The 2025 NHL Draft is officially over, with the Vancouver Canucks adding six new players into their organization’s portfolio. Their selection includes a surprising four centers, a goaltender, and a right-winger. Vancouver didn’t pick any defencemen this year, which isn’t surprising given the depth they have shown lately with both Vancouver and the Abbotsford Canucks. They had a pick in every round of the draft except for the fourth, which they traded to the Edmonton Oilers in exchange for Evander Kane earlier on in the week. Let’s take a look at the six players who are now members of the Canucks organization.
Braeden Cootes
Round 1, 15th OVR
Centre
Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL
With their first selection in the 2025 NHL Draft, Vancouver selected centre Braeden Cootes of the Seattle Thunderbirds. Cootes, who captained the Thunderbirds alongside fellow Canucks prospect Sawyer Mynio in 2024–25, is a two-way centre who is known for his leadership on and off the ice as well as his positive impact in the locker room. Offensively, Cootes hit another level this year, scoring 26 goals and 37 assists in 63 games. In terms of his potential, some have even likened Cootes to former Canucks captain Bo Horvat.
Aleksei Medvedev
Round 2, 47th OVR
Goaltender
London Knights, OHL
Vancouver’s second pick in this year’s draft was Aleksei Medvedev, a goaltender who played in his first season with the London Knights of the OHL this season. He started 34 of the Knights’ games this season, putting up a 2.79 GAA and a .912 SV%. The left-handed catcher registered a record of 22–8–2 as well as three shutouts. Medvedev is one of the youngest goalies in this year’s draft, as he is still 17 until September 10, but is still 6’3 and has room to grow within the next few years.
Kieren Dervin
Round 3, 65th OVR
Center
Kingston Frontenacs, OHL
Selected in the third round at 65th overall, Kieren Dervin spent 10 games with the Kingston Frontenacs of the OHL in 2024–25. In his time with the Frontenacs during the regular season, he scored a goal and two assists. In the playoffs, he had a goal and two assists in 11 games. Prior to his time with Kingston, he spent two seasons with St. Andrew’s College, a Canadian hockey prep school located in Aurora, Ontario. With St. Andrew’s in 2024–25, Dervin posted 33 goals and 46 assists in 50 games played. He has already committed to Penn State University of the NCAA and is expected to join the team in 2026.
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Wilson Björck
Round 5, 143rd OVR
Center
Djurgårdens IF, J20 Nationell
Wilson Björck was the third center the Canucks selected in this year’s draft. Picked 143rd overall in the fifth round, Björck is one year older than the eligibility age and has a brother who will be eligible in the 2026 Entry Draft. Björck has played with Djurgårdens IF since 2022–23, splitting time with their J18 and J20 teams. In 2024–25, he scored 28 goals and 39 assists in 43 regular season games played with the J20 team. He averaged a point per game in the postseason with a goal and eight assists in nine games. Earlier this week, it was announced that Björck would be committing to Colorado College for the 2025–26 season.
Gabriel Chiarot
Round 6, 175th OVR
Right wing
Brampton Steelheads, OHL
Vancouver’s fifth selection of the 2025 Draft was Gabriel Chiarot, a cousin of current Detroit Red Wings defenceman Ben Chiarot. Picked 175th overall in the sixth round of the draft, the 18 year old Chiarot spent the past two seasons with the Brampton Steelheads (formerly Mississaugua prior to relocation). He had 21 goals and 14 assists in 66 regular season games in 2024–25, and added a goal in six of the team’s postseason games.
Matthew Lansing
Round 7, 207th OVR
Center
Fargo Force, USHL
The Canucks’ final pick of the 2025 NHL Draft was Matthew Lansing, who was also the fourth centerman that the team selected this year. Lansing split time with the Fargo Force and the Waterloo Blackhawks of the USHL in the 2024–25 season, and also played 11 games with Waterloo the season prior. In 40 games with the Blackhawks this year, he scored eight goals and nine assists. With Fargo, he scored four goals and six assists in the regular season. He and Team USA won a Bronze Medal in the 2025 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship. In 2025–26, Lansing will be playing for Quinnipiac University of the NCAA.
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