For the first time in four years, the Vancouver Canucks made a second-round pick at the NHL Entry Draft. Surprisingly, they used it on a goaltender.
The Canucks used the 47th-overall pick to select Alexei Medvedev, a Russian goaltender who played in the OHL this past season.
Medvedev played 34 games for the London Knights, putting up a .912 save percentage that ranked fourth in the OHL last season. He likely would have started more games if the other Knights goaltender wasn't overager Austin Elliott, who was first in the OHL in save percentage.
"NHL goalie scouts highly regard him because of his technical ability and calm demeanour, which he pairs well with some explosive skating," reads Medvedev's profile from Elite Prospects' scouting guide. "Medvedev’s career path to the GOJHL and OHL has answered some earlier questions that other Russian goalies will have to face later. He’s already started adapting to the North American game, quite well, in fact, and handles shots from all angles rather cleanly."
The pick could be considered a bit of a reach, as independent draft rankings all had him ranked lower than 47th overall — as high as 50th overall (Smaht Scouting) and as low as 125th overall (Corey Pronman at The Athletic). Still, goaltenders can be tough to rank appropriately, and the margins between prospects outside of the first round are small. The Canucks have a lot of belief in their goaltending scouting, though Medvedev doesn't necessarily have the same profile as some of the goaltenders they've picked in the past.
"Medvedev is an athletic, technically sound goaltender who plays with calmness, control, and a consistently refined approach in the crease," said Josh Tessler at Smaht Scouting. "His rebound management is among the best in this class, regularly directing pucks to low-danger areas and limiting second-chance opportunities. He shows excellent mobility—particularly east-west—and resets quickly, allowing him to stay composed and square through lateral movement and multi-shot sequences."
The concerns for Medvedev are consistency and his relatively small stature at 6'2" compared to goaltenders who typically excel in the NHL.
"I have found that he can play a little deep in his net and look small with the bit of a hunch that he has (a hunch over his toes that a lot of Russian goalies have as their stance), but he makes up for it with his quickness, talent and good hands," said Scott Wheeler at The Athletic.
With his September 10 birthday, the 6'2" Medvedev is one of the youngest prospects in the 2025 draft. If he was five days younger, he would be eligible for next year's draft.
That gives Medvedev a longer runway for development than many other prospects in this draft, as those extra months can make a big difference at a young age. The downside is that means Medvedev is likely a long way from potentially playing in the NHL, though that's not necessarily a problem given the Canucks' current goaltending situation.
His young age also means Medvedev might have a little bit of growth coming in terms of his height.
"Medvedev was 5-foot-11 when London drafted him in the second round of the 2023 OHL draft, and after spending his 16-year-old season in the Jr. B GOJHL, he’s now over 6-foot-2," said Wheeler.
All of that makes Medvedev an intriguing pick for the Canucks in the second round.
It's also worth noting that the last goaltender the Canucks picked in the second round was Thatcher Demko.
