The dust has settled on the 2023 NHL Draft and the Vancouver Canucks have added four defencemen and three forwards to their prospect pool. On Day 1, they selected Tom Willander at 11th overall, and on Day 2, while they didn’t have a pick until the third round, chose another three defencemen in Hunter Brzustewicz (75th overall), Sawyer Mynio (89th), and Aiden Celebrini (171st) and three forwards in Ty Mueller (105th), Vilmer Alriksson (107th) and Matthew Perkins (119th).
After the 2022 Draft saw general manager Patrik Allvin walk away with no right-handed defencemen, three of the four in this year’s draft class were of that variety. In a pipeline that had a massive hole in that department, the Canucks arguably filled it nicely with the prospects they chose in 2023. So with all that said, let’s take a deeper dive into each of the picks and what they could bring to the team in the future.
1st Round, 11th Overall – Tom Willander, RD, Rogle BK J20 (Nationell)
With high-end forwards Oliver Moore and Zach Benson still on the board, the Canucks chose to stick to their guns and draft a much-needed two-way defenceman in Willander. The right-handed Swede rocketed up the rankings since his performance at the 2023 U18 World Championship and obviously impressed Allvin and his scouting staff.
I could see him being a guy who can eat a lot of minutes and play with Quinn Hughes and used in a shutdown role because of the way he skates and his I.Q. There’s definitely an excitement from our staff.
Allvin after the Canucks selected Wallinder 11th overall on Wednesday (from ‘2023 NHL Draft: What they’re saying about Canucks’ pick of Tom Willander’, The Province, 6/29/23)
Known for his hockey IQ and mobility, Willander has the tools to become a legit top-four defenceman in the NHL one day. He’s great in transition and was described by SiriusXM NHL analyst Shane Malloy as the best overall skater in the draft. Ultimately the third defenceman off the board after David Reinbacher and Dmitri Simashev, it will be interesting to see how he compares in a few years when he’s hopefully a full-time NHLer on the Canucks’ blue line. His upside is definitely as a partner for Hughes which would be great for the future of the defence.
The last time the Canucks drafted a Swedish defenceman was back in 1994 when they left with Mattias Ohlund at 13th overall. All he did was score 93 goals and 325 points in 770 games with the Canucks and get enshrined in the Ring of Honor. While that’s a lofty expectation for Willander, he definitely has the skill set to get there one day. He also grew up cheering for the Canucks, so it’s kind of full circle for him to get drafted by Vancouver all these years later.
“When I was very young, that was my first team that I ever started cheering for. We used to pull up the NHL game recaps at the breakfast table and I always used to watch the Vancouver Canucks. So, I guess I’m back at it.”
Committed to Boston University in the fall, Willander will hopefully continue the trend of Swedish players suiting up for the Canucks in a prominent role. Some argue he’s now the top prospect in the Canucks’ system above the likes of last year’s 15th overall pick Jonathan Lekkerimaki and recent acquisition Aatu Raty. I would have to agree with that assessment as his upside could be a top-pairing right-handed defenceman which the Canucks haven’t had since Chris Tanev and Kevin Bieksa. What’s more, Willander has a higher ceiling offensively than both of them. That alone should get Canucks Nation excited for the future.
3rd Round, 75th Overall – Hunter Brzustewicz, RD, Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
Jumping to the third round, the Canucks took a potential gem in Brzustewicz from the Kitchener Rangers in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Ranked to go 32nd overall by Draft Prospects Hockey and many others in the second round, he was obviously in the good books of a few experts in the online scouting world. Racking up six goals and 57 points in 68 games this season, he was a machine in the OHL finishing fourth among defencemen in assists and eighth in points.
Known for his mobility, strong playmaking, and puck movement (as evidenced by his assist totals), Brzustewicz could eventually become a second-pair defenceman in the NHL. If all goes well, he could even rise higher than that. In fact, Alex Hobson, who wrote his prospect profile here at THW, believes he is a poor man’s Cale Makar.
Watching Brzustewicz play, he reminds me a lot of a watered-down version of Colorado Avalanche star defenseman Cale Makar. Now, whoever drafts him should not assume they just drafted a clone of Makar, given the number of accolades he has, but when you watch the way Brzustewicz patrols the blueline on the power play, there are some striking similarities in their edgework and the way they’re able to open up space for themselves when their team is running the cycle in the offensive zone.
As Hobson said, we shouldn’t expect him to be another Makar, but just the fact that he has those attributes in his arsenal should generate excitement for his ceiling in the NHL. Also, there’s a reason why many experts in the scouting world ranked him in the second round. He might become one of the steals of this draft.
3rd Round, 89th Overall – Sawyer Mynio, LD, Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Continuing the run on defencemen (this time a left-handed one), the Canucks selected one of my favorite prospects in this draft class, Kamloops native Sawyer Mynio. Another pick out of the Seattle Thunderbirds in the Western Hockey League, he won’t be lighting up the scoreboard when he hits the NHL. However, he will be that solid modern defensive defenceman that has become all the rage in recent years. Potentially following in the footsteps of Jaccob Slavin who was drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes 120th overall in 2012 or Tanev, who was signed by the Canucks as an undrafted free agent in 2010, he could become an integral cog of the defence corps in the future.
Mynio received high praise from his GM in Seattle, Bill LaForge after he was drafted by the Canucks, saying, “Canucks got a good one, this is a good all round defenseman, good skater and his offensive game is underrated.” So, he might have more to give in the points department than I first gave him credit for. All in all, I think the Canucks got another hidden gem in the later rounds in Mynio.
4th Round, 105th Overall – Ty Mueller, C, University of Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA)
After selecting three defencemen in a row, the Canucks turned to the forwards (particularly down the middle) and began a run of centers. First up, overager Ty Mueller, who was going through the draft for the third time. Already 20 years old, he just finished his sophomore season at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and could be playing for the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League (AHL) next season. With a career-high 12 goals and 25 points in 34 games, the 5-foot-11 center is described as a “jack-of-all-trades-type of player” with average physical tools (from Elite Prospects 2023 Draft Guide).
Related: 2023 NHL Draft: Live Tracker
Ultimately, Mueller is a project that may or may not pan out in the NHL. He might top out as an AHL call-up or spend his career in the ECHL or overseas. In the end, I’m not sure why the Canucks didn’t just sign him as an undrafted free agent instead of spending a draft pick on him. Especially with more skilled options like Jaden Lipinski, Alex Ciernik, and others still on the board.
4th Round, 107th Overall – Vilmer Alriksson, LW/C, Djurgårdens IF J20 (Nationell)
With their second fourth-round pick, the Canucks selected another Swede in 6-foot-6 pivot/winger Vilmer Alriksson. Playing for the same Djurgardens IF J20 team that Lekkerimaki suited up for in his draft year, he recorded a solid 12 goals and 21 points in the regular season and two goals in five playoff games. Power is the name of the game for Alriksson as FC Hockey’s Fredrik Haak described him as a “powerful and strong winger who makes it difficult for opponents to find creative opportunities.” He also noted his skills in front of the net where he uses his strength and big frame to not only screen the goaltender but stay in position to tip pucks.
Any winger with that type of size and willingness to be aggressive on the forecheck and in front of the net will be interesting to follow in the future. Alriksson could turn out to be an effective third or fourth-line option that thrives in the playoffs when that type of hockey becomes even more important. As Lassi Alanan pointed out in the Tweet above, he is a project, but his physical profile and raw skill were definitely reasons to take a flyer on him at this point in the draft.
4th Round, 119th Overall – Matthew Perkins, C, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)
To round out the trio of fourth-round picks, the Canucks went to the United States Hockey League (USHL) and selected Matthew Perkins from the Youngstown Phantoms. Another overager, he went undrafted in 2022 when he played for the Humboldt Broncos in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) where he scored 23 goals and 59 points in 57 games. In 2022-23, he recorded 15 goals and 44 points in 60 games in his rookie season in the USHL and will be moving to the NCAA in 2023-24 as he’s committed to the University of Minnesota-Duluth.
Perkins’ strengths lie in his intelligence, work ethic, and two-way game. Phantoms associate coach Andy Contois also highlighted his leadership and the fact that he’s coachable – which could be the biggest reason why he makes it to the big leagues one day.
“The NHL team that gets Matt is going to get a very coachable, driven player…His teammates love him, he’s a great leader, and he has the ability to have a ton of success in the future.”
Unfortunately, Perkins’ primary weakness is his skating – specifically how he skates. That aspect of his game can be fixed, but it will make his journey to the NHL a very tough one to navigate.
6th Round, 171st Overall – Aiden Celebrini, RD, Brooks Bandits (AJHL)
With no picks in the fifth or seventh rounds, Aiden Celebrini became the Canucks’ final selection of the 2023 Draft. The older brother of projected 2024 first-overall pick, Macklin Celebrini, Aiden does not have the same elite skillset but could become a serviceable defenceman in the future. Donesh Mazloum of FC Hockey describes him as a “sound and solid defensive defenseman [that] is physically well-developed and exhibits strong stability on his feet, effectively using his frame to separate attackers from the puck.”
Celebrini became the third right-shot defender of this Canucks draft class and will likely be playing alongside his brother Macklin and fellow 2023 draft pick William Wallinder at Boston University in 2024-25. Like Perkins, Alriksson and Mueller before him, he’s another late-round project that will need time to develop. Luckily for the Canucks, he’s taking the NCAA route, which means they will have his rights until the end of his senior year in 2027-28.
Canucks’ 2023 Draft Class Highlighted By High Upside Defence & Underwhelming Forwards
The Canucks’ 2023 Draft class started great with the high ceiling of Wallinder in the first round. He might become the best Swedish defenceman to be drafted by the organization since Ohlund. Then came the steal in Brzustewicz, who I consider a second-round pick rather than a third. He has the very real potential to become an offensive threat in the NHL with his playmaking and skating. Finally, Mynio could be classified as a defensive defenceman in the vein of Tanev or Slavin. Not bad for the first trio of picks in Allvin’s second draft as Canucks GM.
However, when the fourth round came calling, the projects began which included two overagers in Mueller and Perkins. Don’t get me wrong, they could end up being NHLers, but the probability is low considering one (Mueller) had gone through two drafts already and the other (Perkins) has skating issues that might prevent him from making it further than the NCAA. I have hopes for Alriksson with his package of size, strength, and mobility, but other than him, there’s not much exciting upside for any of the forwards drafted in the fourth round.
While I am a writer and not an NHL scout, I would have picked prospects like Ty Halaburda or Mazden Leslie (both went undrafted), who arguably possess higher upside than Mueller or Perkins. But time will tell on that as every NHL team didn’t think they were worth drafting either. All in all, it was an interesting draft for the Canucks that filled the coffers on defence. If they all pan out, the right side won’t be a weakness for a very long time. As for the forwards, we will just have to wait and see if their wrinkles can be ironed out with seasoning and development.
