HOT TAKES: Allvin has already set his eyes on Demko's replacement?
Apart from Silovs who was a 2019 6th round draft pick, the Canucks don't have any other signed goaltenders grooming in their pipeline and the recent success two unsigned netminders had in the latest World Junior Championship may indicate that it is not too late.
Thomas Milic, the gold medalist, and Tomas Suchanek, the silver medalist, both stood on their heads to take their team to the finals and both 19-year-old netminders are playing in the WHL. Matthew Zator, from the Hockey writers, suggested that the Canucks should pursue either one.
The two were previously invited to NHL Rookie Camps but were never signed, making them available for every other team. The writer believes that with the performances they recently put up at WJC, they won't be unsigned for long. While the WJC is heavily scouted, the Canucks undoubtedly had their own scouts at the event with the team's most recent picks Elias Pettersson the defenseman, and Jonathan Lekkerimaki. Adding one of these two netminders would go a long way toward assuring the future in front of the net in Vancouver, and would go a long way beyond the likes of both Artur Silovs and Aku Kosvenkuo.
Milic, a New Westminster native, was passed over twice at the draft even after he led his team (Seattle Thunderbirds) to the WHL final and he's proven yet again that it was a mistake. Milic's numbers have never ceased to improve and his team will once again contend for a spot at the Memorial Cup. In the WHL this year, he's had 14 starts, in which he's posted an 11-2-1 record, a 2.35 goals-against average and a 0.919 save percentage. It definitely wasn't a surprise to see him named to Team Canada and it definitely won't be a surprise to see him sign a contract later this year.
The only question that remains to this day, is how long until the team makes a move on either one of these netminders? Will the Canucks get in on it?
CREDIT: The Hockey Writers
| POLL | ||
Should the Canucks make a move on a young netminder? | ||
| Milic | 170 | 60.3 % |
| Suchanek | 40 | 14.2 % |
| Neither | 72 | 25.5 % |
| List of polls | ||
