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Welcome to the Canucks Top 25 Under 25 Rankings, the series that makes you wish you were under 25 once again. The list includes all players born after January 1st, 1996. Five staff writers (Beggsy, Westy, CanucksAbbyFan2, Trevor Connors, Markus Meyer) and one former staff writer (Daniel Gee, Elite Prospects) cast votes for the project.
Jim Benning loves himself some Carson Focht.
The Canucks general manager has always had a penchant for players who play on the edge and with a little snarl. 20-year-old and former Calgary Hitmen Focht slots right into that category.
If you’re looking for the scouting report on Focht from Benning, here’s what he told The Province back in June.
“Competitive and a hard worker. Has a good two-way game and speed on the forecheck to force plays. Has a good work ethic and chance to develop to be a pro.”
The Regina native was in the midst of completing his final season in the WHL before the coronavirus pandemic hit. Although his production was stagnating, his 32 goals were easily the best total he posted in the Western Hockey League.
It’s never promising for a prospect to see their production stagnate in the WHL, especially when they’re an overager. That being said, if Focht makes it to the NHL, it won’t ever be because of his goal scoring. He would fit the role of a fourth-line checking centre, who can bring that aforementioned snarl and bite.
What’s Next for Focht?
Focht is one player who is left in no-man’s land because of the coronavirus pandemic. He remains unsigned by the organization and currently doesn’t have a place to play in 2021.
That being said, the likely landing spot for Focht would be with the Utica Comets in the AHL. The Canucks desperately lack centre depth down in Utica, so bringing Focht into the fold to see what he can do in Utica makes some sense.
As of right now, the AHL season is set to start on February 5th, 2021. There are still a lot of unknowns with the Canucks AHL affiliate being on the other side of the border. You can currently add Focht’s inclusion on the squad to the list of unknowns as well.