Defencemen Jett Woo and Guillaume Brisebois have cleared waivers and will start the season with the Abbotsford Canucks, General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today.
Vancouver drafted Woo with the 37th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft, hoping he could develop into a solid depth defenceman capable of playing meaningful NHL minutes. Things were looking promising until Woo reached the AHL, where his progression seemed to stall. After a strong Major Junior career, Woo managed just 13 points in 70 games and found himself a healthy scratch for Abbotsford. However, the last two seasons have been much better for Woo, as he tallied 31 points in 62 games while playing big minutes and providing reliable shutdown defence.
The biggest issue for Woo now is that Vancouver’s right-shot defensive group is set. Filip Hronek, Tyler Myers, and Vincent Desharnais will likely start the season as the main trio, with Noah Juulsen and Mark Friedman as depth options.
Woo showed some development at this year’s camp, but he still has a way to go before the Canucks feel comfortable slotting him into any significant role.
Guillaume Brisebois, the second-longest-tenured player in the Canucks organization behind Brock Boeser, has struggled with injuries for much of his career. Brisebois was drafted back in 2015 on day 3 while Boeser went in the first round that year.
Having played in just 27 NHL games over seven years, Brisebois has been dealing with concussion and migraine symptoms following a hit from Brandon Tanev in the final preseason game of 2023. He returned toward the end of the regular season for a few games where he was able to score his first NHL goal, but his symptoms resurfaced, forcing him to step away. The good news for the 27-year-old is that this year, no issues have been reported through camp, and Brisebois is looking forward to a full, healthy season in Abbotsford.