Goodbye, sweet faceoff king.
GM Ryan Johnson made the surprising move of trading Aatu Räty to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Monday, ending the nearly four years the centre had spent in the Vancouver Canucks organization.
Räty’s care level and work ethic were always evident. His foot speed and calmness with the puck on his stick? Not so much.
Johnson turned Räty into Jacob Quillan and Brandon Buhr. Like Räty, both players were born in 2002.
And for those who have been clamouring for more Canadians on the roster, good news. Not only are Quillan and Buhr both Canadians, but both have ties to B.C.
Here’s what you should know about the newest Canucks players.
What to know about Jacob Quillan
Rob Rasmussen/P8Photos.com
Quillan has the speed to carve out a depth/energy role in the NHL, with much quicker feet than Räty. The natural centre has also shifted over to left wing recently with the Marlies prior to joining the Canucks.
The Dartmouth, N.S., native became a Quinnipiac Bobcats legend after going undrafted following stints in the U.S. high school hockey circuit and with the BCHL’s Penticton Vees. He eventually joined Quinnipiac in 2021-22, where his quiet freshman season certainly didn’t scream “NHL player.”
But in 2022-23, Quillan started to catch NCAA scouts’ attention.
Quillan authored a breakout season with 19 goals and 38 points in 41 games for a dominant Quinnipiac team that went 34-3 in the regular season.
After punching their ticket to the Frozen Four, Quillan scored two goals to help the Bobcats knock off a Michigan team that included current NHLers Adam Fantilli, Luke Hughes, Mackie Samoskevich, and Rutger McGroaty.
In the finals, Quillan became a franchise legend after scoring the tournament-clinching goal just 10 seconds into overtime.
Quillan’s goal clinched Quinnipiac’s victory over a Minnesota Golden Gophers team that featured current NHLers such as Logan Cooley, Matthew Knies, Jimmy Snuggerud, Jackson LaCombe, and Brock Faber.
Ironically, Quillan made his NHL debut with the Maple Leafs during the 2024-25 season due to a Knies injury. Small world.
In Quillan’s final college season, the 6-foot centre had 46 points in 39 games, which was second-best in the entire conference behind only teammate Colin Graf.
Graf, by the way, just had his breakout NHL season with the San Jose Sharks last year, posting 21 goals and 45 points in 81 games.
Maybe Quillan is next.
Quillan signed with the Maple Leafs as a college free agent following the 2023-24 season. After a fine first AHL season in 2024-25 with 37 points in 67 games, Quillan ratcheted things up last season with 36 points in 40 games. He also earned a recall to a struggling Maple Leafs team, where he played 23 games.
Leafs pundits griped about the fact that Quillan wasn’t given much of an opportunity last season, having been saddled with linemates such as Calle Jarnkrok, Steven Lorentz, and Michael Pezzetta. None of those players are currently playing in the NHL.
Brandon Buhr comes home
Toronto Marlies
Last season, late-blooming Brandon Buhr was fourth on Elite Prospects’ list of NCAA college free agents.
CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal reported that the Canucks chased him hard before he eventually signed with the Maple Leafs.
Buhr is a North Vancouver native who was nowhere near scouts’ radar in his draft year, having played on the Canadian high school circuit with West Van Academy. After high school, he spent a couple of seasons in the BCHL with the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Buhr made one attempt to crack the NCAA with Clarkson University in 2022-23, but returned to the BCHL after going pointless in 10 games.
The 6-foot-2 right-shot centre did crack the NCAA with Union College, where he spent the last three seasons. He wore an “A” on his chest last year, something Johnson loves, while finishing fourth in the historically low-scoring ECAC Conference in goals scored.
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Ironically, something Buhr excels at is also Räty’s Achilles’ heel.
Elite Prospects noted that skating is Buhr’s “biggest advantage over the NCAA competition,” and that his strides and crossovers are “separating.”
Maple Leafs pundits drew comparisons between Buhr and Bobby McMann, who has busted out as a legitimate goal-scoring threat at the NHL level.
Buhr has a ways to go, but the parallels to McCann are there as a big body who can skate and excels more as a shooter than a passer.
McCann was a less prolific NCAA producer than Buhr, and he still busted out for 29 goals last season.
It’s worth noting that McCann began his pro career in the ECHL, and it appears Buhr will also begin his Canucks career there with Kalamazoo.