Breadcrumb Trail Links
SportsHockeyNHLVancouver Canucks
If the Canucks don’t pick first overall to land dynamic Gavin McKenna, they should place priority on towering defenceman Keaton Verhoeff.
Get the latest from Ben Kuzma straight to your inbox Sign Up
Published Apr 27, 2026 • Last updated 17 minutes ago • 4 minute read
You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.
Penn State rookie winger Gavin McKenna goes on the offensive against Arizona State during an NCAA matchup on Oct. 3, 2025, in Tempe, Ariz. Photo by Rick Scuteri /APArticle content
The odds are good. The history isn’t.
Advertisement 2
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.
SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.
Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.
REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.
THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.
Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.
Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account
or
Article content
The Vancouver Canucks have never won the NHL Draft Lottery and lost positioning on four occasions, including slipping from second to fifth in 2017 and third to fifth in 2016. They also dropped from sixth to seventh in 2018 and ninth to 10th in 2019.
Article content
Article content
And maybe when the expansion Canucks lost that wild roulette-wheel spin in 1970, it set the franchise up for decades of draft mystery. That’s how we think here. Vancouver can’t have nice things.
The Canucks thought they won the first-overall draft pick before a misread awarded it to the Buffalo Sabres. It meant missing out on Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Gilbert Perreault and settling for Dale Tallon. He played three seasons in Vancouver and was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks.
And while the Canucks have the best bingo-ball odds at 25 1/2 per cent to secure the first-overall lottery selection May 5 — and target highly productive winger Gavin McKenna — they also have an 18.8 per cent chance of selecting second. However, their best odds are dropping to third with a 55.7 per cent shot for that slot.
That could start the great debate of whether the Canucks target centre Caleb Malhotra, arguably the best pivot available for the NHL Draft on June 26 to 27, or budding blueliners in Keaton Verhoeff and Chase Reid.
Canucks Report
Thanks for signing up!
Article content
Advertisement 3
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
According to long-serving NHL prospects scout Shane Malloy, who deemed top-10 potential of the 2026 NHL Draft as “good because there are five defencemen,” there is no debate. It comes from experience and knowledge as the author of The Art of Scouting, a Hockey Prospect Radio regular and who is close to completing a PhD in interdisciplinary studies.
If the Canucks don’t land McKenna, Malloy believes their focus should shift to the back end, even at No. 2 and passing on Swedish scoring winger Ivar Stenberg, who excelled in the Swedish Hockey League. Call it supply and demand. NHL teams need to build from the blue-line and elite defenders are rare and highly coveted at the draft.
Zeev Buium holds up Anze Kopitar in an April 14 meeting. Buium could have Keaton Verhoeff do the dirty work if drafted. Photo by Derek Cain /Getty Images
The Canucks could argue they’re on a path to future prominence with defenceman Zeev Buium, 20, Tom Willander, 21, and Elias Pettersson, 22, dropped into the deep end of the development pool. However, they need support for the roster rebuild that could take several years for the Canucks to return to playoff potential.
“They should take a defenceman — they’re missing a piece,” Malloy stressed to Postmedia News on Monday. “It’s who is available, and arguably, two could become a No. 1 and the other three a No. 2. Drafting a first-pairing defenceman supersedes anybody else. Reid and Verhoeff are tied in my eyes.
Advertisement 4
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“You can always find a strong winger.”
Or maybe a centre later in the first round in Markus Ruck of the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL).
When pressed, Malloy said he would select Verhoeff over Reid based on several factors, if McKenna is off the board.
The 6-foot-4, 218 pound, right shot Verhoeff didn’t look out of place as a 17-year-old NCAA rookie. He acclimated quickly at North Dakota with strong down-low defending and projects as an Aaron Ekblad type. A reliable rearguard who can play in the top pairing and eventually form a formidable union to insulate the speedy Buium. It would allow Willander to grow with Pettersson.
“You set up your defence core for a decade,” said Malloy.
McKenna: ‘Highest offensive ceiling in the draft’
As for McKenna, it’s a no-brainer first overall selection.
Aside from an envious skills package that transferred from Medicine Hat to Penn State, the Whitehorse native would be a boon to the business side. Especially in a long rebuild, all those empty seats, and ticket prices rising again next season.
McKenna had 14 points (4-10) in seven 2026 world junior hockey championship games and 129 points (41-88) in 56 WHL games in 2024-25.
Advertisement 5
This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.
Article content
“He’s a guy they can market,” said Malloy. “When you’re drafting that high, the business side is a consideration and it influences choices. He has the highest offensive ceiling of anybody in the draft.
“What’s really impressive is he came into college as a 17-year-old freshman (now 18). The average age of a junior in the CHL is 18 and college it’s 21 1/2. It makes a tremendous difference when you’re a young offensive player, because the opposition is bigger, faster, stronger, more mature and plays a structured game.
“You can’t compare a player in the WHL, who puts up points against 18- and 19-year-old kids, versus a 17-year-old college freshman, which is rare. And playing in a really tough conference (Big Ten) and producing against young men.”
Canucks draft pick priorities1. Gavin McKenna, LW, 5-11, 170 lbs., Penn State (NCAA), GP: 35, G: 15, A: 36, PTS: 51
Scout says: “His two traits are hockey sense and ability to see the play before it develops and make the correct play consistently. And his greatest skill is creating time and space.”
2. Keaton Verhoeff, RSD, 6-4, 212 lbs., North Dakota (NCAA), GP: 36, G: 6, A: 14, PTS: 20
Scout says: “He’s going to play at 225 pounds, no problem. Think about Aaron Ekblad, who’s a big right-shot defenceman. How would the Canucks look with a guy like that who has put up 57 points in 61 NHL games?
3. Chase Reid, RSD, 6-2, 187 lbs., Sault Ste. Marie (OHL), GP: 45, G: 18, A: 30, PTS: 48
Scout says: “Could quarterback the second power-play unit, which reduces the top unit responsibility to play more 5-on-5 and also kill penalties. And you have to look at all that strategically.”
Read More
Canucks: Why Shane Doan checks right boxes to help repair fractured franchise
Oilers notebook: Jarry or Ingram for Game 5? Kasperi Kapanen is a gamer
Article content
Share this article in your social network