Kraken 5, Canucks 3: Nikita Tolopilo measured up in net, Ty Young didn’t

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Nikita Tolopilo was not the talk of the Vancouver Canucks’ training camp in Penticton.

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And that’s just fine, because the undrafted last line of defence prefers to lurk in the shadows, kind of like a dark knight who suddenly springs into action to have his way.

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On Sunday in Seattle, the 6-foot-6 stopper made a series of sensational first-period saves to keep the Canucks in their opening pre-season test against the Kraken before giving way midway through the second period to Ty Young. Tolopilo finished with 13 stops, many of highlight-reel quality, to keep the Canucks within striking range trailing 1-0.

“I liked Tolo, he kept us in there early,” said Canucks head coach Adam Foote. “He did a good job until our defence felt a little bit more comfortable. Pretty happy with his game.”

Young then became the talk for the wrong reasons.

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The Kraken struck for three goals in less than four minutes in the second period to build a 4-1 cushion en route to a 5-3 victory. Young, 21, was guilty on the third goal by not sealing up the short side on a Jaden Schwartz backhand flip and was caught on his knees when Jani Nyman wired home his second of the night.

Chase Stillman did convert a penalty shot to cut the deficit to 4-2 and his hustle earned a promotion to the top six in the third period.

In the final period, the Canucks lost down-low coverage and Young was easily beaten by John Hayden. Nils Aman then drew Vancouver to within a goal.

Here’s a look at what we liked and what we didn’t:

Tolopilo sends right message

It took a dozen shots to beat the 25-year-old Belarus native, who was tested early and often as the Canucks deployed a young defence. They were outshot 9-1 at one point and 13-6 after 20 minutes.

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There was an early pad save by Tolopilo to rob Jake O’Brien before twice denying Hayden with pad stops on the same shift. He also did the splits and made a larcenous toe save to thwart Shane Wright on a backhander deke off a 2-on-1 break. It took a perfect short side wrister by Eduard Sale on an odd-man rush to finally solve Tolopilo.

Tolopilo also gave management more reason to believe their enviable depth in goal extends to the AHL affiliate in Abbotsford. The trade departure of Arturs Silovs has opened the door for Tolopilo to be the guy in Abby. He went 20-14-2 last season with a 2.66 goals-against average and .902 saves percentage.

He also backstopped the parent club a 2-1 overtime victory over the San Jose Sharks in his NHL debut on April 14, a signature moment after leaving home at age 15 to further his career.

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“A long journey for me and I’m so happy,” he said. “You don’t need to find motivation. NHL is the best league in the world. I’ve been thinking about this since I was a kid and watching highlights. It’s tough to get here. They just don’t give it to you.”

Cootes feed, Mancini finish

The pre-game hype Sunday was reserved for highly-touted and highly responsive 18-year-old rookie centre Braeden Cootes, the 15th overall selection in the 2025 NHL draft.

It could have easily come with this disclaimer: Be careful what you wish for.

As much as Cootes was justifiably jacked to make his NHL debut, he was jumping into the deep end of the competitive pool. No tipping a toe in against some formidable foes.

The Kraken’s top-three pivots in the lineup were Matty Beniers, the second overall pick in the 2021 draft, followed by Wright, the fourth selection the following year, and then rookie Berkly Catton, the eight pick in 2024.

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So, pick your poison.

Cootes didn’t look out of place against a veteran-laden Kraken lineup. He played at pace, managed the game and made one smart pass to help get the Canucks on the scoreboard. With Victor Mancini moving in from the post, Cootes made a smart dish to the big defenceman at pace, who then wired a wrist shot from the top of the faceoff dot to draw the Canucks even at 1-1.

“Cootes showed great poise with the puck,” said Mancini. “We were a little disorganized on the power play and it was a great (zone) entry by him. A lot of credit on that goal.”

Said Foote of Cootes: “I liked the way he hung in when things weren’t going our way. Making good decisions with the puck and so calm at a young age.”

Mancini also dropped Catton with a heavy check in the defensive zone in the first period and is making a lot of noise about cracking the roster.

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“It was a good start for me in the pre-season,” added Mancini. “I can work on my game and develop more as the season goes on. I know the base, defending hard and moving my feet, will be the foundation. I want to show my confidence with the puck.”

Said Foote: “He’s powerful and came into camp in good shape. And when he got his goal, the juice got going and we have to calm some things down in the neutral zone.”

Lekkerimaki strikes iron

It was a quiet night for winger Jonathan Lekkerimaki and he didn’t really move the meter.

He was responsible on a line with Filip Chytil and Nils Hoglander before being moved down in the third period. He had one shot on net, another attempt blocked and two others sail wide. However, he did strike the crossbar early in the second period with a quick, heavy and accurate release.

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It was something on night that didn’t measure up to much.

Lekkerimaki is waiver exempt, so he is going to see NHL games this season, but his stay will likely be short unless the Canucks run into injuries. They should let him cook in Abbotsford, not be an extra forward with limited minutes here.

JPO was not on the go

Defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph is battling to be a depth defenceman with the big club, but he twice got lost in coverage Sunday.

He was caught flat-footed in the second period and didn’t pick up a driving Nyman, who easily made it 2-1. And he was late again when Schwartz had his unattended chip-shot goal at the side of the net.

Camp complete, numbers trimmed

No stunning surprises Sunday with roster moves, but I thought centre Riley Patterson, 19, might get a pre-season game before reassigned to the Niagara Ice Dogs of the OHL. Especially when the fourth round 2024 NHL draft pick had a solid showing in the recent Prospects Showcase.

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He had an assist in the opening game against the Kraken, and filled in admirably on the top line when Cootes suffered a tweak and was done for the night. He added a goal and an assist in the second game and earned plaudits from Abbotsford Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra.

“Details in his game is really what we were evaluating,” said Malhotra. “He did a much better job of being physical, making sure he was in the right spot at the right time. He was a little more tenacious on pucks and from there he was able to make some good plays.”

The Canucks were deep down the middle at camp in Penticton and on the final morning, Patterson was slotted as a fourth-line pivot behind Elias Pettersson, Max Sasson and Aatu Raty. And with centres Chytil, Teddy Blueger, Aman and Cootes playing Sunday in Seattle, they’ll be slotted in five remaining games to get a decent evaluation of progress.

As for Patterson, who requested a trade from the Barrie Colts, where he amassed 121 points (64-67) the past two seasons, he has incentive to take his game to another level with a new junior team.

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