Caleb Malhotra is heading to the World Junior Summer Showcase, and Zach Hyman couldn't say enough good things about him.
Malhotra, a product of the OHL's Hamilton Bulldogs, was the pick Vancouver made after missing out on Stenberg at the draft.
Hyman didn't sound like someone thinking about a consolation prize.
"Unbelievable kid. You'll enjoy getting to know him at that camp," Hyman said.
He didn't stop there either, adding that he expects to see Malhotra in the NHL "pretty soon."
Coming from a player with Hyman's track record, that's not a throwaway line.
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That kind of endorsement matters for a Canucks rebuild still looking for reasons to believe in what's coming next.
Malhotra's coach and father share more than a last name
Here's the detail that ties this whole story together. Hyman credited the way Malhotra was raised, saying simply, "Manny did a great job raising him."
That's Manny Malhotra, Vancouver's own head coach, hired back in June.
So the Canucks didn't just draft a prospect this summer, they drafted their own head coach's son.
Vancouver finished 25-49-8 for 58 points last season, dead last overall in the league, exactly the kind of season that puts extra weight on every young name in the pipeline.
A teardown like that needs stories like this one, a respected veteran publicly co-signing a prospect before he's played a single Showcase game.
Does having Manny Malhotra behind the bench give Caleb an advantage in his development, or does it add pressure that other prospects don't carry?
Either way, the connection adds a layer to Vancouver's rebuild that goes beyond wins and losses this season.
Malhotra still has to actually earn that NHL timeline Hyman floated, Showcase invite or not.
But for a fan base sitting through a last place finish, a comment like Hyman's is exactly the kind of thing that keeps people watching the next tier of this roster.
Will Caleb Malhotra live up to Zach Hyman's high praise with the Canucks?
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