Vancouver Canucks prospects will be the talk of the town this Saturday and Sunday as the 2026 Prospect Showcase rolls into Abbotsford. Taking place at the Rogers Forum, home of the Abbotsford Canucks, some of Vancouver's brightest young stars will stand in the spotlight as they face the Seattle Kraken in the two-game competition.
It's the first big on-ice return for Canucks hockey leading up to the start of the 2026–27 season, with training camp (September 17 to 20) and pre-season (starting September 19) beginning shortly after.
Ahead of their two games on September 12 and 13, 23 of the Canucks' prospects took to the ice on Friday, with the roster featuring 2026 first-round pick Adam Novotný, 2025 first-rounder Braeden Cootes, and a crop of other young players ranging from draft picks to AHL and CHL invitees . The only player listed on Vancouver's prospect showcase roster that wasn't present on Friday was 2026 sixth-round pick Lucian Bernat, who was out for "imaging" and will have his status for the weekend clarified later on.
Understandably, lots of eyes will be on 24th-overall pick Novotný, who is coming off a notable off-season that saw him impress at Development Camp in July, perform excellently at the 2026 U20 Five Nations Tournament , and sign his entry-level contract with the Canucks.
While Novotný is likely going to return to the OHL for his second season with the Peterborough Petes, he's planning on putting forth his best effort in both the prospect showcase and Vancouver's training camp.
"We want to win those games, that's for sure," the forward said after Friday's practice in a media availability. "As an individual, I just want to give my best, play my hockey and give my best version of myself [...] try to be myself and help the team as much as I can."
That said, the 18-year-old is still planning on using both experiences to absorb as much information as he can — particularly from Vancouver's more veteran players at training camp.
"Just to be around them is a great thing. Just watch their details, what they do off the ice, what they do on the ice — just little things to kind of see what takes them there and how professional they are," he said.
Also drafted by the Canucks in 2026 was 6-foot-7 center Brooks Rogowski. The forward also made a big impression during the off-season, putting together a three-goal effort for Team USA during the 2026 World Junior Summer Showcase. The performance, he said, he partially credits to easing up on the pressure.
"I think that's something I can learn, to just try and take the pressure off things. Obviously, there's going to be pressure no matter what. But if I can make it more of a fun environment versus a pressure environment, I think that's going to benefit the most. I think that's what benefited me there, just being able to just play hockey."
When asked about what he hopes to take away from this weekend's showcase, the forward was quick to emphasize the speed of the game.
"I think it's just utilizing the speed here. Obviously, it's not going to be as fast, but I've got five days here to get used to a faster pace, and then going into NHL camp is going to be even faster," he said. "Learn the speed, get some confidence, and just know that I can go into NHL training camp [and] don't have to be nervous. All it is for me is a learning experience, take what I can get, really. Try to extend my stay as long as possible."
Photo Credit: Izzy Cheung - THN
The player that may quite possibly make the biggest splash at this year's prospect showcase, as well as into training camp, may be none-other than Cootes. The center stormed his way into a spot on Vancouver's opening-night roster at the start of the 2025–26 season and is expected to contend for a place down the Canucks' center heading into this year's pre-season.
Having that prior experience may end up becoming a significant advantage for the 19-year-old heading into training camp next week.
"It's obviously really challenging and not easy. So just having that experience and a bit more maturity and a little more [of] just knowing what's ahead."
Where things differ this time around, however, is the fact that expectations surrounding the center seem to have risen. With the knowledge that Cootes has proven himself capable of playing his way onto an NHL roster, the expectation may now be for him to take an opening-night roster spot once again. Regardless of whether this is the correct thing for the Canucks to do or not, Cootes isn't letting it get to him.
"[It] doesn't really change my mindset at all. Just kind of stick to what I do every day to get better and just go through my process," he said. "Just more confidence this time around. It's a different year and different group, so a little more opportunity maybe, which is nice."
Game 1 of the 2026 Prospect Showcase takes place on September 12 at 4:00 pm PT at the Rogers Forum. Game 2 will begin at 1:00 pm PT the day after. Both games will be available to stream via Canucks.com .
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