The first thing you realize when doing a deep dive on Michael Del Zotto's social media accounts is that he's a character.

Who is Sam Gagner?

In short, Sam William Gagner is a forward with 696 NHL games played between four teams; the centreman has 142 goals and 402 career points. He was drafted sixth overall by the Edmonton Oilers in 2007, stands 5-foot-11, and weighs 200 pounds.

Hey again!

I've got some down time right now before my flight back East, so one final blog it is. A lot has happened since we last spoke!

Simon Chen's path to Vancouver Canucks Development Camp has been anything but ordinary.

Hello Vancouver! 

Jonah Gadjovich here, I've been asked to write a blog during Vancouver Canucks Development Camp and although I was too busy over the weekend to collect my thoughts, it's go-time now!

A total of 36 players will take part at the 2017 Vancouver Canucks Development Camp, which began with medicals, meetings and head shots today. The team now travels to Whistler, BC, for a weekend of bonding before hitting the ice July 4 at the Doug Mitchell Thunderbird Sports Centre at UBC.

Coming off a Memorial Cup victory, Windsor Spitfires forward Gabe Vilardi is a player who could hear his name called as early as 3rd overall in the upcoming 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Miro Heiskanen has taken over the talk of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft talk with his meteoric rise into the top 10.

One player to see their stock rise over the last months of the season is Portland Winterhawks centre Cody Glass. In most pre-season rankings, Glass was ranked outside of the first round. But by mid season he was slotted 8th amongst North American skaters, and then ended up at 6th in the final rankings and could've been even higher based on his season.

At the end of last season, defenceman Timothy Liljegren was in the conversation for a top three selection. Unfortunately, he contracted mononucleosis in the summer, missed a few months to start the season and was never able to get back to that same level of hype for this year. That time missed meant that he was always playing catch up. It took him a while to get back up to speed in terms of strength, conditioning and play.

Another play-making centre that has scouts fantasizing about his potential is Minnesota native Casey Mittelstadt. The very competitive centre will undoubtedly hear his name called in the top 10 at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, and could even be selected as early as 3rd overall just because of the dynamic skillset he possesses.

Cale Makar is a defenceman who has his seen his stock gradually raise as the season went on. Now he could be the first defenceman selected at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Starting the season as a possible first round pick, Makar has moved himself firmly into top 10 territory.

Elias Pettersson is someone who will hear his name called early at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in Chicago.

The United States Hockey League has taken off over the last few years and has become a viable option for top prospects looking to make an impression. In the past, it was mostly limited to American prospects, but during this surge in relevancy, top prospects from around the world see the USHL as a viable development opportunity.

Coming in at 6-foot-5 and 200-pounds, Tri-City Americans centre Michael Rasmussen is someone who will likely hear his name called in the top 10 of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Currently ranked 5th amongst North American skaters by NHL Central scouting, Rasmussen had a productive draft season posting 32 goals and 23 assists in 50 WHL games.

Owen Tippett entered the 2016-17 season as a surefire top 5 pick. But things changed as the season went on, and despite putting up 44 goals and 31 assists with Mississauga of the OHL, Tippett's stock has slipped slightly.

COLOGNE - He's the kind of defenseman who doesn't make a lot of friends on opposing teams, and doesn't particularly care. 

When the Canucks traded Alex Burrows at this past deadline, Jonathan Dahlen found out just like the rest of us: on Twitter.

From Troy Stecher's timely first NHL goal to Ryan Miller's incredible diving glove save, the Canucks' 2016-17 season was full of memorable moments. Here is the best of the best from the past year.

With the NHL Draft lottery this weekend, Canucks management will find out where they select in the first round.

In three of their first four drafts, the Canucks selected third overall. Jocelyn Guevremont came in 1971 and played 227 games in Vancouver. Don Lever was next in 1972, playing 593 games with the Canucks. Dennis Ververgaert went third in 1973 and he dressed for 409 games in Vancouver.

Four at four. The Canucks have selected four players fourth overall in franchise history, namely Jere Gillis (1977), Bill Derlago (1978), Jim Sandlak (1985) and most recently Bryan Allen in 1998. Gillis, Sandlak and Allen combined for 1,034 games with the Canucks and 391 points.

Last year the Canucks selected defenceman Olli Juolevi with the fifth overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft. It was the second time in franchise history Vancouver drafted fifth overall and the first time since 1999 the Canucks held a top-five pick. That year they took a pair of twin Swedish forwards. It worked out pretty good.

Three off to the third round. One waits.

Getting your first Vancouver Canucks jersey is a memorable moment. After putting it on, your chest immediately swells with pride and it feels like you're standing alongside the team. It's a #WeAreAllCanucks moment and it's not to be taken lightly.

Ten Canucks prospects entered the CHL Playoffs, and only five remain.

Best goal, best assist, best save, best fight and best milestone. March had it all.

Renew Your Membership

Being a Canucks Season Ticket Member means being family. Not creepy second cousin family or zany great aunt family. Family, family.

The Vancouver Canucks will have major representation in the CHL post-season as 10 prospects are about to begin their quest for the Memorial Cup.

Canucks fans have been lucky. In the last 15 years the Canucks have missed the playoffs a grand total of four times.

Carolyn Crippen and her husband Al were at home channel surfing in December 2009 when they stumbled upon a Canucks game. The couple, which relocated from Manitoba to BC a year prior, knew nothing of the Canucks, or their opponent, but they're Canadian and hockey is hockey.

The Adam Gaudette show continued, while Guillaume Brisebois had just as good of a month in the QMHL.

On Tuesday night, the Canucks completed a deal during their game with the Detroit Red Wings, sending veteran winger Jannik Hansen to San Jose for prospect Nikolay Goldobin and a conditional fourth round pick.

Bo snipes, Tryamkin dishes, Markstrom sprawls, Tanev joins the rush and Granlund converts during the best plays from February.

Monday afternoon the Vancouver Canucks acquired Swedish forward Jonathan Dahlen in exchange for veteran winger Alexandre Burrows.

Dahlen comes to the Canucks organization after being selected 42^nd overall in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft this past summer. He returned to Sweden to play for Timra IK in the Allsvenskan (Swedish second division) looking to take another step in his game. Which he did.

Jonathan Dahlen, welcome to Vancouver.

With the NHL's trade deadline fast approaching, the debate about whether the Canucks should be buyers or sellers on March 1 has never been more heated among the fan base.

But whether you're on 'Team Buy' or 'Team Sell,' one thing that everyone can agree on is they want to be on 'Team Win' regardless of whether the payoff is immediate or requires a little patience.

Over their history the Canucks have had their fair share of success on the trade market both as a buyer and a seller, not only during the trade deadline but throughout the year. Here's a look at some of their biggest successes as buyers and sellers.

Lynden Criss insists he can still use his old hockey helmet.

"It didn't get burned," he says, referring to the fire that engulfed his home eight weeks ago. But everything else did - including his team-signed Canucks jersey. Dad's Trevor Linden jersey, too.

Not much was known about Nikita Tryamkin when he was selected 66^th overall in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft. Passed over in his first two draft eligible seasons, the Canucks saw enough in the 6'7" defenceman to snag him early in the third round.

It wasn't long ago when it appeared the Canucks were on the cusp of cracking the playoff picture but after stumbling into the All-Star break and then falling flat coming out of it, what once was a one-point gap between the Canucks and a playoff spot has widened into a five-point chasm as the team gets set to embark on their third extended road trip of the campaign.

From nifty dangles from an NHL All-Star to a Tryamkin Smash, the Vancouver Canucks kicked off the New Year with a bang. Here is the best of the best from the month of January.

The Utica Comets were on fire in January, while Adam Gaudette continues to shine in the NCAA. Catch up on all the action from Canucks prospects during the month of January.

Back in September, EA Sports picked the Canucks to finish last in the Western Conference with 63 points. USA today picked the Canucks to finish in the same position, but with 65 points. As I write this at the All-Star break, the Canucks have 52 points in 50 games and are one point out of a playoff spot. Have they overachieved? Probably, but don't tell them that.

Never in a million years did I ever think I'd be here and I can now not only say I've been an all-star, I scored a goal in an all-star game. Two actually!

What a day!

The NHL All-Star experience is awesome, and we've only had the appetizer. Today began with a nice breakfast with Holly before I met the media to discuss - wait for it - the all-star game! After that was over I got suited up and made my way to the Staples Center.

From highway robbery to clutch performances in the shootout, the Canucks conclusion to 2016 was full of sensational plays. Here is the best of the best from the month of December.

Every Canucks fan should know the name Brock Boeser by now. A first round pick in 2015, Boeser won a bronze medal with the United States at the 2016 World Juniors, tore up the NCAA as a freshman in 2015-16 and is widely considered the top prospect in the organization.

The story of Mattias Ohlund's rise to become an elite NHL defenceman is well documented: in his rookie season in 1997, Mattias scored 30 points and was a runner-up for the Calder Trophy. The following year, Mattias set a career-high in points with 35 and also served as an alternate captain for the first of 10 seasons. A mobile, physical defenceman who could play on both special teams while being tasked with shutting down the opposition's top line, Mattias could seemingly do it all on the ice.