Welcome to the 2025–26 installment of The Hockey News – Vancouver Canucks’ Player Report Card Series. Throughout the off-season, THN will conduct a deep dive into how each member of the Canucks performed throughout the 2025–26 season. Today’s article will focus on goaltender Nikita Tolopilo.
Tolopilo’s 2025–26 Season Review
Nikita Tolopilo’s season started with the Abbotsford Canucks as he took over the starting role after Artūrs Šilovs was traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins last July. Tolopilo started one game for Vancouver during the 2024–25 season, making his NHL debut in a 2-1 victory over the San Jose Sharks. He also came on in relief for Kevin Lankinen in the Canucks’ season finale against the Vegas Golden Knights, but those appearances were his only NHL experience up until this season.
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With Thatcher Demko going down with a lower-body injury in the middle of November, Tolopilo was called up to the big club with an opportunity to establish himself as a NHL goaltender. His first NHL action of the season came in a chaotic 5–4 win over the Anaheim Ducks, in which he made 37 saves on 41 shots. He made three starts during Demko’s fall absence, going 2–1 with a .911 SV% and a 3.00 GAA.
When Demko later suffered a hip injury that required surgery and caused him to miss the rest of the season, the Belarusian netminder was called up once again and was finally given a chance to show what he could do with a full NHL workload.
It ended up being a tale of two halves for Tolopilo. Heading into the Olympic break, he posted a 3–3–1 record with a .910 SV%, a 3.12 GAA, and one shutout. The highlights of the first half of his season included his first career shutout against the Ducks, a highlight-reel stick save on Oliver Kapanen in the first period against the Montréal Canadiens, and a penalty-shot save in overtime against Auston Matthews and the Toronto Maple Leafs.
(Note: Tolopilo’s shutout against the Ducks is not officially recorded as a shutout because it was a split shutout. Lankinen made one save after Tolopilo had to leave the game for three minutes due to concussion protocol.)
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During the Olympic break, Tolopilo was sent down to Abbotsford to stay sharp until the NHL resumed play. He started off playing well, but it all came crumbling down in a Saturday night tilt against the Seattle Kraken. With the game tied 1–1 and the first period winding down, the Kraken were on the power play when Bobby McMann came down the left wing and harmlessly threw the puck on net. It caught Tolopilo off guard, trickled through his legs, and went in for an ugly goal.
After that, the wheels fell off Tolopilo’s season. Much of the confidence he had built throughout the year, and the trust the coaching staff had begun to have in him, appeared to disappear. He finished that game by allowing three more goals and even took a delay-of-game penalty. As a result, he lost the net to Lankinen.
Tolopilo wouldn’t start another game for exactly two weeks. In his return against the Calgary Flames, after spending that time on the bench, he allowed four goals on 11 shots before being pulled early in the second period. He would make five more starts, going 1–4, with his lone victory coming against Anaheim, a team he finished 3–0 against during the season. After the Olympic break, Tolopilo posted a 3–8–1 record with an .856 save percentage and a 3.66 goals-against average.
Tolopilo finished the season with a 6–11–2 record, an .881 save percentage, a 3.61 goals-against average, a goals saved above expected of -7.5, and one shutout.
The numbers don’t tell the whole story of Tolopilo’s season. The netminder for the last-place team in the NHL isn’t exactly going to post stellar numbers. It also didn’t help that the Canucks allowed 191.8 expected goals against, which ranked 31st in the NHL, ahead of only the Chicago Blackhawks. There were nights when the Canucks lost handedly, such as on March 2 against the Dallas Stars, when he surrendered six goals on 37 shots but was arguably Vancouver’s best player that night and on many other nights similar.
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The Canucks also allowed the fourth-most shots in the league with 2,445, which isn’t going to be kind to any goaltender. Tolopilo is a big goalie at 6-foot-6 and 229 pounds, and he relies heavily on his athleticism and lateral movement to make saves, such as his stop on Matty Beniers in mid-March and another outstanding save on Vladimir Tarasenko against the Minnesota Wild on April 2.
However, Tolopilo’s biggest weakness was dealing with clean straight-on shots. A lot of the goals he’s given this season are on shots that beat him clean which isn’t something that should happen if you want to be an everyday NHL goalie. He has also struggled with rebound control at times throughout the season.
Tolopilo’s 2025–26 Letter Grade
The tools are there for Tolopilo. The size, and athleticism, two facets NHL goalies need. But improving his consistency, ability to stop straight-on shots and his rebound control are some things hindering him becoming an NHL backup. With all of that considered, Tolopilo earns a C grade for his season.
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Canucks 2025–26 Letter Grades
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