Vancouver Canucks Announce Roster Transaction Involving Prospect Vilmer Alriksson

It's been a tough second half of the 2024-25 season in the Ontario Hockey League for Vancouver Canucks forward Vilmer Alriksson, who started the year with the Guelph Storm before being traded to the Brampton Steelheads just before Christmas.

Alriksson's last game with the Steelheads came in mid-February when he suffered an upper-body injury, which forced him to miss the remainder of Brampton's regular season schedule and the first round of the playoffs.

Despite the injury, it looks like the big Swedish forward is making the jump to the professional ranks this spring.

In a social media post on Thursday morning, the Abbotsford Canucks announced that the Vancouver Canucks have reassigned Vilmer Alriksson from the OHL's Brampton Steelheads to the AHL.

Alriksson, 20, appeared in 43 games this season between the Guelph Storm and Brampton Steelheads where he tallied 35 points (15 goals, 20 assists), 26 penalty minutes and was a minus-five.

It's unclear if the Stockholm, Sweden native will be able to play with Abbotsford Canucks due to his injury or how far along he is in his recovery, but just being around the team and gaining experience as a professional hockey player will help him in a big way ahead of the 2025-26 season.

The 6'6", 234 lb winger should play a key role in Abbotsford next season, assuming he makes their team out of camp and isn't assigned to Kalamazoo in the ECHL, which is obviously a possibility, much like Josh Bloom.

Alriksson will bring plenty of size and physicality to Abbotsford's forward group and some depth scoring as well, and it's going to be interesting to see where Manny Malhotra and the rest of the coaching staff feel is the best line to slot him in on.