Canucks: Kevin Lankinen named Vancouver's 2026 Masterton trophy nominee

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Lankinen is the Vancouver chapter of the PHWA’s 2026 nominee for the Masterton trophy, which is given out to the player who most exemplifies sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication to hockey

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Published Apr 08, 2026 • Last updated 18 minutes ago • 6 minute read

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Kevin Lankinen takes a break during a stop in play against the Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena on February 04, 2026 in Las Vegas, Nevada. Photo by Ethan Miller /Getty ImagesArticle content

When Kevin Lankinen was young, he had a poster of Marc-Andre Fleury on his wall.

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Imagine his surprise when Fleury turned up as a teammate during his second NHL season. Lankinen, in many ways the ultimate Finn — kind, considerate, hard-working, upbeat — still found out how much more supportive he could be towards his teammates from that one season with Fleury.

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If you know Lankinen, his good nature always shines through. Even in the toughest seasons. Even when he’s dealing with the deepest personal stress.

And yet Fleury also taught him how to be even brighter. The NHL veteran landed with the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2021-22 season, Lankinen’s second in the NHL. Undrafted, never the most-hyped guy in his age group, Lankinen had scraped and clawed his way to the NHL, his first season coming in the challenging season that was the 2020-21 campaign.

“He was a great example for me how to treat not just younger guys, but all the guys in the team, and how to be a great teammate,” Lankinen recalled. “It was a cool moment for me, after my rookie year, they signed Fleury, and all of a sudden, he’s my goalie tandem.”

It was an eye-opening season, Lankinen now says.

“What kind of a human being he was. The work ethic and everything, the love for the game was there, but more importantly, how he handled other guys, and even for myself, how he made sure I was feeling good and comfortable and just being a good human being. That kind of set the bar for me. Like, ‘hey, that’s what I want to be one day.’”

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A half-decade later Lankinen finds himself as a culture-setter for the Vancouver Canucks. He’s truly a great example of a good sport, someone perseveres and has been dedicated to hockey. He’s the Vancouver chapter of the Professional Hockey Writers’ Association’s 2026 nominee for the Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy, which recognizes those three things. (Teddy Blueger finished tied in voting among the chapter’s 12 members, but Lankinen had one more first-place vote. Linus Karlsson finished one point back in third.)

Vancouver Canucks left wing Liam Ohgren, right, greets goaltender Kevin Lankinen, left, as they celebrate after Ohgren’s game-winning goal in a shootout against the Seattle Kraken on Dec. 29, 2025, in Seattle. Photo by Lindsey Wasson /AP

Lankinen was very honoured, he said, to learn that he was this year’s nominee. The word “perseverance” in fact caught his ear: it’s a defining quality of Finns in general, he thinks.

“It’s a good way to describe the Finnish people as a nation,” he explained. “We kind of live up there, high up north, isolated and just minding our own business. We’re thankful of where we are and we gained our independence through a lot of struggle and a lot of tough times. I think the Finnish mindset fits a goaltender too, because you’re just kind of in your own little thing, focusing on your own business and not worrying about the other drama or the bullshit that’s going around. That’s how we are as human beings in Finland. We want to be honest and straightforward.”

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It’s that attitude that’s proven to be a big support for rookie teammate Nikita Tolopilo. The giant Belarusian says he’s never had a goalie partner quite like Lankinen. At other levels, on other teams, sometimes he’s had a goalie partner who wasn’t enthused to have a partner, let alone a potential rival. You can understand it to a degree: you want to be the man and the more you get to be the man, the bigger the chance a bigger, better team will take notice and pick you up. At some point that would mean the NHL.

But there’s no animosity from Lankinen: just the opposite.

“It’s nice to have that type of person around you. It’s my first year here and like, things sometimes it’s not going well this season for us,” Tolopilo admitted. “It’s hard. But even today, we spent like, five, seven minutes to chat about last game, how the things go, like he been in the league more than me and like he has seen some tough times too. It’s very helpful.

“Of course we still have the competition. Like every time, every practice, when we get better,” he added. “You want to play as much as games as you can. But like, at same time, we also have our kind of ‘goalie bonding.’ Especially when the things doesn’t go well this season. It’s important to stay right together and support each other, because the goalie is still a bit different. ”

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Then he laughed a little.

“You don’t want it to be ‘you allowed the goals,’ everyone says,” he explained about the self-awareness you inevitably develop when you play goal. “‘This guy sucks!’ people will say. It’s good to have a relationship between the two goalies. And the goalie coach too. I feel like we all like are, trying to support each other when things not go well for us.”

Vancouver Canucks goalie Nikita Tolopilo (60) comes into the game in relief of goalie Kevin Lankinen (32) against the San Jose Sharks at Rogers Arena on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Photo by Darryl Dyck /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Lankinen managing to be supportive at all times stands out especially in a season that started with some personal challenges: his wife Iina gave birth to their first child. The pregnancy was a difficult one, but in the end their baby boy arrived in the world safely and now life for Lankinen has changed in a way that you only learn about when you become a parent.

“It was a challenge, a things that you don’t really can be prepared for, because it’s something completely different,” he said of he and Iina being told that the pregnancy wouldn’t be a smooth one. “And then when it hits your family, then the only thing you can do is just to be there for them. And you kind of realize what’s important in life. And kind of set your values in place, just thankful for every single day that we have together. And of course, it brings a smile on my face to come to the rink every day, but even more so going home, and knowing that there’s a family there.”

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Brock Boeser, the 2023 Vancouver Masterton nominee, was thrilled to hear his friend had been picked.

“He’s just such a good person,” Boeser said. “He always asks how you’re doing. He’s just such a good person to talk to. And every day come to the rink, he’s in the gym. Every single time you see him, he’s in the gym working out. Really whatever it is, he’s always working hard. And then on the ice you see how hard he competes in practice and stuff. He just always brings that professionalism. It’s something that he loves.”

Brock Boeser, the 2023 Vancouver Masterton nominee, congratulates Kevin Lankinen after defeating the Columbus Blue Jackets at Rogers Arena on November 8, 2025. Photo by Derek Cain /Getty Images

Aatu Raty, the other Finn on the team, sits on the other side of Lankinen in the dressing room. His face lit up about Lankinen being a nominee. They’re neighbours for real: they live next door to each other in Kitsilano.

“He’s just the best pro,” Raty said. “He comes in so early, like obviously he trains a little bit different than the players as a goalie, but just, his routine and how well he does it; he’s just in the zone every time. Like, that’s something that I feel like I’ve learned a lot from. I hear all the time about his routines and stuff, and even how he’s brushing his teeth with his left hand to make his co-ordination better. Diet, hydration, yes, everything’s just perfect. I feel like if everyone would do what he would do, they would be just a performance expert, that guy. And, he’s just so knowledgeable too. He’s got his own dietitian. Everything. He’s really poured everything to his craft.”

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And yeah, it’s nice having a Finn around. When family visits from back home, there’s always guaranteed to be an extra-welcoming face. Raty is a big fan of Pesis — a.k.a. Finnish baseball — and while the Helsinki-raised Lankinen isn’t as into it as he is, it’s just one more thing that they can chat about that helps them bond.

“He’s always asking me how I’m doing and kind of giving tips. But also saying when I have it, when I do have a good game,” he said. “It’s not always about a goal or like something that it’s easy to be like, ‘Oh, I mean, that was great.’ It’s other times too. He’s always saying supportive stuff and just being the best teammate.”

pjohnston@postmedia.com

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Canucks: Kevin Lankinen named Vancouver’s 2026 Masterton trophy nominee

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