as they sign more undrafted players.
Max Sasson
Max Sasson
The first signing announced was that of centre Max Sasson from the Western Michigan Mustangs. Playing an effective 2-way style of play, including being trusted as a penalty killer in college, it’s easy to see why a player like him piqued the Canucks interest. Sasson is also said to possess a great work ethic and a good off-ice attitude, which of course appeals to coaches and executives across the sports world. There are some concerns over his quickness, and additional development time in Abbotsford may be necessary before a shot in the NHL is on the cards for Sasson, but he does have the tools to potentially make an effective bottom 6 forward one day. You can never be sure of what to expect from undrafted players, with some exceeding all expectations and becoming key players in the NHL and others never managing to become a consistent player in the professional ranks, but with Sasson, we can only hope that Jeremy Colliton and the rest of the development staff in Abbotsford know what to do to bring out the best in his game.
Akito Hirose
Akito Hirose
While the Canucks didn’t manage to land Jake Livingstone, they get his former partner, who also happened to be one of the most coveted players on the market. Signed on March 29th, the former Minnesota State defenceman has an interesting skillset that could make him an excellent pickup for the future. Hirose’s combination of passing, mobility, and hockey IQ make for an interesting tool chest, and it’s clear to see why a player like this had NHL teams lining up around the block to try and sign him. With the correct development, it’s not out of the question for Hirose to become a top 4 level defenceman, and could potentially take on the role the team hoped Oliver Ekman-Larsson would fill on the left side of the defence. It’s important to not expect too much from Hirose, especially right out of the gate, but his tool chest certainly gives Canucks a reason to be cautiously optimistic about his future in hockey.
Nikita Tolopilo
Nikita Tolopilo
Tolopilo’s signing may have come as something of a surprise to some Canucks fans, but it isn’t difficult to see why the 6’6 Belarusian netminder interested the team. Tolopilo has put up some excellent numbers in the Allsvenskan this year, posting a .925 save percentage (SV%) in his 45 games with Södertälje SK. His game is not without its flaws, as he does have a tendency to get beaten five-hole among some other issues, but Canucks director of goaltending Ian Clark sees him as a project worth taking on. Tolopilo’s issues mirror some of the concerns that people had around Jacob Markstrom when he was a young player, and Clark managed to turn Markstrom into one of the best goalies in the NHL, so especially as an undrafted free agent Tolopilo seems like a worthy investment for the future. Between Thatcher Demko already between the pipes and prospects with high potential like Arturs Silovs, Aku Koskenvuo, Ty Young, and now Tolopilo, the future looks bright in net for the Canucks.
Cole McWard
Cole McWard
Announced on April 4th, it’s easy to see why the Canucks targeted McWard, as the former Ohio State Buckeye fits the team's biggest need: right-handed defencemen. At 6’1 and 192 lbs, McWard definitely has the size needed to be an effective defensive player at the NHL level and put up a respectable 21 points in 39 games this season in college. Additionally, McWard was trusted with penalty-killing duties, showing an ability to play intelligent and effective defensive hockey. After making his debut April 6th against the Blackhawks, and scoring his first NHL goal against the Calgary Flames on April 8th, McWard will be given the rest of the season to show Rick Tocchet and the rest of the Canucks coaching staff what he can do.
So now that Sasson, Hirose, Tolopilo, and McWard have been signed, who else could the Canucks look to add? While many of the big fish in the college free agency pool are already spoken for, there are definitely players with NHL potential still on the market. One such player could be Western Michigan’s Ryan McCallister, who was linemates with recent Canucks signing Max Sasson. While undersized, McCallister’s skill and chemistry with Sasson could make him an appealing target for a Canucks team needing to improve their prospect pool in just about every conceivable area. Other players they could look to target from the NCAA include winger Riese Gaber and centres Austen Swankler, Jaxon Nelson, and TJ Hughes, although some of these players may choose to return to college next year.
Now that we’ve mentioned some potential college signings for the Canucks, what about European free agents? The Canucks struck gold on the European market last season with the addition of Andrei Kuzmenko, and have already made a signing from Europe in Nikita Tolopilo this offseason, so could they look to add more from this market? The Canucks have in fact already been linked to a few European free agents, including several who play the Canucks biggest position of need, defence. Blueliners like Filip Berglund and Hardy Häman Aktell have been linked to Vancouver recently, and both provide a profile that shows why the Canucks may show interest in them. Berglund, a former Oilers prospect who was never signed to an entry-level contract, is considered to be one of the better 2-way defencemen in the SHL. Standing at 6’2 and weighing 205lbs, Berglund has good enough size to be an effective defender in the NHL and is a right-handed shooter, which is desperately needed by the Canucks right now. Häman Aktell, meanwhile, is a left-handed defenceman currently playing for Väjxö Lakers, the former team of Elias Pettersson. Häman Aktell was one of the leading point scorers for Väjxö, but he isn’t considered to be a fantastic skater, which could potentially limit his value in the NHL. Despite this, he does play a solid and well-rounded game and is widely considered to be the best available free agent coming out of Europe.
We can only wait and see what happens with these players, along with others coming out of Europe and the NCAA in the coming years, but I find it hard to believe the Canucks are done with these markets for the year. Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin know there is value to be found in these markets, but with how unpredictable undrafted free agents can be, to tap into this value it’s important to make as many of these signings as you can.
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