Henrik Sedin on early Canucks camp: 'Better than expected'

Henrik Sedin says the early returns on the rebuilding Vancouver Canucks have exceeded what he expected.

The entire roster reported to Vancouver before Labour Day and took part in captain's skates during the first week of September, even though the team currently has no captain. The quick turnaround to training camp, which opens in Penticton, B.C. on Sept. 17, pushed the early arrivals, but Sedin said players also pushed each other to reconvene.

"I think we're most excited about how the team is coming together," Sedin said in an interview on September 4, 2026. "With this group, we can already kind of sense that there's a different feeling. It's a different group, and they want to do something together."

He was blunt about the framing: "We're not going to discuss wins and losses but I think our fans and people that watch games, they're going to see a tight group that plays for each other."

Sedin and his brother Daniel are co-presidents alongside general manager Ryan Johnson, with Manny Malhotra installed as head coach. The summer additions of Luke Schenn, Brendan Gallagher and Jamie Oleksiak were about leadership, Sedin said, not headlines. "We didn't go after maybe the most sexy free agents, but they're going to bring what we need."

As of September 4, goaltender Thatcher Demko had been on the ice for goalie sessions but had not yet skated with the full group as he worked back from hip surgery. Henrik Sedin said on September 4 that the expectation was for Demko to be ready for camp and the season opener in Edmonton on Sept. 29. On September 8, Daniel Sedin said there was no timeline for Demko's return. "He's on the ice most days and has a positive attitude," Henrik Sedin said on September 4, 2026.

On the trade chatter surrounding players such as Elias Pettersson, Brock Boeser and Jake DeBrusk, Sedin pointed to communication. "There won't be any secrets," he said. "There's going to be rumours about every single player. That's something players have to live with, and we have to live with."

The Canucks also locked up a piece of that young core on September 4, signing 20-year-old defenceman Zeev Buium to an eight-year extension worth $9.38 million per season, the team confirmed.

The September 5 report said most players were expected to take Labour Day weekend off before another round of informal skates at Rogers Arena. Canucks prospects played Seattle Kraken prospects in Abbotsford, B.C. on September 12 and 13.