Canucks Downed 5–3 By Kraken In First Pre-Season Game Of 2025–26 Season

Vancouver Canucks hockey is back . . . sort of. September 21 marked the start of the Canucks’ 2025–26 pre-season, with training camp concluding only hours before. In their first pre-season game, the Canucks lost 5–3 to the Seattle Kraken, with Victor Mancini, Chase Stillman, and Nils Åman finding the back of the net for Vancouver. Nikita Tolopilo and Ty Young split the start for the Canucks, with Tolopilo making 13 stops on 14 saves, and Young stopping six of 10. 

The Canucks squad was made up of a notably younger crew than the more veteran Kraken roster. All four roster-favourite defencemen dressed for this game, with young stars Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander paired together to start the game. Mancini played on a pairing with free agency signing Jimmy Schuldt, while Pierre-Olivier Joseph skated alongside Sawyer Mynio. Both Mancini and Joseph got extended time on the penalty kill after Danila Klimovich received a call for tripping, while Willander was given first-unit minutes on the power play. 

Of the four defencemen, the most noticeable was definitely Mancini, who ended up playing a team-leading 23:21 minutes and spent time on both the power play and penalty kill. Not only did he effectively throw his body around while making smart plays, but he scored the Canucks’ first goal of the game off a powerful shot from the top of the dot. His tally came off a great pass by prospect Cootes, whose Prospects Showcase and Training Camp efforts are making it very hard for the Canucks to send him back down to the WHL. 

Another player who made his presence known was former and current Canuck Joseph LaBate. LaBate was selected 101st overall in the 2011 NHL Draft by Vancouver, and proceeded to stay with the organization until he moved onto the Belville Senators in 2018. He signed with the Canucks in free agency back in July and will try to push for a roster spot during the pre-season. The forward helped make his case by dropping the gloves with John Hayden near the end of the first period. 

​​Latest From THN’s Vancouver Canucks Site: 

“Just Do My Best — Nothing More I Can Do”: Canucks’ Aatu Räty Discusses 2025 Off-Season And Working Towards Full-Time NHL Role

Vancouver Canucks Release First Round Of Cuts From 2025 Training Camp

Canucks Reveal Roster For First Game Of The 2025 Pre-Season Versus The Kraken

In net, Tolopilo had a great first half of the game, making big stops right off the bat. He had a huge stop on Seattle prospect Shane Wright near the end of the first period to keep the Kraken’s lead to only one. He swapped spots with Young halfway through the second period, though the second goaltender was peppered by bad goals that resulted in him letting three past him early on. 

One of the issues for Vancouver tonight was the power play, which only capitalized on one of six opportunities. However, given that none of the Canucks’ power play regulars took part in this game, this isn’t something overly urgent to worry about. 

Scoring Summary

First Period: 

5:54 - SEA: Eduard Šalé (1) from Jordan Eberle and Blake Fiddler 

Second Period: 

3:25 - VAN: Victor Mancini (1) from Braeden Cootes and Kiefer Sherwood 

10:54 - SEA: Jani Nyman (1) from Kaapo Kakko and Vince Dunn

13:45 - SEA: Jaden Schwartz (1) from Shane Wright and Vince Dunn

14:25 - SEA: Jani Nyman (2) from Kaapo Kakko and Vince Dunn

19:44 - VAN: Chase Stillman (1) [PS] 

Third Period: 

3:07 - SEA: John Hayden (1) from Oscar Fisker Molgaard 

7:25 - VAN: Nils Åman (1) from Joseph LaBate and Pierre-Olivier Joseph 

Up Next: 

The Canucks’ pre-season continues on Wednesday, September 24, when they take on the Calgary Flames at the Abbotsford Centre. So far, the team has confirmed that Tyler Myers, Thatcher Demko, Marcus Pettersson, Nils Höglander, Filip Chytil, and Conor Garland will be part of the lineup on Wednesday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 pm PT. 

Make sure you bookmark THN's Vancouver Canucks site and add us to your favourites on Google News for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and so much more. Also, don't forget to leave a comment at the bottom of the page and engage with other passionate fans through our forum. This article originally appeared on The Hockey News.