Canucks Resume Practice Following Olympic Break, Several Players Return with Restrictions
Vancouver Canucks players returned to the ice Tuesday afternoon at the University of British Columbia following a two-week break for the 2026 Winter Olympics. NHL guidelines restricted teams from skating until 2 PM local time.
Player Updates from Practice
Nearly every player who was sidelined before the Olympic break participated in the session, which was divided into two groups. Conor Garland was the only regular absent, excused due to illness.
Veteran Group
The first group included veterans Brock Boeser, Jake DeBrusk, Tyler Myers, Marcus Pettersson, Drew O’Connor, Evander Kane, Pierre-Olivier Joseph, and Marco Rossi. Filip Chytil also skated with the group, but wore a red non-contact jersey. His status moving forward remains unclear.
Sports.yahoo.com “Chytil, who missed the team’s final game before the break with migraine issues, wore a red non-contact jersey and was unavailable to the media, so his status moving forward remains unclear.”
Younger Player Group
The second group featured younger players, including Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson, Max Sasson, Linus Karlsson, Aatu Räty, Liam Öhgren, Nils Höglander, and Zeev Buium. Buium skated in a full cage and a red non-contact jersey as he recovers from a facial injury.
Sports.yahoo.com “Buium skated in a non-contact with a full cage, while Höglander wore a regular practice jersey.”
Head Coach Adam Foote indicated Höglander is close, for sure
to a full return, praising his dog on a bone
mentality.
Marco Rossi has been cleared to play, with Coach Foote confirming he is all healed up, ready to go.
Goaltending Updates
Jiri Patera, Aku Koskenvuo, and Alex Kotai were the goaltenders on the ice. Koskenvuo was called up from Abbotsford to practice with the NHL team.
Olympic Participants and Return to Play
The Canucks are monitoring the workloads of their players who participated in the Olympics. The NHL and NHLPA mandate one full day off for all Olympians upon their return to North America, with potential for more depending on their team’s performance.
There is particular concern for Filip Hronek, who logged significant minutes for Czechia.
Upcoming Schedule
The Canucks resume their NHL schedule on February 25th at home against the Winnipeg Jets, with puck drop scheduled for 7:00 pm PT.
FAQ
- When did the Canucks return to practice? The Canucks returned to practice on Tuesday, February 18, 2026.
- Who did not participate in practice? Conor Garland was the only regular player absent due to illness.
- Which players are returning from injury? Marco Rossi is fully healed, and Nils Höglander is nearing a return. Zeev Buium is also progressing but remains in a non-contact jersey.
The Canucks will hold a consolidated practice at UBC on Wednesday, with a team day off on Thursday. Further practices are scheduled for Friday and Saturday before their game against the Jets.