Nashville, TN - The Vancouver Canucks selected a total of seven players in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft from June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee, including defenceman Tom Willander 11th overall (round one), defenceman Hunter Brzustewicz 75th overall (round three), defenceman Sawyer Mynio 89th overall (round three), forward Ty Mueller 105th overall (round four), forward Vilmer Alriksson 107th overall (round four), forward Matthew Perkins 119th overall (round four), and defenceman Aiden Celebrini 171st overall (round six).
Canucks Select Seven Players at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft
Willander, 18, spent most of the 2022.23 season with Rögle BK of the J20 Nationell league, recording 25 points (4-21-25) and 22 penalty minutes in 39 regular season games played to lead all defencemen on the team in goals, assists, and points. The 6'1", 179-pound right-shot defenceman also made his SHL debut with Rögle BK and appeared in six playoff games with Rögle BK of the J18 Nationell league, leading the entire team in scoring with eight points (3-5-8). In an additional six playoff games with the J20 club, he posted a goal and three assists. A native of Stockholm, Sweden, Willander has represented his country internationally on multiple occasions, including earning silver at the 2023 IIHF World U18 Championship and 2022 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He has committed to Boston University (NCAA) for next season.
Brzustewicz, 18, spent last season with the Kitchener Rangers of the Ontario Hockey League, ranking third on the team in overall scoring and first among Rangers defenceman with 57 points (6-51-57) while also recording 12 penalty minutes and a +8 rating in 68 regular season games played. The 6'0", 190-pound right-shot defenceman also ranked eighth in the OHL in scoring among defenceman and tied for fourth in power play assists (23) by blueliners before adding four points (0-4-4) in nine playoff games. A product of Washington, MI, Brzustewicz previously played with the US National Team Development Program, posting 20 points (2-18-20) and a +25 rating in 55 games with the U18 Team and helped the United States to a silver medal over five games (0-2-2) at the 2022 IIHF World U18 Championship.
Mynio, 18, recently completed his second Western Hockey League season with the Seattle Thunderbirds, recording 31 points (5-26-31) and 40 penalty minutes in 68 games played. He also ranked tied for fourth among all WHL defencemen in plus-minus with a +50 rating. The 6'1", 173-pound left-shot defenceman also appeared in 19 WHL playoff games with the Thunderbirds, producing four points (1-3-4) to help the club win the 2023 WHL Championship and later advance to the Memorial Cup Final. Originally from Kamloops, BC, Mynio also advanced to the 2022 WHL Championship with Seattle in his first junior season after tallying 11 points (4-7-11) and a +8 rating in 47 regular season contests.
Mueller, 20, recently completed his sophomore season with the Omaha Mavericks (University of Nebraska-Omaha) of the NCAA, setting collegiate career-highs across the board with 25 points (12-13-25), four penalty minutes, and a +9 rating in 34 games played. The 5'11", 195-pound left-shot centreman ranked tied for second on the team in power play goals (4) and enjoyed three separate point streaks of four or more games, including a six-game streak (3-3-6) from Oct. 28 to Nov. 12. Prior to recording 13 points (8-5-13) in 24 games during his 2021.22 freshman season with Omaha, the Cochrane, AB native played two seasons with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League, posting 41 points (14-27-41) in 65 games played.
Alriksson, 18, has played each of the past two seasons with the Djurgårdens IF association at the J18 and J20 levels, most notably registering 21 points (12-9-21) and 22 penalty minutes in 43 games in the J20 Nationell during the 2022.23 season. He also played at a point-per-game pace over nine games (4-5-9) in the J18 Region last season. The season prior, the 6'6", 214-pound left-shot winger split time between the J18 Region and J18 Nationell leagues for Djurgårdens IF, accumulating 28 points (16-12-28) across 33 combined regular season games, and an additional six point (4-2-6) in seven J18 Nationell playoff games. Alriksson is originally from Enebyberg, Sweden, and has represented his country at U17 and U19 international junior play.
Perkins, 19, spent the 2022.23 season with the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL, ranking fifth on the team in overall scoring with 44 points (15-29-44) and 77 penalty minutes in 60 regular season games played. The first year USHL player also appeared in all nine playoff games for the Phantoms, collecting two points (1-1-2) and six penalty minutes to help his team capture the Clark Cup Championship. Previously, the 5'11", 156-pound left-shot centre registered more than a point-per-game during the 2021.22 season with the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League's Humboldt Broncos with 59 points (23-36-59) in 57 regular season games before adding a goal and three assists in 11 playoff games. The Balgonie, Saskatchewan native has committed to the NCAA's University of Minnesota-Duluth for next season.
Celebrini, 18, is coming off his first season in the Alberta Junior Hockey League with the Brooks Bandits, in which he recorded 21 points (5-16-21) and 82 penalty minutes in 47 regular season games and led all Bandits defenceman with three game-winning goals. He also played in all 15 playoff games for Brooks, compiling three points (0-3-3) in 15 games to help the Bandits win the 2023 AJHL Championship. Previously, the 6'1", 187-pound right-shot defenceman attended Shattuck-St. Mary's Hockey Center of Excellence, competing with the U16 AAA team (1-13-14 in 43 GP) in 2020.21 and the U18 Prep team (2-30-32 in 55 GP) in 2021.22. A product of Vancouver, BC, Celebrini has committed to play for Boston University of the NCAA.
