The Vancouver Canucks took on the Calgary Flames on Wednesday night and delivered a 3-1 win in front of an Abbotsford crowd that only a few months ago saw their team raise the Calder Cup. While Vancouver didn’t ice a star-studded lineup with names like Quinn Hughes, Elias Pettersson and Brock Boeser, they did have their starting goaltender in the net and a few exciting young guns that are fighting for roster spots.
Related: Canucks 2025-26 Player Previews: Victor Mancini
The result was a victory nonetheless, with Nils Hoglander, Victor Mancini and Filip Chytil providing the offence and Connor Zary responding with the lone tally for the Flames. Let’s take a look at some takeaways from the Canucks’ first win of the preseason.
Victor Mancini & Tom Willander Shone on the Blue Line
Another preseason game, another goal for Mancini. The 23-year-old now has two goals in his last two games and has probably pulled ahead in the race for one of the final spots on the blue line. There was even a sequence where you could have sworn Hughes was playing in this game, as Mancini did his best impression of the Canucks captain with a foray down the left wing where he deked Joel Farabee out of his jock and almost set up Linus Karlsson for a goal. He is becoming one of the early stories of the preseason and might already have a roster spot locked up, impressing his coaches with his mobility and willingness to drive up the ice.
“He’s an excellent skater,” [assistant coach Scott] Young said Wednesday before the Canucks faced the Flames. “He’s a big boy. You don’t usually see guys with that size being able to skate as well as he can. He’s aggressive and not shy to take ice, which is great” (from ‘Canucks: How hulking Victor Mancini is pushing for opening-night lineup,’ The Province, 9/25/25).
Having said that, Mancini’s younger, more hyped teammate, Tom Willander, entered the chat in this game with a solid, albeit less dynamic showing. He was quietly one of the Canucks’ best two-way defencemen, making quick, accurate passes to start breakouts and almost had his first goal, ringing a shot off the post, which eventually led to Hoglander banging in his first of the preseason. He might be a little behind Mancini in terms of the battle for the final spots, but he definitely got into the conversation with his performance after an average Prospects Showcase and training camp.
Thatcher Demko Is Back
At this time last year, Demko was still rehabbing an injury that ended up keeping him out of the crease until December. While he wasn’t busy, facing only 12 shots until Nikita Tolopilo relieved him for the third period, he was solid and looked very much like the Demko that finished as the Vezina Trophy runner-up in 2024. He even made an athletic stop that would have probably garnered a “great save, Demko!” call from the iconic Jim Hughson had he been calling the game.
All in all, if this is the Demko that fans and the league will be seeing this season, everybody better watch out. The question will still be whether he can stay healthy, but hopefully, that stuff is behind him now. With Kevin Lankinen backing him up and taking some of the workload, he should be able to avoid the injury bug and help form one of, if not the best, tandems in the NHL.
“He was so solid with his decisions and also getting around and he was so square to the pucks,” said [head coach Adam] Foote. “He came out against two Grade A (chances) and knew what he was doing. It was good to see” (from ‘Canucks 3, Flames 1: No stress, no mess in Thatcher Demko’s pre-season debut,’ The Province, 9/24/25).
Nils Hoglander Scores, But Leaves Game With Lower-Body Injury
Unfortunately, not everything that came out of this game was good news. After a strong outing against the Seattle Kraken, where he was his usual puck-hounding, forechecking self, Hoglander wasn’t able to finish this one in one piece. He scored a goal to cap off a nice sequence by Chytil and Willander in the first period, but left shortly after with a lower-body injury. He was seen wearing a walking boot after the game, and Foote said he would be evaluated today. Hopefully, it’s not too serious, and he can return quickly, since, like Demko, he was looking more like the 2023-24 version of himself than what fans saw last season.
What’s Next for the Canucks?
The Canucks will head back down the freeway to Rogers Arena to face the Kraken again for their first real home game of the preseason on Friday. This one should feature a more veteran lineup, with the top line of Jake DeBrusk, Pettersson and Boeser making their debut, and probably newcomer Evander Kane, as well. Puck drop is set for 7 pm.
