The Vancouver Canucks began their 2026 training camp in Penticton on Thursday with organized group skates, a limited role for Thatcher Demko, and an early focus on high-tempo instruction from new bench boss Manny Malhotra.
The Story
Vancouver’s 2026 training camp officially opened Thursday in Penticton, B.C., at the South Okanagan Events Centre, marking the first full day of on-ice sessions for players preparing for the season ahead. The day was structured around two groups and a detailed schedule that included separate times for goalies and main sessions, with early drills aimed at getting skaters up to speed after practice routines begin.
Goaltender Thatcher Demko was among the notable storylines on day one. The training-camp plan presented him as not a full participant, following comments previously attributed to Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson. While Canucks’ group workouts were underway, Demko completed light individual on-ice work, with video shared from the facility showing him working with coaching staff rather than joining the full session.
The arrival of additional staff attention also framed the early look at camp. The live coverage referenced an earlier announcement that Halford and Brough would be joining the Nation Network starting Sept. 28, though that item was separate from team activity. On the team side, the focus for Thursday’s practices centered on how players were adapting to instruction under bench boss Manny Malhotra, who was described as bringing a high level of intensity and correcting players during drills.
Before the first on-ice group began, the Canucks released the two camp groups and the day’s session plan. Thursday’s structure had Group A scheduled for goalies at 10:00 a.m., a main session at 10:20 a.m., and a practice-sheet session at 11:25 a.m., followed by Group B with goalies at 12:05 p.m., a main session at 12:25 p.m., and a later practice at 1:30 p.m. That sequencing determined when skaters were shuffled into their respective skates and when observers could focus on specific pairings and lines.
When Group A took the ice at 10:00 a.m., the live coverage listed likely forward and defensive alignments based on jersey colours for the first practice look. The reported Group A groupings included DeBrusk with Pettersson and Karlsson as a forward combination, O’Connor with Sasson and Gallagher, and Novotný with Cootes and Bains, alongside defensive pairings that included Oleksiak with Hronek, and Berard with Rogowski. Other combinations referenced included Rogowski paired with Chiarot and Steinburg paired with Wouters, plus Alriksson paired with an indicated group structure as camp reps began.
One practical element of Thursday’s session was how the practice format was designed to balance foundational systems with early evaluation. The first Group A drill described in the live updates was a neutral zone forechecking install, with the coverage noting that the drill was not intended to signal conclusions about any new full-season system changes. Even so, the session offered a glimpse at how camp coaching is translating instruction into on-ice behavior early in the schedule.
The intensity during the instruction phase was also highlighted as a point of emphasis. The live account described Malhotra as quickly addressing players who were coasting through drills or executing them incorrectly, and doing so in a way that was visible to both veterans and those attending their first NHL training camp. That approach shaped the early tempo of the day, particularly when players moved from setup into high-contact, competitive-style practice segments.
After the forechecking install, Thursday’s Group A practice included a board battle drill. The live coverage said the pace and physicality were high and singled out Brooks Rogowski and Adam Novotny as standing out in that drill, noting that both were among the players drafted over the summer and participating in their first NHL training camp. The day-one reporting positioned the drill as one place where new arrivals could demonstrate their readiness against legitimate NHL players.
Defensive work also took a clear role in the early programming. The next drill was described as defensive-zone focused, with the Canucks showing a zone-coverage system even though the reps began in a box plus-one formation. Video snippets referenced in the live update showed the structure of the coverage work and reinforced that camp sessions were starting with system concepts before later, more complex game situations.
Group B preparations and lineup looks were expected to continue later in the afternoon as the schedule progressed, with the live coverage indicating that additional line combinations and defensive matchups would be observable during the 12:05 p.m. goalie session and 12:25 p.m. main skate. With Thursday representing the first day of organized on-ice work at the South Okanagan Events Centre, the immediate takeaway for Vancouver and Canadian fans was the combination of a disciplined camp structure, a clearly defined role for Demko as a limited participant, and a fast-moving, high-attention coaching tone as players settle into their first practices of 2026 training camp.
At the same time, Thursday’s event reinforced how camp timing and grouping determine what fans can realistically evaluate in person or through broadcasts. By segmenting skates into two groups and layering drills such as forechecking installs, board battles, and defensive-zone coverage, the day offered a practical introduction to the on-ice expectations heading into later sessions—while leaving deeper tactical conclusions tied to the progression of the camp beyond the opening day.
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