Canucks players speak at Jake Milford Charity Golf Tournament

Before the annual Jake Milford Charity Golf Tournament, some Vancouver Canucks met with the media as an official beginning of the season, with most of the team in attendance.

Brock Boeser, Kevin Lankinen, Elias Pettersson, and Tyler Myers discussed their offseasons, their new head coach, shared some reflections on last season, and looked ahead to the upcoming season. 

Firstly, the players kept it light with what some of their offseason activities:

“I went to Italy and Croatia before the free agency period,” Boeser shared. “I don’t recommend that for anyone – kind of a stressful trip, which you’re not supposed to be stressed on.”

“It’s been a good time just being home, seeing family and friends,” Lankinen said. “I took a little trip with my wife, but most importantly, just recharging and making sure I’m in the best shape I could possibly be now that the season is about to kick in.”

“It was nice to be home in Sweden with friends and family,” Pettersson said. “I did get married. It was the highlight, best day of my life.”

“Hit the water slides with the kids a bunch of times. That was fun,” said Myers.

Boeser had the most stressful offseason, as had it not been for a last-minute deal to kick off free agency, he would not have even been in Vancouver. He spoke about how July 1 went for him:

“Obviously, it was a really stressful time. I’m just happy that it’s over and done with, and I can focus on playing hockey. I said I wanted to be here from the start, so I’m super excited.”

Safe to say one of his longest teammates, Tyler Myers, was elated to have Boeser back as well:

“I was very happy. Brock and I have been together a while now. I know at that time of year, it can be a little chaotic for a lot of guys. But at the end of the day, just really excited to see him back.”

While Boeser did not change teams, the Canucks did have a change behind the bench, appointing former assistant coach Adam Foote as the new bench boss. The players are eager to get to work under Foote:

“Knowing Footer, I’m really excited for him – really happy to have him back,” Myers expressed. “I think one of the things I love about him is how he reads a room and reads a player better than a lot of people that I’ve seen. He’s helped me tremendously the last few years for him to jump in as a head coach, I think he’s just going to help more and more guys being able to be a part of it a little bit more in a higher role. So really excited for him and happy to have him back here.”

“He’s great. He’s such a detailed guy,” Boeser shared. “He’s a guy who can connect with players well – he has the last few seasons. He’s going to be great for us.”

“He’s been it’s been our assistant coach for three years now,” Pettersson said. “He’s been a great leader. He’s good to talk to, and just the talks we’ve been having over the summer, it’s been really good. So really, really looking forward to it.”

To read about the entire Pettersson availability, click here!

Boeser would not have re-signed in Vancouver had he not seen a clear path to success in the team’s direction. He touched on where he believes the team is at heading into the season, while acknowledging that the offence needs to improve:

“We have a lot of good parts to our team: a good, strong foundation with the goalies and defence. Obviously, we talked about our offence from last season wasn’t that good. We obviously need to be better. That’s a key focus, but we just have to make sure we’re moving on from last season and focusing on this season and making sure it’s a fresh start.”

The Canucks had a relatively quiet offseason. But their biggest acquisition came in the form of a trade with their biggest rival, the Edmonton Oilers, for Evander Kane. There were mixed reviews on the move, but Kane undoubtedly makes the forward group better. Here is what Myers – the only player on the roster who has played with Kane – had to say about the newly acquired forward and what he can bring to the squad:

“I think Kaner is going to help us a lot. He brings a lot to a group; big power forward. The times I’ve had with him when we were younger, playing against him wasn’t that fun. Playing with them at World Juniors and Worlds [Championships], I know what he can bring. I think he’s exactly some of the things that we were lacking a little bit of. I think he’s going to step in and do great things.”

As Boeser mentioned, the goalies and defence are the foundation of the Canucks heading into the 2025-26 season. On paper, the Canucks’ blueline looks to be the deepest and most competitive heading into a season in years. Here is where Myers thinks this year’s defence corps stacks up against the others he’s seen in his six-year Canucks career:

“Yeah, it’d be up there. I really like the way the D core is shaping out. To have Marcus come in at the start of the year, and for him to sign a contract; he does so much for us off the ice as well – being a leader on the team. So, you know, I think before the D core stands right now, and you know, a lot of the young guys pushing for a spot, I think, I think it’s in a great spot. We just want to keep building.”

Perhaps the biggest surprise to the Canucks’ blueline last season was the emergence of Elias Pettersson (D). As a veteran defenceman, Myers commented on the young blueliner and his potential in the NHL:

“He played great. He stepped in and showed that he’s got a ton of potential. I know for him, he’s looking at this as a big opportunity and a big camp, just like a lot of the other guys. But for him to come in last year and step in and play the way he did, it’s a great stepping stone moving forward. I’m excited to see him push September.”

This is a much different September for Lankinen this season. Last year, he remained unsigned, but this season, he walks into training camp with a fresh new five-year, $22.5 million contract. The Finnish netminder was asked about how different this summer is compared to last, and he shared how he feels heading into the 2025-26 season:

“Yeah, it’s obviously fun to be here: being familiar with all the faces and the circumstances here, but at the same time that the fire and the hunger is bigger than ever. I feel like there’s so many steps we can take as a team, but most importantly, as an individuals. I’ve been preparing this summer as hard as I ever could. I’m in the best shape I’ve ever been; stronger than ever before. I can’t wait to get things going.”

With Thatcher Demko coming in and out of the lineup for most of last season, he and Lankinen did not spend much time as a duo. However, Lankinen is confident in their chemistry, sharing that they’ve been in Vancouver working together for the last three to four weeks:

“I feel like we have good chemistry, where we’re obviously know each other better than we did last year, and we know kind of the strength of each goalie as an individual, and there’s something we can learn from each other. So I see it’s really good upside for the team, but more most importantly for the both of us as well.”

With Demko two years removed from a Vezina runner-up season, and Lankinen taking the step to show he can be a starting goalie in the NHL, where does Lankinen think his tandem with Demko ranks in the league?

“I think we’re right there on top of the list. That’s the mindset we’re going in with. I know Thatcher is an elite goalie, and I want to be up there, too. I feel like whoever’s in net, we got a good chance to win some hockey games here this year.”

Canucks Training Camp kicks off next Thursday in Penticton, when fans will first get to see the team on the ice heading into the 2025-26 season.

Make sure to check out the CanucksArmy YouTube channel to watch each of these media availabilities: