Canucks send a young lineup to Calgary; Rogowski debuts and Lankinen starts in preseason game

Canucks (0-1) continued preseason play with a road game at the Calgary Flames (0-1) on Sept. 22. Both clubs were coming off 4-2 exhibition losses to the Seattle Kraken. Vancouver sent a young, travel-focused lineup to Calgary after conducting a morning skate at Rogers Arena and planning a charter flight across the Rockies.

Vancouver's game group included a dozen players getting their second preseason action and several making first appearances. Forwards listed for the road game: Braeden Cootes, Adam Novotný, Arshdeep Bains, Ilya Safonov, Aatu Räty, Trey Fix‑Wolansky, Riley Patterson, and Matthew Stienburg. Defencemen in the travel group included Victor Mancini, Kirill Kudryavtsev, Guillaume Brisebois and Jimmy Schuldt.

Brooks Rogowski, the Canucks' 2026 second‑round pick, was scheduled to make his preseason debut. Goaltending for the game was Kevin Lankinen as the starter, with Aleksei Medvedev serving as the backup.

The Canucks spent time at the end of morning skate working on power-play units. The first unit listed was Cootes, Bains, Novotný and Fix‑Wolansky, with Tom Willander at the point. The second unit featured Safonov, Patterson, Stienburg and Ty Mueller, with Kirill Kudryavtsev at the point. Those groupings mix young forwards with defensemen at the point and show how the staff is testing players in man‑advantage roles.

Calgary's projected lineup for the game skewed veteran, with forward groupings that included players like Gridin, Frost, Coronato, Honzek, Backlund and Sharangovich. Dustin Wolff was expected to start in goal for the Flames and likely to play the full game in his preseason debut. Calgary had been the NHL's lowest‑scoring team the previous season, while Vancouver had finished last in 5‑on‑5 goals in that same season.

The game was set to air on Sportsnet One with John Shorthouse and Dave Tomlinson calling the action. Postgame coverage was planned via Rink Wide Vancouver's livestream, which begins shortly after the final buzzer and invites viewer interaction.

Expect to see how Rogowski handles his first preseason minutes, how Lankinen settles into a first preseason start, and how the young power‑play units operate against a veteran Flames group. Management's presence indicates the game is part of roster and role evaluations for players on the cusp of regular‑season spots.