September 19, 2026 | South Okanagan Events Centre | Penticton, BC
They called it Super Saturday in Penticton and it lived up to every bit of the billing. Day 3 of Vancouver Canucks training camp was the most anticipated day of the entire week, a solid crowd at the South Okanagan Events Centre, a pre-game morning skate for the squad heading to Seattle, and then the main event: the Blue vs. White scrimmage that sent the crowd home buzzing and gave Canucks fans something genuinely exciting to look forward to heading into the regular season.
Here is everything that happened.
Morning Skate: Seattle-Bound Squad Sets the Tone
The day opened with a pre-game skate for the group of players heading to Seattle for the Canucks’ first preseason game of the 2026-27 season. It was a compact, purposeful session, no wasted motion, no coasting, just sharp preparation from a group focused on the task ahead.
The names worth noting from the morning skate were familiar ones by this point in camp. Braeden Cootes, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and Arshdeep Bains were all on the ice and all flashing the offensive skill that has made them three of the most talked-about players of the entire week in Penticton. Three days in, those three have earned every bit of the attention they are receiving.
Elias Pettersson, number 25 on the blue line, was again composed and efficient with the puck, continuing to make a quiet but persistent case for himself with every session. Adam Novotný moved well and looked comfortable. Nikita Tolopilo was sharp between the pipes.
And then there was Trey Fix-Wolansky, a name worth writing down if you have not already. He is undersized, there is no getting around that, but he made up for every inch he lacks with speed, work ethic, and offensive instincts that turned heads throughout the session. He had a good camp, genuinely good, and the coaching staff has noticed. Keep an eye on him as the preseason unfolds.
The Blue vs. White Scrimmage: Öhgren Steals the Show
This is what everyone came for, and it delivered from the opening faceoff.
The rosters were set with the BRO line : Brock Boeser, Marco Rossi, and Liam Öhgren on Team White, facing off immediately against Elias Pettersson’s line of Jake DeBrusk and Linus Karlsson on Team Blue. The matchup the crowd wanted most, right from the start.
Team White came out of the gate flying and it was Öhgren who set the tone. He picked up the puck on the right side, and buried a wrister that went in off the post… a classic power forward finish from a player who has looked stronger, faster, and more confident throughout this camp. The building erupted.
He was not done. Moments later Öhgren struck again, this time off the left side, and suddenly Team White was in complete control. Two goals in the opening minutes of the scrimmage for a player who was already the talk of camp. If anyone in the building still had questions about what Öhgren is capable of, he answered them emphatically.
Ty Mueller made it 3-0 for Team White shortly after when he capitalised while Team Blue was pinned in their own end. A sharp, well-placed shot past Kevin Lankinen that extended the lead and had Team Blue fans in the crowd wondering when their squad was going to wake up.
The answer came from Drew O’Connor, who got Team Blue on the board to make it 3-1 and inject some life into the blue side of the building. The momentum was shifting.
Then came one of the best saves of the entire camp. Chris Driedger, protecting the Team White net, made a spectacular stop on a tic-tac-toe passing play generated by the Pettersson line… the kind of save that would have made Jim Hughson shout ” GREAT SAAAAAVE, DRIE-DGER!! “
But the Pettersson line was not finished. DeBrusk scored to make it 3-2, and then Pettersson himself delivered the moment of the scrimmage…a silky, composed dangle off the right side that froze the goaltender and chipped it into the net to tie the game at 3-3. The building went loud. Three days into camp and Pettersson is clearly locked in, clearly motivated, and clearly intent on reminding teammates, coaching staff, and fans what he is capable of when everything is clicking.
Late in the scrimmage, Öhgren had his opportunity to complete the hat trick. He attacked with the same confidence he had shown all day and his shot was destined for the net, until Aku Koskenvuo reached back and robbed him with a save that drew as loud a reaction as any goal of the entire day. Koskenvuo’s performance throughout the scrimmage was another reminder that the goaltending depth in this organisation deserves more recognition than it typically receives.
The Shootout: Schenn Brings the House Down
The scrimmage ended 3-3 through regulation and went to a shootout, and what followed was one of the most purely enjoyable moments of the entire training camp week.
Luke Schenn stepped up for his attempt. The crowd, already loud and already engaged, gave him a reception that rattled the rafters of the South Okanagan Events Centre. And then he buried it. Clean. High. Decisive. Both benches erupted. The crowd erupted. It was the moment of the weekend, and it was not close.
Brock Boeser eventually sealed the deal with the shootout winner that gave Team White the 4-3 victory, greeted by another cheer from a crowd that had gotten exactly what they came to see.
The Verdict: This Camp Has Delivered
Three days, two practice sessions per day, one unforgettable scrimmage. Manny Malhotra’s first training camp as head coach of the Vancouver Canucks has been everything the fanbase hoped it would be. High tempo, physically engaged, competitively fierce, and full of storylines worth following into the regular season.
Liam Öhgren is going to be a player. Zeev Buium is locked in. Elias Pettersson looks motivated. The BRO Line is back and better than ever. And Luke Schenn put a shootout attempt top shelf in front of a packed house in Penticton and made everyone in the building, both benches included, feel like kids at a hockey game again.
Camp concludes Sunday with one final session before the full preseason schedule gets underway. The regular season cannot come soon enough.
Firsthand observations from Day 3 of Vancouver Canucks Training Camp at the South Okanagan Events Centre in Penticton, BC, September 19, 2026. Team rosters sourced from Vancouver Canucks official social media. Additional context from The Hockey News and the South Okanagan Events Centre.
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