Thursday's Vancouver Canucks rundown will get you set for tonight's action against the Winnipeg Jets, along with a look at the new WHL team in Chilliwack, set to begin their inaugural season in 2027-28.
Leevi Meriläinen will return to the crease after yet another poor showing from Kevin Lankinen . We discussed yesterday what a buyout would look like for Lankinen, as well as the future of the goaltenders. Tom Willander 's injury will keep him out for a second straight game.
Winnipeg is coming off a dramatic game against the Montreal Canadiens, scoring four goals in the final 2:39 of the third period to force overtime and ultimately steal the win. That snapped a nine-game losing streak that may have had jobs on the line if the team did not turn it around. The Canucks still have the longest losing streak of the season, at 10 games. For the Jets, Stuart Skinner will start tonight. He stopped 18 of 22 shots in the 5-4 win against Montreal.
Projected Lineup:
DeBrusk-Pettersson-Boeser
Öhgren-Rossi-LekkerimäkiO'Connor-Quillan-Karlsson
Cotter-Sasson-Gallagher
Pettersson-Hronek
Buium-Brisebois (Updated)
Oleksiak-Mancini (Updated)
Meriläinen (Confirmed)
Puck drop will be at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time (PCT) at the Canada Life Centre in Winnipeg.
Former Abbotsford Canucks Head Coach Jeremy Colliton and former Canuck player Mason Raymond will take ownership of the new Chilliwack team set to begin their inaugural season in 2027-28. Joining the two as part of the ownership group are Brett Motherwell, Mario Amantea, and Patrick Lathrop. Colliton will serve as Governor, General Manager, and Head Coach of the new team. The team will play at the Chilliwack Coliseum, which seats 5,000. That spells uncertainty for the Chilliwack Chiefs of the BCHL, who also currently play at the same arena.
The Western Hockey League announced today the awarding of an expansion franchise to Chilliwack, B.C., and its ownership group led by Jeremy Colliton, Brett Motherwell, Mason Raymond, Mario Amantea and Patrick Lathrop.
📝 | https://t.co/DC1pHDdYz7 pic.twitter.com/y144eWIpG2— Western Hockey League (@TheWHL) November 4, 2026
"We are excited to welcome the new Chilliwack ownership group to the Western Hockey League and excited about what this means for the future of hockey in the Fraser Valley," commented WHL Commissioner Dan Near.
"It has been a longtime dream for Jeremy and I to work together in junior hockey and there is no better opportunity to do that than right here in Chilliwack, with the Western Hockey League. The changing hockey landscape has created a potential that previously did not exist, and the future for major junior hockey has never been brighter. We can't wait to make an impact in the community," said Motherwell, co-founder of Kassel Equity Group.
This is not the first time Chilliwack has been part of the WHL. The Chilliwack Bruins played in the WHL from 2006 to 2011, until they were sold and relocated to Victoria to become the Victoria Royals. Here's to a more successful second kick at the can.
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