We are nearing the conclusion of the preseason, and the Vancouver Canucks are on the road one final time, heading to Calgary to battle the Flames on Wednesday night.

The Canucks are putting out an NHL-heavy lineup on Wednesday as the regular season begins in one week. The team made cuts to the roster on Monday afternoon and is now down to just a few more cuts before the final roster is established.

Calgary is expected to have a strong lineup on Wednesday with its veterans putting the final touches on their preseason. Their top line saw Joel Farabee and Yegor Sharangovich skating on the wings with Nazem Kadri at centre.

Quick Hits on the Competition:

The Flames’ starting netminder, Dustin Wolf, will not be in the lineup on Wednesday as Devin Cooley and Ivan Prosvetov will split the game between the pipes.

Cuts were made on Tuesday, bringing the Flames’ roster down to 27 players, meaning they only have a few cuts left.

Their first power play unit consisted of Kadri, Matt Coronato, Morgan Frost, Jonathan Huberdeau, and MacKenzie Weegar.

Young defenceman, and ninth overall pick Zayne Parekh, is listed on the third pairing and is seeing time on the second power play. Parekh was named the CHL’s defenceman of the year last year and had 35 goals in 66 games with the Saginaw Spirit (OHL).

The Story: Cootes Impressing with Maturity

Assistant Coach Brett McLean spoke to the media following practice on Tuesday and spoke highly of 18-year-old Braeden Cootes, who keeps earning himself another day with the Canucks in preseason.

“He’s been really good. What’s interesting is a lot of times with younger players, the more you watch them in video and look back, sometimes those younger player habits kind of creep up, and you see maybe the gaps in the game that they need to improve on. He’s been the opposite,” said McLean.

“Every time we’ve looked at video, it seems to be him on there doing the right thing. So yeah, obviously the goals are nice, but it’s all the other little things that he definitely plays at a maturity level that’s beyond his age.”

When and Where to Watch

Friday’s game is a 6:00 p.m. PT start time, and you can watch the game on Sportsnet or listen to Brendan Batchelor’s radio call on Sportsnet 650 and the Sportsnet Radio Network.