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Young players around the NHL are getting chances thanks to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan.
With teams missing players for the tournament and now back on the ice for practice, youngsters are getting called up to fill their roles, at least at practice.
The Canucks have made such a move at goalie. They announced that goaltender Aku Koskenvuo has been called up from AHL Abbotsford.
Vancouver is missing goalie Kevin Lankinen as he plays with Team Finland at the Olympics, and so another Finnish goalie, Koskenvuo, gets an opportunity to perform in front of the NHL coaching staff.
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Koskenvuo was originally a fifth-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, but he spent a full college career at Harvard before turning pro this season.
He has appeared in five games for Abbotsford, in which he's 2-5 with an 89.5 save percentage and 3.20 goals against average.
Koskenvuo has also played in six games in the ECHL for the Kalamazoo Wings.
At 22 years old and 6-foot-4, Koskenvuo has time to continue to grow his game and work up the organizational ladder.
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This call-up to Vancouver is a good opportunity, though. The coaching staff can get eyes on Koskenvuo, while he can see how NHL players put in the work each and every day.
Koskenvuo will surely go back to the minors when Kevin Lankinen returns, but this will give him a place to aim to get back.
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