Three Vancouver Canucks prospects put their skills to the test, and against each other, at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
Caleb Malhotra and Braeden Cootes suited up for Team Canada, while Brooks Rogowski represented Team USA at the WJSS, giving Canucks development staff a chance to watch their prospects in a high-stakes tournament.
Canucks Director of Player Personnel and Player Development, Daren Hermiston, was on hand in Windsor, Ontario, watching how the trio performed as they work towards earning spots at the World Junior Championship.
“We’re there supporting the guys, encouraging them so that they play a very confident game and hopefully get the opportunity to play in the World Juniors.”
While each prospect made an impact in different ways, Hermiston came away impressed by the qualities they all shared. All three reinforced why the organization is excited about their long-term development, and Hermiston said their adaptability and ability to fit into different roles stood out.
“First and foremost, they’re all leaders; they all carry themselves with a ton of confidence, so that’s really exciting,” Hermiston said. “I think the fact that all three have versatility – they play centre ice as their primary positions – but I think all three have the ability and characteristics to also play wing if necessary. In addition to that, all three skate extremely well.”
Malhotra and Cootes saw game action in two of Canada’s three games in the tournament. Rogowski played in four games for Team USA, including the final game that saw a Canada-USA matchup, the Canucks prospects facing each other.
Malhotra played down the middle throughout the showcase, contributing in all situations while displaying a reliable two-way game and playing on the penalty kill and power play. The 18-year-old showed off his ability to anticipate and read the game at a high level.
“He kind of surprises defenders at times with how long of a stick he has, and his quick twitch and ability to just jump on pucks and create turnovers,” Hermiston said. “So, beyond the obvious physical skills and the obvious offensive ability, skating ability, he’s very savvy, and he’s very sneaky in how he creates turnovers, and that showed up on a number of occasions over the week," he shared.
Cootes was first-line centre and wore the “C” in Canada’s first game against Sweden and played right wing on Malhotra’s line against Team USA. Like Malhotra, the Sherwood Park, Alberta product played on both special teams units.
“He’s such a good skater that it allows him to impact the game regardless of what position he plays. If he’s centre ice, you’re swinging low in your zone, so you might be trailing the offence a little bit, and he’s such an elite skater, so he can still create offence. When he was on the wing, one thing he did really well was he impacted the game as an F1 forechecker. So, he used his speed to get in on the forecheck and disrupt what the opposing team was trying to do on the breakout,” Hermiston said.
Cootes’ previous international experience was apparent throughout the showcase, as the 2025 IIHF U18 World Championship gold medalist and 2026 U20 World Junior Championship bronze medalist played with confidence and looked comfortable.
“You can see the guys who’ve been at the tournament, just the confidence they have, wearing the maple leaf, the confidence they have in these games, and that definitely showed up for Braeden,” Hermiston said.
Cootes and Malhotra matched up against Rogowski in the final game of the tournament, with Rogowski taking home bragging rights and scoring a goal in USA’s 7-2 victory over Team Canada.
Rogowski skated at centre throughout the tournament, scoring three goals through four games at the WJSS, including the fifth goal against Canada. He gave USA Blue a 3-0 lead en route to their 6-1 victory over Sweden and scored against Finland, helping USA Blue to a 5-1 win.
“He got a good opportunity with Team USA. He was playing centre, which was his natural position, which doesn’t always happen when you go to play at those national events; sometimes you’re out of position. He was really physical; he brought energy, and he just played to his identity,” Hermiston said.
At 6’7”, 235 pounds, Rogowski was a physical presence and showed off other facets of his game, going over the boards for both special teams units and was strong in the faceoff circle.
“The line that he was on started most periods, so you could see that the coaches were leaning on Brooks and his linemates to set a tone for each period with physicality, so I was excited about that opportunity for Brooks, and he took advantage of it, but he impacted the game in other ways,” Hermiston said.
“He scored a few goals, which is always nice; he’s got a terrific shot. He’s got better speed than you would expect for a guy who’s six-foot-seven, 230-plus pounds. He won a lot of faceoffs, he played on the penalty kill, he was net front on the power play, so he really impacted the game in a number of different ways.”
Cootes, Malhotra, and Rogowski demonstrated their range of skills over the week-long event as they battled for spots at the World Junior Championship in December. The prospects challenged themselves against elite competition as they continue to develop habits to build their games.
