Canucks' Young Guns Shine, Despite Franchise Record Loss

0:00It's March 22nd. NHL News today starts now. AI powered and game ready. I'm Cory with the story. The Vancouver Connux are wrapping up a tough final full week of March 2026 at the bottom of the standings, but their young players are. Stepping up big time. Elias Petterson hit his 200th career NHL goal on March 17th in a win over Florida, ending a 21-game dry spell. He's one of the quickest Swedish players to reach that mark. Playing it in 530 games. Meanwhile, a line with Brock Bozer, Marco Rossi and Liam Ogren has turned into the team's top scoring unit. Rossi has 13 points over his last nine games, sparking Bozer to 10 points in the same stretch as they build chemistry for next season. The club locked in 23-year-old defenseman Victor Mancini with a two-year extension worth $2 million or $1 million per year on average. At 6.3, he's a physical force who's shown in the minors and should anchor the bottom

1:01defense pair soon. A recent home lost to St. Louis on March 21st set a grim franchise record with 23 regulation defeats at Rodgers Arena this year. Management is sending a clear no excuses message to reshape the culture for 2026-27. Looking ahead, Vancouver host Anaheim on Tuesday at 7pm and Los Angeles on Thursday at 7pm, both Pacific time before traveling to face. Calgary on Saturday at 7pm, testing this young core against playoff contenders.