Canucks Prospects Update: 10.4.18

The Canucks will be well represented in the United States this season, particularly in the NCAA.
The organization has done well over the past few years with their American prospects, producing the likes of Brock Boeser, Adam Gaudette, and Thatcher Demko, and they hope that continues as some of their top prospects ply their trade south of the border.

Led by 2018 1st round pick Quintin Hughes, there will be some players that will be leaned on heavily by their respective programs, which should be fun to follow for Canucks fans. While some others will be entering the collegiate program for the first time.
We'll break down the prospect that has already played and then what to expect from some of the other prospects that will see their seasons begin in the coming weeks.

G Matthew Thiessen

The Canucks 2018 7th round pick, Matthew Thiessen, has made the leap from the Manitoba Junior Hockey League to the USHL this season and has done well so far.
In two games with the Dubuque Fighting Saints, Thiessen is 1-1-0 with a 2.50 GAA, and 0.886 SV%. Those raw numbers are not indicative of his play as Dubuque has done a fantastic job in limiting shots against and thus the five goals given up stand out in the small sample size.
Thiessen was particularly strong in their second game of the season, keeping the Saints in the game before eventually leading them to their first win of the year.
The Altona, MB native is expected to get the lions share of starts for the Fighting Saints this season and then will make the move to the University of Maine for the 2019-20 season.

D Jack Rathbone

Jack Rathbone is off to Harvard for the upcoming season after playing another year of high school hockey following being selected by the Canucks in the 4th round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.
Rathbone is known for his skating and offensive abilities but has shown some growth the defensive side of the game since being drafted. He has also added some noticeable strength to his upper body and looks poised to hit the ground running in the NCAA.
Harvard will be led by incumbent defencemen Adam Fox and Rielly Walsh, but Rathbone should be given a chance to show what he can do in his freshman season, and prove that he can be a big part of their defence once those aforementioned players turn pro.
They kick off their season with an exhibition contest against the U18 United States National Development Program on Saturday, October 20th.

C Tyler Madden

Taken in the 3rd round of the 2018 NHL Entry draft, Tyler Madden has made his way to Northeastern University for the upcoming campaign.
The speedy and tenacious centre will be looking to work his way up the lineup after doing the same thing last year in the USHL. After being traded to the Tri-City Storm midseason, Madden started on the fourth line before clawing his way to a larger role to close out the season.
In 2017-18, Northeastern University had one of their most successful seasons ever, but have lost the likes of Adam Gaudette, Dylan Sikura, and Nolan Stevens to graduation and thus there is plenty of opportunity for players like Madden to seize the chance in front of them.
It will be interesting to see how Madden makes the leap to the NCAA, he may start a bit slow offensively, but he does all the little things in all three zones, and then it's only a matter of time before the points should follow.
The Northeastern Huskies kick off their season with two games against Sacred Heart on October 12th and 13th.

William Lockwood and D Quintin Hughes

The University of Michigan will be closely watched by Canucks fans with two prospects playing for the Wolverines this season.
2016 3rd round pick William Lockwood will be looking to pick up where he left off before suffering a shoulder injury last year. In 16 NCAA games last season, he had four goals and seven assists before heading off to represent the United States at the World Juniors.
He, unfortunately, suffered a shoulder injury in the pre-tournament competition, appeared in three games for Americans before re-injuring it in the outdoor game against Canada.
He was firmly in the Wolverines top six before his season ended and should get a similar opportunity this year.
Top defensive prospect Quinn Hughes will look to dominate the NCAA after a standout performance for Michigan in the NCAA playoffs. He followed that up with a great showing at the World Championships in May and then again with the American junior team at the World Junior Summer Showcase.
Despite the fantastic showing in the last half of the year, Hughes will look to take another step forward. He will combine his fantastic skating and hockey sense to dictate the play while on the ice. He is a lock to make Team USA for the World Juniors here in Vancouver.
The Wolverines will play the University of Vermont this Saturday before playing a few exhibition games against Waterloo and the U18 United States Nation Development program.