The Jr. Canucks got off to a good start in the preseason, with a pair of wins in three games.
It was off the ice, however, where a good portion of the action took place.
The week was capped off by two big signings and a blockbuster trade with the Charleswood Hawks that saw the Canucks acquire F Luke Seremet and G Liam Johnson in exchange for F Tanner Mulligan, the player-rights to F prospect Aiden Corbett, and future considerations.
Seremet is heading into his third Manitoba Major Junior Hockey League season, and has 12 goals and 21 points in 36 career games. He also has over 50 games of Manitoba Junior Hockey League experience with the Winnipeg Blues and played both city and provincial AAA.
Johnson is a promising rookie netminder who is entering his first full MMJHL season.
The trade followed two significant signings by the Jr. Canucks.
The first was F Aiden Bruce, who previously played with the Winnipeg Blues during the 2020-2021 season, where he had three points in six games.
The Canucks also made a big splash on the blue line, signing D Rory Neill. The 18-year-old is coming off a successful stint with the Western Hockey League’s Calgary Hitmen, where he had a goal and four assists in 24 games.
Neill has a history of dominant success wherever he has played, proven by his stats in city and provincial AAA.
From 2016-2018, Neill racked up 127 points in just 63 games with the Winnipeg Hawks U14 and U15 teams. After spending a season with The Rink Hockey Academy, Neill would go on to put up 52 points in 35 games with the Winnipeg Wild before making the jump to junior.
The Canucks are very excited to welcome all of these players to the fold as we chase the 2021-2022 MMJHL Championship!
We wish Tanner Mulligan and Aiden Corbett the best of luck in Charleswood.