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Canucks Close Out 2026 Prospects Showcase With A 5–2 Win Against The Kraken
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- Canucks Close Out 2026 Prospects Showcase With A 5–2 Win Against The Kraken
The Vancouver Canucks wrapped up the 2026 Prospects Showcase with a 5–2 win against the Seattle Kraken . Adam Novotný, Bennett Schimek, Gabriel Chiarot, Braeden Cootes, and Alonso Gosselin scored for Vancouver today, while Ty Young and Aku Koskenvuo split the start and stopped a combined 31 of 33 shots faced.
After an individually successful first game the day before that saw him score his first goal in a Canucks uniform, Novotný put on an excellent performance once again, opening the scoring with less than five minutes to go in the first period. Playing on a new line with Cootes and fellow 2026 draftee Brooks Rogowski, the winger helped advance the play into the O-zone, chipping it up to Rogowski before advancing on net and beating Kraken goaltender Nikke Kokko.
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Novotný's impact went farther than just on the scoresheet, however, as he was also noticeably more physical in today's game — specifically in throwing extra jabs at the Kraken prospects after the whistle went.
"In a good way, bull in a china shop," Abbotsford Canucks Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou said post-game of Novotný's performance. "Everything [went] north for him, chipping pucks to areas, winning races, really tough to knock off the puck. So I think he probably just stayed to his brand."
"He's got an elite shot release. You saw him on his first goal today — that's pretty sick," linemate Rogowski added. "Just with his speed too, he just creates so well. His speed opens up ice for everyone else because guys kind of duplicate on him and it just creates more space for everybody. For a guy like him, he's such a threat. It sometimes takes the pressure off me a little bit to give me some more space to make a play."
Just as it seemed to for Seattle the night before, once the second period came around, the Canucks' floodgates opened up.
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At the beginning of the second, the Kraken announced a change at goal, swapping Kokko with Maks Corovic.
The Kraken managed to tie things up at the five-minute mark of the second period, though it didn't take long for Vancouver to regain their lead and then some. Schimek helped start the play that led to his goal, retrieving the puck from a Seattle team attempting to break-out. After giving it to Kirill Kudryavtsev to reset, the Abbotsford Canucks forward tore into the O-zone and flipped the puck past Corovic's glove.
Vancouver scored once again after things got scrambly near Seattle's crease, with the puck hitting a Kraken player's stick before ending up in the net. Cootes tapped Vancouver's fourth goal into the net after receiving a smooth pass from linemate Rogowski.
Before Vancouver could score their fifth, Kraken prospect Jagger Firkus found the back of the net for Seattle. Five minutes later, however, Novotný brought the puck into the O-zone, keeping it alive along the boards before passing it to Gosselin, who tucked it in for the Canucks' fifth goal of the game.
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By the end of the second period, the score was up to 5–2 for Vancouver.
The third period featured more special teams time as well as some stunning saves by Koskenvuo. This included a split-save that saw the goaltender stretch across the crease to stop the Kraken from scoring with around five minutes remaining in the game.
One of the most impactful changes to Vancouver in today's game was the switch in lines. The new line of Novotný, Cootes, and Rogowski helped score three of the Canucks' five goals, with each member of the line registering at least one point.
"I think [it was] just probably something that we all wanted to see, everybody in the stands included," Papaioannou said of the Canucks prospects' top-line."Give those guys a look together, and whether they had a successful game or not, I think it was fun just to watch."
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Vancouver's prospects will now look to build on today's result by having a strong training camp next week.
Photo Credit: Izzy Cheung - THN
Scoring Summary:
1st Period:
15:54 - VAN: Adam Novotný from Brooks Rogowski and Arseni Anisimov
2nd Period:
5:23 - SEA: Tyson Jugnauth from Oscar Fisker Molgaard and Jagger Firkus (PPG)
6:28 - VAN: Bennett Schimek from Kirill Kudryavtsev
7:56 - VAN: Gabriel Chiarot from Carson Cameron
9:08 - VAN: Braeden Cootes from Brooks Rogowski and Adam Novotný
11:33 - SEA: Jagger Firkus from Julius Miettinen and Ty Nelson
16:24 - VAN: Alonso Gosselin from Adam Novotný and Sawyer Mynio
3rd Period:
No Scoring.
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Up Next:
The next time the Canucks will hit the ice in front of their fans is on September 17 for Day 1 of their 2026 Training Camp in Penticton. The 2026 NHL pre-season begins a couple of days after on September 19, with the Canucks facing none-other than the Kraken in Seattle.
Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News .
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