At NHL training camps, all eyes are on the bubble players.

Sure, camp helps veterans shake off the rust, but it’s the guys on the roster bubble who should stand out from the crowd.

Here are six bubble guys who stood out for the Vancouver Canucks after three days of camp, including a scrimmage.

1. Braeden Cootes

Sometimes, age is just a number.

The youngest skater at Canucks training camp by a couple of years, 2007-born Braeden Cootes showcased his speed, intelligence, and work ethic throughout camp.

The 18-year-old made two large, veteran defenders in Marcus Pettersson and Tyler Myers pick up their pace during one drill in particular.

During the scrimmage, Cootes’ defensive zone exit directly led to a Kiefer Sherwood goal.

“Think I measure up pretty well, but the guys are just bigger, faster, stronger, all the cliche things,” Cootes said to the media. “I’m still not 18 yet, so I’ve got time, which is nice.”

While he’s certainly a longshot to make this team, this has been an impressive few days for the young centre.

2. Arshdeep Bains

Surrey, B.C. native Arshdeep Bains has carried forward his momentum from the Calder Cup playoffs, when his late postseason tear helped Abbotsford win a championship.

Bains looked sharp and intelligent during the scrimmage. He made a nice play at the top of the offensive zone to set up Sherwood’s goal.

SHERWOOD STRIKES FIRST❗️

Team White ⚪️ leads 1-0 over Team Blue 🔵 pic.twitter.com/qBzmMndpTg

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 20, 2025

The 24-year-old then added a goal of his own in the second-half of scrimmage action.

SHERWOOD ➡️ BAINS 🚨

Team White ⚪️ doubles the lead over Team Blue 🔵, 2-0! pic.twitter.com/fca5r5qikl

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) September 20, 2025

Considering that he’s waiver eligible, Bains may have an inside track to making this team. He definitely stood out compared to say, another bottom-six, left-winger like Drew O’Connor.

3. Linus Karlsson

Speaking of waiver-eligible players, Linus Karlsson was another who has looked good from day one of training camp.

A big knock on Karlsson has been that he looks slow compared to the average NHLer. So far at camp, he looks like he’s added a bit of burst to his skating.

If he can maintain that speed in the preseason, there’s a strong chance that the 25-year-old will make the team. In his last 10 NHL games, Karlsson posted a respectable two goals and five points. Him and Aatu Räty showed a bit of chemistry during moments of the Canucks scrimmage as well.

4. Elias Pettersson

Elias Pettersson (the defenceman) carried over his standout performance at the Prospects Showcase over to training camp.

He was paired with Victor Mancini throughout training camp, and the duo caught the attention of Canucks new assistant coach Kevin Dean during the scrimmage.

“I thought Mancini was really good and active, and I liked Elias Pettersson,” Dean told the media after the scrimmage. “I thought the effort was really good, and that’s kind of what you’re looking for today.”

5. Pierre-Olivier Joseph

If you were hoping that the all of the Canucks young defencemen would surpass Pierre-Olivier Joseph on the depth chart, prepare to be disappointed.

Joseph hasn’t lived up to his first-round draft status after being selected 23rd overall by the Arizona Coyotes back in 2017. However, the 26-year-old still looks like an NHLer compared to the other bubble players.

6. Jonathan Lekkerimäki

The Canucks first-round pick from 2022 looked like he had an uphill battle to start the season in Vancouver.

While that may still be the case, the 21-year-old was gifted an opportunity right out of the gates.

Lekkerimäki skated on a line with Evander Kane and Filip Chytil. He had good moments in the offensive zone during the scrimmage, and he also had a good defensive breakup against Elias Pettersson (the forward).

Thoughts on other Canucks bubble players

The bubble players are the ones you expect to notice during training camp. While no one stood out as being bad, per say, there were a couple of notable players who didn’t stand out from the crowd.

Vitali Kravtsov is likely looking at his last chance to make the NHL, but the former top-10 pick wasn’t as noticeable as guys like Bains, Karlsson, or Lekkerimäki. He’ll need a special preseason to be considered for a roster spot.

All eyes were on Tom Willander coming into training camp, considering his draft pedigree and the fact that there was an open spot for him on the right side. His speed is noticeable, but right now it looks like starting in Abbotsford is the best option for him.

Räty and Nils Åman didn’t look as impressive compared to Cootes. For Räty, he didn’t have a full offseason of training due to a core injury. He had some good moments during the scrimmage, but he appears to be behind Teddy Blueger on the depth chart.

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