Canucks prospect Aleksei Medvedev arrived at his second Vancouver Canucks development camp with a different mindset than a year ago.
After experiencing the highs and lows of his second season with the OHL’s London Knights, the 18-year-old goaltender returned to Vancouver with greater confidence, a clearer understanding of his game, and a renewed focus for the offseason.
Following the end of London’s season, Medvedev began training in Ontario before making the trip to development camp, which he views as the ideal bridge into his summer preparation ahead of his third OHL season.
“It's been great just coming back here. I feel like now you get into more serious training, you've got less than two months before the season, so this is a great step to kind of start things off and really get into that mindset,” Medvedev said.
This summer, Medvedev’s focus is on refining his technique and continuing to strengthen the mental side of his game. On the ice, he’s working on his hands, tracking pucks, reading rush plays, and improving his mobility in the crease. He’s also training with a goalie coach in Ontario, recommended by Goalie Development Coach Ian Clark.
He's also been putting in work in the gym, standing 6-foot-3, nearly 200 pounds, and still feeling swift on the ice.
Last season proved to be one of growth for Medvedev in harnessing the mental side of his game. He opened the year posting a .926 save percentage and a 7-2-1 record through 10 games before finishing the regular season with a .891 save percentage and a 16-15-2 record. While he’s not satisfied with his season, the experience gave him a valuable perspective.
“I've taken so much away from it [last season], so I'd say result-wise, obviously not happy, but I feel like I've needed that year. [I] touched on a lot of things I've been missing and that were out of my attention, I'd say. This year brought me more clarity and more focus to areas I really needed to work on.”
Much of that growth came away from the rink. He has been working with sports psychologists and spent time during development camp learning from Canucks Mental Performance Consultant Alex Hodgins. Developing mental resilience has become one of his biggest priorities after learning how quickly confidence can be tested over the course of a season.
“You always want to learn, develop that skill of mental toughness and stuff like that. I feel like I've really experienced that last year, I feel like that's something I've always been missing, and obviously putting a lot of effort into that this offseason,” he said.
In his first season with the Knights, the team won the Memorial Cup, and the then-17-year-old started last season with big expectations for himself between the pipes. Those expectations were made bigger by the fact that he was drafted in the second round, 47th overall, in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
“I've never really been in that spot before, obviously being a really high draft pick, and then coming into the year, being off to a really good start, and then kind of losing my game a little bit. I feel like it was a great experience dealing with that, and I found a ton of things that I could work on, and I've really touched more on in the offseason, worked a lot more on, developed on them, and expanded,” he shared.
Now entering another season with one of junior hockey’s premier clubs, Medvedev believes he’s better prepared for both the challenges and expectations that come from within. Rather than shying away from pressure, he’s embracing it as motivation.
To wrap up development camp, the group does 3-on-3 scrimmages at Rogers Forum, followed by a shootout in which Medvedev had a shutout, stopping all seven shots he faced. He was dialed in and wants to build on the foundation he’s laid this past year.
“Obviously I want to be the guy, and want to be the best goalie in the OHL,” Medvedev said. “I feel like that's what I expect from myself, kind of prove that I'm ready to take that next step. London loves winners, and we win in London, so we’ve got a big year coming for us.”
