The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up the 2024 Young Stars Classic with a perfect record, winning all three of their games against the top prospects of the Edmonton Oilers, Winnipeg Jets, and Calgary Flames.
The Canucks capped off the weekend with a 4-3 victory over the Flames. Much like Sunday’s game against the Jets, the Canucks went down 2-0 then responded with four unanswered goals for the comeback win.
It’s hard to know what to make of that, given that this particular group of players will likely never play another game together again. One could argue that it speaks well of Manny Malhotra, the former Canuck who is now the new head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks. It might suggest that he knows how to make in-game adjustments and rally his players when they fall behind.
Or maybe it means nothing because it’s just a prospect tournament where the results don’t really matter all that much.
“Having some veteran guys in the lineup really helped,” said Malhotra. “As the weekend went on, we found our game more and more and recognized what worked for us in those games…The resiliency of the group to get to our game, get out of that hole, and take control of the game was a real positive for me.”
So, who were the standout performers for the Canucks in the final game of the Young Stars Classic? Here are your Young Stars 3 Stars:
3 | Riley Patterson
It can be tough for an 18-year-old to shine at a prospects tournament, especially those who aren’t high first-round picks. They’re competing against players in their twenties for the first time, some of whom have extensive AHL experience or years of college hockey under their belts.
It’s to Riley Patterson’s credit, then, that he carved out a little time in the spotlight on Monday afternoon.
The 2024 fourth-round pick held his own at even-strength, then came alive on the power play on the second unit. He primarily played the net front but also rotated below the goal line and was effective at recovering and moving the puck.
On one power play, Patterson picked up a Danila Klimovich rebound and made a lovely blind backhand pass to set up Vilmer Alriksson for a glorious chance at the top of the crease. Alriksson had a wide-open net but Flames defenceman Eric Jamieson perfectly timed his stick check and deflected the puck over the crossbar.
That should have been his first point of the tournament, but Patterson picked up a point on a later power play by planting himself at the top of the crease and neatly tipping in a Klimovich wrist shot for the game-tying goal.
“It’s my first taste of kind of pro hockey and it was definitely different from juniors,” said Patterson. “Just being a sponge, taking everything in, and trying to learn as much as possible.”
Patterson will head back to the Barrie Colts in the OHL and look to build off his 62 points in 68 games last season.
2 | Vilmer Alriksson
While Alriksson may have had one golden opportunity get deflected over the net, he made good on a much worse chance later in the period.
With the Canucks up 3-2, Max Sasson slashed into the offensive zone but got angled into the corner. Instead of just throwing the puck around the boards, he spotted the trailing Alriksson, who caught goaltender Connor Murphy off-guard with a quick shot.
Alriksson was likely looking to create a rebound with Jonathan Lekkerimäki in the vicinity but instead sent the puck just inside the far post before Murphy even realized Sasson had passed the puck.
It was the capstone to a strong weekend for Alriksson, who proved that he’s taken the Canucks’ lessons on using his size to heart. He was a nightmare along the boards, such as when he dropped Jamieson with a stiff reverse hit.
If Alriksson can take that energy into the OHL this season, he could be an absolute menace.
1 | Arshdeep Bains
Arshdeep Bains was a momentum-shifter for the Canucks early in this one, pushing the puck up ice with his typical high-motor, high-effort game. It seemed like every time the Flames threatened to take over they game, Bains was there to disrupt them and tilt the ice back in the Canucks’ favour.
Then he flashed some skill with the Canucks’ first goal. After Aatu Räty drove to the net and just missed tucking the puck around starting goaltender Waltteri Ignatjew, the puck came out to Elias Pettersson at the point. He threw the puck toward the net and Bains somehow chipped the puck up into the air, then batted it in at waist height.
If Bains meant to do that, it’s one of the most stunning things I’ve ever seen someone do in a game. If he didn’t mean to do that, it’s still an impressive feat of hand-eye coordination for him to so quickly adjust to the position of the puck and knock it into the net.
Bains created several more chances in the game, both for himself and his linemates, but couldn’t pick up another point. No matter — he was still the Canucks’ best player.
Honourable Mentions/Loose Notes
- Max Sasson could have once again been one of the three stars but with just the one assist, I decided that other players also deserved their flowers. Sasson was heavily involved all night and hit two posts — one in the first period and one on the empty net in the third — to go with his assist on Alriksson’s goal.
- Kirill Kudryavtsev was victimized on the Flames’ opening goal by Matvei Gridin but that had a lot more to do with his partner, Basile Sansonnens, who turned the puck over with a bad cross-ice pass, then took himself out of position chasing the puck trying to make up for his mistake. Kudryavtsev was otherwise quite good and made a fantastic stretch pass to Sasson for a breakaway only for Sasson to hit the post.
- I came very close to giving Danila Klimovich a spot in the three stars, as he was engaged defensively, picked up an assist, and played a strong game along the boards. My issue with his game is that he constantly gets tunnel vision with the puck. In the offensive zone, his first thought was to fire a shot, even from a terrible angle, or to throw it blindly to the front of the net hoping that a teammate was there, instead of picking his head up to make a play. He’s got so many intriguing tools but that lack of hockey IQ and vision is holding him back.
- The all-invitee fourth line of Ty Halaburda, Cooper Walker, and Deagan McMillan created a lot of energy for the Canucks. They repeatedly got in on the forecheck and wreaked some havoc along the boards, with Walker drawing a penalty in the second period. Combining for the go-ahead goal later in the period was just the cherry on top.
- It was an up-and-down game for Sawyer Mynio. He had the secondary assist on Patterson’s goal and confidently jumped up in the rush a couple of times, getting a quality scoring chance off a neat give-and-go with Walker. But he also had some rough moments defensively, including letting Sam Honzek behind him for a breakaway in the third period that made it 4-3. He’s got to find a better balance between his offensive game and defensive responsibilities.
- Jonathan Lekkerimäki didn’t have a single point at the Young Stars Classic but he was still one of their best players. He was sneakily good on the forecheck, anticipating passes and pilfering pucks. He hammered one-timers on the power play, then used the threat of his one-timer to set up Aatu Räty for a grade-A chance in the slot. And he had one fantastic end-to-end rush but just couldn’t find the finish at the end. He was fun to watch.
- I continued to like what I saw from Aatu Räty, even if he didn’t get any points and finished the Young Stars with just one assist in three games. His skating seems to have taken a step, even if he sometimes stops moving his feet, and it’s given him more room to use his vision and playmaking. With his shot, he could also be an option in the bumper on the power play, both in Abbotsford and in Vancouver if injuries occur and he gets called up.
