Covering the Canucks for Daily Hive since 2019. Also co-host of the Locked On Canucks Podcast alongside Kyle Bhawan.

When you cheer for an NHL team toiling at the bottom of the standings, usually that means watching the World Juniors carries a bit more meaning.
That&#8217;s the case for Vancouver Canucks fans this year.
Vancouver has three prospects competing in this year&#8217;s World Juniors, tying them with four other teams for 13th-most in the NHL.
Here&#8217;s a breakdown of the three Canucks prospects that fans can watch at this year&#8217;s tournament.
<h2>1. Braeden Cootes (Canada)</h2>
It&#8217;s been a whirlwind 2025 for Braeden Cootes.
He entered 2025 as the youngest captain in the WHL. Then, he was drafted by the Canucks, signed an entry-level deal, and impressed so much at training camp that he earned a three-game audition with the club before heading back to the Seattle Thunderbirds.
Now, he&#8217;s secured a spot on Canada&#8217;s World Junior team, with the goal of helping Canada get their first medal at the tournament since winning gold in 2023.
Cootes could become the first Canucks prospect since 2019 to play a meaningful role on Canada&#8217;s World Juniors. Back in 2019, goaltender Michael DiPietro was Canada&#8217;s starting goalie, posting stellar numbers before suffering a heartbreaking loss to Finland in the quarterfinals.
Canucks&#8217; prospect Sawyer Mynio played for Canada last year, but his role was limited. He sat as a healthy scratch for two of the five games.
This year, Braeden Cootes should play a larger role for Canada, as they look to bounce back from a dreadful 2025 showing in which they lost to Latvia in the Round Robin before bowing out to Czechia in the quarterfinals.
Cootes has looked solid in pre-tournament play, capped off by scoring one of Canada&#8217;s two goals in a 4-2 loss to Sweden.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
COOTES GIVES CANADA THEIR FIRST LEAD OF THE GAME! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WorldJuniors?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WorldJuniors</a> <a href="https://t.co/qFwwa8R0pd">pic.twitter.com/qFwwa8R0pd</a>
&mdash; TSN (@TSN_Sports) <a href="https://twitter.com/TSN_Sports/status/2002551882422657513?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Cootes will need to continue providing value for the Canadians to keep a spot in the lineup. While he scored, he did play just 7:29 in that loss, the second-lowest ice time among all Canadian skaters.
<h2>2. Wilson Björck (Sweden)</h2>
Some were calling him <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6651957/2025/10/03/canucks-prospect-wilson-bjorck-colorado-college/" target="_blank">the steal of the 2025 draft</a>.
While it might be a bit early to say that, Canucks fifth-round pick Wilson Björck has authored <a href="https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/most-impressive-prospects-canucks-this-season" target="_blank">an impressive draft-plus-one season</a>.
His role with the NCAA&#8217;s Colorado College has increased as the season has progressed. Björck&#8217;s ice time has spiked to nearly 19 minutes per night after averaging less than 15 minutes per game earlier in the season. Over his last seven NCAA games, Björck has four goals.
All eyes will also be on his younger brother, Viggo, who is projected to be drafted in the first round of this year&#8217;s draft.
<h2>3. Basile Sansonnens (Switzerland)</h2>
Defenceman Basile Sansonnens is playing for a second year in a row at the World Juniors. The stay-at-home defenceman is one of five drafted NHL players to suit up for Switzerland this year.
Sansonnens has played the entire season in Switzerland&#8217;s top hockey league for Lausanne HC, posting three assists in 31 games.
As a prototypical stay-at-home defenceman, he will have a tough task shutting down some of the best teenage hockey players on the planet. Switzerland plays their first two games against the United States and Sweden to kick off the tournament, before ending the Round Robin against Germany and Slovakia.
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Vancouver

Here's a primer of the three Vancouver Canucks prospects who are playing at the World Juniors this year in Minnesota.