Manny Malhotra kicked off the Vancouver Canucks’ 2026-27 training camp in Penticton with an emphasis on intensity and team culture, running early line experiments and a conditioning “bag skate” on the first day at the South Okanagan Events Centre.
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The Vancouver Canucks began their 2026-27 training camp on Thursday with a focus on high-intensity effort and a culture built through shared work from the outset. Practices took place at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, B.C., where head coach Manny Malhotra also joined on-ice conditioning.
Malhotra’s first-day session featured a back-and-forth conditioning drill in the style of a “bag skate.” The coaching staff and Malhotra competed directly against players as part of the workout, with each player required to complete the drill once while the coaches did it twice.
The coaching staff also used a split-squad format before finishing with the conditioning test. Malhotra said he timed the drill so players were “a little bit more tired” when they faced the challenge.
The message aligns with changes described by the club following a management overhaul last spring. Ryan Johnson was hired as general manager in May, followed by Malhotra being promoted just over two weeks later, roughly a year after the Sedin-led Abbotsford Canucks won the Calder Cup.
The Canucks’ summer build-out and early return to the rink were also presented as part of creating a more positive and disciplined environment. Veterans including Brock Boeser and Thatcher Demko encouraged players to report for pre-camp sessions no later than Sept. 1, as part of what Johnson and the Sedins outlined as a healthier, more positive environment after difficult results in the previous two seasons.
The camp’s early focus was also tied to remarks by former president Jim Rutherford, who publicly said the issues in the prior two seasons were the worst he had encountered during his lifetime in the NHL.
On the ice, the first day included line and defensive pairing experiments, though Malhotra told reporters not to read too much into the initial groupings. Forward tests included Linus Karlsson with Elias Pettersson and Jake DeBrusk, and the pairing of Jonathan Lekkerimaki with Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren.
Defensive combinations mixed established players and early evaluation pairings. Filip Hronek was paired with Jamie Oleksiak, while Zeev Buium—described as a $75-million prospect—was assigned to Schenn on Day 1. The separation was presented as part of ongoing testing rather than a signal of a final roster direction.
Several players connected the intensity and accountability to the change in tone. Luke Schenn, on his third stint with Vancouver, contrasted Thursday’s work with what he said could happen in a less accountable environment, saying the involvement of coaches in the work matters.
Marco Rossi said the atmosphere has felt different since his December arrival, including the trade of Quinn Hughes, and pointed to strategic additions announced this summer—Schenn and Oleksiak in free agency and Brendan Gallagher in a June trade from the Montreal Canadiens—as factors that have helped the group look ready early.
Malhotra said his offseason emphasis is on moving forward, including how the team will establish its environment and system “systematically” going into Sept. 17, the first day of camp.
The Canucks’ Day 1 concluded with Malhotra acknowledging the level of intensity the players brought as they transitioned out of summer skate mode, and framing the early work as the start of consistent standards across practices, the gym and game-like conditioning as the 2026-27 season approaches.
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