Canucks 2026 NHL Draft Guide & Predictions For First 2 Rounds

We are only hours away from the Vancouver Canucks adding at least two new blue-chip prospects to their farm system through the 2026 NHL Draft. If they can somehow pull off a trade involving Elias Pettersson, Jake DeBrusk or Brock Boeser before the first round wraps up, they might even add more. As of this writing, they haven’t gotten into the craziness that is 2026 Trade Deadline 2.0, but sources say teams have been poking around their veterans, which means anything could happen between now and the 32nd pick.

Last year, the Canucks only had six picks, which they used to select Braeden Cootes (15th), Alexei Medvedev (47th), Kieren Dervin (65th), Wilson Bjorck (143rd), Gabriel Chiarot (175th), and Matthew Lansing (207th). This year, they have 10 for the first time since 2003, when the draft had nine rounds, and Ryan Kesler was their first pick at 23.

Canucks 2026 Draft Picks

• First round – 3rd and 24th overall
• Second round – 33rd and 41st overall
• Third round – 78th overall
• Fourth round – 97th overall
• Fifth round – 129th overall
• Sixth round – 161st, 176th, and 184th overall

In total, the Canucks have 10 picks over the first six rounds, including four in the top 50. The only round they don’t have a selection in is the seventh, but they make up for that with three in the sixth.

What the Canucks Need

The Canucks are poised to inject a lot of skill into the top of their prospect pool this year with their first four picks. Best player available should always be the mantra in the first round, but they could address some needs at the same time, if not with their first-round picks, but with their two second-rounders.

While the Canucks could use a bit of everything, their biggest need is down the middle, ideally someone who is projected as a top-line point producer. Even if Cootes shoots above his projected ceiling as a second-line centre, we all know Stanley Cup contenders are built on the backs of at least two – maybe even three – pivots that can put up points and/or shut down the opposition.

Just look at the recent Stanley Cup winners, the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida Panthers, who had dominant performances from centres like Jordan Staal, Logan Stankoven, Aleksander Barkov, Sam Bennett, and Sam Reinhart. Bennett and Staal were so good that they won the Conn Smythe Trophy for their efforts. Needless to say, the centre ice position is very important.

Beyond that, the Canucks need a general injection of skill, specifically forwards that can play in the top-six and score goals. With their first four picks, they should be able to do that with several wingers/centres that are projected to be goal-scoring threats in their prime.

Predicting the Canucks’ First 2 Rounds of the 2026 Draft

Over the last two months, The Hockey Writers has gone through a few players the Canucks could select with their third, 24th, 33rd and 41st-overall picks. Here are my final predictions for how it will go down over the next two days:

3rd Overall – Viggo Bjorck, Centre/Winger

While many outlets are projecting the Canucks to select head coach Manny Malhotra’s son Caleb, I am going a different direction – that is, if the San Jose Sharks do the expected and select Ivar Stenberg at second-overall. If they don’t, and Stenberg is there for the taking, the Canucks should definitely grab him.

Assuming the former happens, the Canucks should draft another Swedish forward, the ever-rising Viggo Bjorck, the younger brother of 2025 draft pick Wilson Bjorck. He is generating buzz at the top of the draft, as per The Hockey Writers’ own Mark Scheig, so it might not be as much of a surprise to see him end up at third overall. We profiled him as a Canucks target in May, and since then, he impressed during the World Championship, where he had six points in eight games, centring Team Sweden’s top line. After that performance, he solidified his place as the first pick of the Ryan Johnson/Sedin twin era.

24th Overall – Liam Ruck, Right Wing

It’s been nearly 27 years since 2026 Hall of Fame general manager Brian Burke pulled off the deals to secure the right to select Henrik and Daniel Sedin in 1999. Now, Johnson and the Sedins have the opportunity to do the same and grab the next set of wonder twins in Markus and Liam Ruck. Liam is the higher-ranked of the two, so the Canucks select him here at 24th overall.

As mentioned, the Canucks need more goalscoring power in their top six, and Liam brings that in spades. He is the goalscorer of the two, finishing off passes from Markus to the tune of 45 goals this season. He also had 104 points, four back of his brother, who led the Western Hockey League (WHL). Even if the Canucks were able to select only Liam, he would still bring that injection of skill they desperately need in the system.

33rd Overall – Markus Ruck, Centre

Well, in my mock draft, the Canucks don’t have to worry about that, as Johnson doesn’t waste any time on Day 2 and grabs the other half of the twin powers, playmaker Markus Ruck. As the setup man, he finished with far more assists than his brother at 87 and led the WHL in scoring with 108 points. He is also a centre, so he fills a need in the Canucks system.

The Rucks will continue their development together at Brock Boeser’s alma mater, the University of North Dakota, as they both committed to playing there starting in the 2027-28 season. In this version of the multiverse, they will also play together in the NHL with the Canucks, and hopefully form the nucleus of the next core. Just like the Sedins eventually did.

41st Overall – Jonas Lagerberg Hoen, Right Wing

The Canucks bookend their run of early picks with another Swedish winger, Jonas Lagerberg Hoen. Described as “a high volume and quality shooter” with “a tremendous release and accuracy” by THW’s Peter Barrachini in his prospect profile, he would also add a lot of goalscoring potential to the pipeline. He notched an impressive nine goals in nine games this season in the U20 Nationell for Leksands IF, and has risen up draft boards to the early second round. In this world, he is still available at 41, and Johnson grabs yet another future piece of what fans hope is an eventual Stanley Cup champion.

Canucks’ Rebuild Will Be Off and Running After June 27

If the draft board falls the same way as my predictions, the Canucks will head into the third round with four potential top-six forwards. Bjorck has been described as the Swedish Nick Suzuki, the dynamic two-way Selke Trophy winner that is now leading the rebuild in Montreal. If he pans out that way, he and Cootes should form a formidable one-two punch down the middle for the next decade.

Beyond him, the Ruck twins, if they hit their ceiling, could be perennial 80-100 point players leading a 1A/1B line. And finally, Lagerberg Hoen has the potential to be a middle-six power forward, scoring goals with his lethal shot. I think it’s safe to say everyone would be pretty happy with that outcome.

Whatever happens, the Canucks’ 2026 draft class should form a solid foundation for a rebuild that will likely span the next three or four draft years. Hopefully, we will be looking back fondly at this draft class in 2031 as the one that started to build a perennial contender.