Where would the Vancouver Canucks be without Kevin Lankinen?
The Canucks were on the verge of starting the season with Arturs Silovs and Jiri Patera as their two goalies until September 21, when they signed the Finnish netminder in free agency. Lankinen netminder has 15 of Vancouver’s 18 wins this season.
He has blossomed into a quality NHL goaltender, despite the fact that he didn’t sign his first NHL contract until he was 23 years old.
Here’s where Lankinen ranks among the best undrafted goaltenders in Canucks history.
1. Eddie Lack (2013-2015)
Canucks stats: 82 GP, 34-30-9, 2.43 GAA, .917 SV%
Canucks fans will always have a soft spot for Eddie Lack.
Lack signed with the Canucks as an undrafted free agent back in 2010, after outduelling NHL-great Ed Belfour for the starting job with Leksands in the SHL.
The Swedish netminder then battled through injuries and worked his way up the minors before entering timeshares with Roberto Luongo, Jacob Markstrom, and Ryan Miller across two seasons with the Canucks.
Lack never captured the same NHL success outside of Vancouver, but his .917 career save percentage with the Canucks ranks third in franchise history, behind only Luongo and Cory Schneider.
2. Kevin Lankinen (2024-2025)
Canucks stats: 27 GP, 15-7-5, 2.63 GAA, .904 SV%
Lankinen was originally chasing a bigger contract during NHL free agency in 2024. Instead, he settled for a one-year deal with the Canucks paying him $875,000.
That’s turning out to look like a pretty shrewd bet on himself, and the 28-year-old seems set to cash in when this contract expires.
Lankinen hasn’t spent as much time with the Canucks as some of the other players on his list, but his season-saving importance for a team that entered 2024-25 with Stanley Cup aspirations cannot be overlooked.
3. Cesare Maniago (1976-1978)
Canucks stats: 93 GP, 27-45-17, 3.69 GAA, .883 SV%
Trail, BC native Cesare Maniago spent the last two seasons of his long NHL career with the Canucks, after setting a number of franchise records for the Minnesota North Stars. He still ranks third in shutouts and third in games played by netminders for that franchise.
After retiring, he spent several seasons as a goaltending coach for the Canucks.
4. Gary Bromley (1978-1981)
Canucks stats: 73 GP, 25-27-14, 3.64 GAA, .876 SV%
Gary Bromley is probably best known for having one of the most iconic hockey masks in NHL history: his famous skull mask that he donned after being nicknamed “Bones.”
Aside from that, Bromley was largely a backup netminder for most of his time with the Canucks. However, he did give the franchise two of their first three ever playoff wins. That included a victory against the Philadelphia Flyers back in 1979, and another against the Buffalo Sabres in 1980.
Yes, the Canucks won just three playoff games in their first 10 years of existence.
5. Petr Skudra (2001-2003)
Canucks stats: 46 GP, 19-13-8, 2.57 GAA, .902 SV%
Latvian netminder Petr Skudra was Dan Cloutier’s primary backup during his first and only two seasons with the Canucks.
Although he was the backup, Skudra replaced Cloutier in the first period in both Game 5 and Game 6 of the Western Conference quarter-finals against the Detroit Red Wings. In Game 6, head coach Marc Crawford pulled Cloutier in favour of Skudra less than five minutes into the game, after Cloutier allowed two goals on his first three shots.
Skudra’s numbers took a bit of a dip the following year, and he was replaced as backup by Alex Auld as the Canucks entered the 2003 playoffs.
Today, Skudra is the head coach and general manager for Latvian KHL club, Dinamo Riga.
6. Charlie Hodge (1970-1971)
Canucks stats: 35 GP, 15-13-5, 3.42 GAA, .893 SV%
Aside from Braden Holtby, Charlie Hodge is the only goaltender in franchise history to play games for the Canucks after winning a Stanley Cup.
After leading the Montreal Canadiens to a Stanley Cup (while getting his name on the Cup in five other seasons), Hodge spent his last season in the NHL during the Canucks’ expansion year back in 1970-71.
He resided in Vancouver for the rest of his life up until his passing in 2016, winning two more Stanley Cups with the Pittsburgh Penguins as a scout.
7. Casey DeSmith (2023-2024)
Canucks stats: 29 GP, 12-9-6, 2.89 GAA, .895 SV%
If it weren’t for Arturs Silovs playoff heroics, would Casey DeSmith still be with the Canucks?
The New Hampshire native was replaced by Silovs in Game 4 of the Canucks’ Round 1 matchup with the Nashville Predators last season, despite the fact that DeSmith backstopped the Canucks to a Game 3 victory, stopping 32 of 33 shots in the process.
DeSmith has managed to carve out a decent NHL career after not even playing an AHL game until the age of 25. He’s also looked sharp as the Stars’ backup goalie this season, with a 9-5-4 record along with a .911 save percentage.
Honourable Mentions: Ken Lockett, Curtis Sanford, George Gardner