Canucks’ Top 25 Under 25 (2022 Edition): Who Missed the Cut? Looking at players #36-#26

Sep 28, 2022 - 9:45 PM

Welcome to the Canucks Top 25 Under 25 Rankings, the series that makes you wish you were under 25 again. The list includes all players born after April 15th, 1998.

If you’ve been following along, we’ve written profiles on 20 Canuck players under the age of 25.

Up next...the top five.

Before we get to that, let’s take a look at 11 Canucks under the age of 25 who missed the Top 25 cut.

#36. Jackson Kunz

Position: C/LW
Birthdate: August 13th, 2002 (20)
Acquired via: 2020 NHL Draft (4th round, 113th overall)
2021-22 NCAA Stats: 31 GP, 3-3-6
2022-33 Team: University of North Dakota (NCAA)
2021 Ranking: No. 26 (-10)

Jackson Kunz spent his first draft-plus one season in the USHL, posting 23 goals and 43 points in 50 games. Last season in North Dakota, he registered muted offensive totals while playing for a fairly strong squad.

Neither total screams “NHL future,” so Kunz will have to take a massive step forward if he wants to get back on the Canucks’ radar.

#35. Matthew Thiessen

Position: Goalie
Birthdate: June 9th, 2000 (22)
Acquired via: 2018 NHL Draft 7th round, 192th overall)
2021-22 NCAA Stats: 12 GP, 3.11 GAA, .888 SV%, 1-8-3
2022-33 Team: University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCAA)
2021 Ranking: No. 34 (-1)

Matthew Thiessen acted as a 1B goaltender, playing behind an awful University of Maine hockey team last year. He’s switching from Maine to the University of Minnesota-Duluth for his final season in the NCAA.

#34. Ty Young

Position: Goalie
Birthdate: September 11th, 2004 (18)
Acquired via: 2022 NHL Draft (5th round, 144th overall)
2021-22 WHL Stats: 23 GP, 3.50 GAA, .899 SV%
2022-33 Team: Prince George Cougars (WHL)
2021 Ranking: N/A

The youngest player on our list, Ty Young received strong reports from Canucks training camp despite just turning 18 earlier this month. He still appears to be in a battle with Tyler Brennan (who was drafted one round ahead of Young in this year’s draft) for playing time in Prince George this season.

#33. Karel Plasek

Position: C/LW
Birthdate: July 28th, 2000 (22)
Acquired via: 2019 NHL Draft (6th round, 175th overall)
2021-22 AHL Stats: 8 GP, 0-0-0
2022-33 Team: Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
2021 Ranking: No. 25 (-8)

Karel Plasek has been hampered by injuries since signing his entry-level contract with the Canucks last summer. He suffered a knee injury six games into last season with the Abbotsford Canucks. Now, he’s missed all of training camp as he recovers from hip surgery.

#32. Jackson Dorrington

Position: LD
Birthdate: April 13th, 2004 (18)
Acquired via: 2022 NHL Draft (6th round, 176th overall)
2021-22 USHL Stats: 41 GP, 3-8-11
2022-33 Team: Northeastern University (NCAA)
2021 Ranking: N/A

Jackson Dorrington is a stay-at-home defenceman who didn’t really seem like a high-upside pick. He is, however, going to Northeastern University, where recent Canucks prospects (Adam Gaudette, Tyler Madden, Aidan McDonough) have all had success.

#31. Hugo Gabrielson

Position: LD
Birthdate: October 24th, 2002 (19)
Acquired via: 2021 NHL Draft (6th round, 169th overall)
2021-22 Allsvenskan Stats: 40 GP, 0-3-3
2022-33 Team: Västerviks IK (Allsvenskan)
2021 Ranking: No. 28 (-3)

Much like Plasek, Gabrielson has been hit by the injury bug to start the season. He had shoulder surgery back in June, and isn’t expected to play until December or January.

#30. Connor Lockhart

Position: C
Birthdate: January 21st, 2003 (20)
Acquired via: 2021 NHL Draft (6th round, 178th overall)
2021-22 OHL Stats: 64 GP, 23-25-48
2022-33 Team: Peterborough Petes (OHL)
2021 Ranking: No. 27 (-3)

After missing the entirety of the 2020-21 season, Connor Lockhart did well to flirt with the point-per-game mark in the OHL. He’s set to join a new team, the Peterborough Petes, this upcoming season.

#29. Carson Focht

Position: C
Birthdate: August 13th, 2002 (20)
Acquired via: 2019 NHL Draft (5th round, 133rd overall)
2021-22 AHL Stats: 41 GP, 3-7-10
2022-33 Team: Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)
2021 Ranking: No. 22 (-7)

It’s “make-or-break it” time for the 2019 fifth-rounder. He regressed during his second AHL season and lost his spot in the lineup as the year progressed. Focht is entering the last year of his entry-level deal.

#28. Jack Malone

Position: C/RW
Birthdate: October 13th, 2000 (21)
Acquired via: 2019 NHL Draft (6th round, 180th overall)
2021-22 NCAA Stats: 32 GP, 8-12-20
2022-33 Team: Cornell University (NCAA)
2021 Ranking: No. 32 (+4)

Jack Malone has flown under the radar, but he posted respectable numbers while playing for Cornell University last season.

#27. Kirill Kudryavtsev

Position: LD
Birthdate: February 5th, 2004 (18)
Acquired via: 2022 NHL Draft (7th round, 208th overall)
2021-22 OHL Stats: 68 GP, 5-34-39
2022-33 Team: Soo Greyhounds
2021 Ranking: N/A

For a seventh-round pick, Kirill Kudryavtsev handled himself really at both training camp and during the Young Stars tournament. He’s a player to watch as he takes on a larger role with the Soo Greyhounds during this upcoming season.

#26. Aku Koskenvuo

Position: Goalie
Birthdate: February 26th, 2003 (19)
Acquired via: 2021 NHL Draft (5th round, 137th overall)
2021-22 Finland U-20 Stats: 27 GP, 2.79 GAA, .897 SV%, 13-10-0
2022-33 Team: Harvard University (NCAA)
2021 Ranking: No. 30 (+4)

The last player to miss the cut in our Top 25 Under 25, Aku Koskenvuo remains a mysterious prospect aside from those U20 SM-sarja enthusiasts. It was encouraging to hear that the young Finnish goaltender was working with Igor Shesterkin’s old goaltending coach while he was overseas.

Koskenvuo will battle for the starting job at Harvard University this upcoming season.