Building Blue: Connor Davis Looks to Use His Size and Speed to Make an Impact on Every Shift

Vancouver Canucks prospect Connor Davis wants to lean on his strengths and gain confidence in his freshman season with North Dakota.  

Davis was selected in the fifth round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft after a strong season as an 18-year-old in the USHL. One thing that stands out about Davis’ game is how impactful he can be shift to shift. He’s learned to use his size and speed to be a difference-maker and is excited to be with a great program like NoDak to develop his game for the pro ranks.  

His path as a Canucks prospect began in the summer when he attended development camp and enjoyed receiving guidance from the coaches and management.  

“Development camp was awesome. The coaches were so helpful; they were just telling me that my size is such a gift. I’m a stronger guy, and the skilled players aren’t always going to be there, and they want to see me use my size more to my advantage, and I feel like I use that. Over the summer I got even stronger and worked on using my size in different ways,” said Davis.  

At Canucks development camp, Davis formed a relationship with 17-year-old pro and now Canucks development coach Alex Edler. The two have had phone calls and exchange texts regularly about Davis’ game, and Edler’s guidance is helping the 19-year-old understand how to unlock a new level to his game.  

That level comes from Davis using his unique combination of speed and size (6’2” - 196 lbs). He believes physicality is a huge part of his game and thought it took a couple of games in the NCAA to fully understand he could use it as a strength.  

“It’s a really big jump from juniors to college, and it has taken a little getting used to. I mean, you’re playing guys that are 24, 25 years old now, so it was obviously an adjustment. But you know, I just wanted to focus on working hard, and I feel like I’ve been doing pretty good so far,” said Davis.  

“You can look at my first goal. I was fighting my way to the net and using my physicality. So, yeah, I try to just implement that as much as I can. I know I'm a bigger guy, I've got to play hard, skilled hockey. I get a lot of success from that.”

As Davis looks to evolve his game, he is focused on building strength in the gym so he can stay strong on the boards, control the opposition’s crease, and drive to the net.  

Through the first six games of his college career, Davis feels most confident in his skating. He has been happy with how he has adjusted to the pace of play in the NCAA, and that has given him confidence to build his game as the season goes on.  

As many prospects say, Davis is focused on finding consistency. He has impressed with his effort through the first half-dozen games and has worked with the North Dakota coaching staff to define his game and build his skills to make more of an impact.  

“I just want to be a more reliable player,” he said. “I want to be that guy that the coaches can count on. If they need anything towards the end of the game, I want to be the first guy that they’ll look to.”  

Davis is at a great program in the NCAA with North Dakota and has already built some confidence in his ability at the college level. He has set a floor for what he can bring in a game and wants to keep raising that bar as the season goes on.