The Vancouver Canucks will be without a depth defenceman when training camp starts in Penticton on Thursday.
Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin revealed during a press conference with Vancouver media on Wednesday that defenceman Jett Woo had “a surgery” during the summer and is out month to month.
A hard-rock defenceman drafted in 2018, Woo has yet to play in the NHL. He has been called up a couple times in his career but never suited up for an NHL game.
A year ago, he seemed to have lost his way in making the NHL, but after a strong performance with Abbotsford last spring in the Calder Cup playoffs some shine has come back to him, even at the age of 25.
He’s a right-shot defenceman, which is always a valuable talent. But there have been questions about his foot speed and decision making.
Even before the injury, he was well down the depth chart, with both Victor Mancini and Tom Willander now potential call up options on the right side in Abbotsford. It will be a hard slog for Woo, who at 25 is pretty much the finished product, while Mancini, 23, and especially Willander, 20, both have room for growth.
Missing forwards
Allvin also revealed that depth forwards Ty Mueller and Anri Ravinskis are likely to be absent from camp.
Mueller suffered an injury during his August preparations and won’t be ready to practise again until next week at the earliest, the GM said. Mueller was otherwise supposed to have been part of the prospects squad which played a pair of games on the weekend vs. the Seattle Kraken.
Anri Ravinskis, the 22-year-old Latvian forward signed last spring, had hernia surgery earlier in the summer and is also expected to be ready to practise soon.