The NCAA season begins in October, and several Vancouver Canucks prospects will be looking to win a National Championship by the end of this season. The Canucks have an interesting prospect pool in the American college system, with many of them looking to take important roles on their team, and some will be playing with their new college for the first time. With the new CHL-NCAA agreement in full effect this season, this will be a brand new world for college hockey, and we will be seeing it firsthand with the first prospect we will be discussing.
Anthony Romani, Forward, Michigan State
Romani will be part of the first wave of Canadian Hockey League players moving to the NCAA after the recent agreement, as he announced he would be committing to play at Michigan State in 2025-26. He spent the last three seasons playing in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) with both the North Bay Battalion and the Barrie Colts. Instead of potentially going pro or staying one final season in the OHL, he jumped at the chance to play with Michigan State, where he will play with other former CHL players like Columbus Blue Jackets first-rounder Cayden Lindstrom and Philadelphia Flyers first-rounder Porter Martone.
Romani has been a force to be reckoned with during his time in the OHL. One season, he even led the league in goals with 58 and came second in the league in points with 111. This past season, he split time between the Battalion and the Colts, where he scored a combined 35 points in 35 games, with injury unfortunately plaguing his season. In the playoffs with Barrie, Romani contributed greatly to his new team, recording 24 points in 12 games. Now, being given the chance to play with other elite players at Michigan State will hopefully grow his game to greater heights.
Aiden Celebrini, Defenceman, Boston University
Although not as flashy as his younger brother Macklin, Aiden Celebrini has elements that are needed in the modern game. He won’t put up many points, but he is a big, strong, and tough defenceman who will have no problem stapling players to the boards if needed. Players who play that type of game usually take longer to develop and need more time to perfect their craft before heading to the NHL, so for Celebrini to play another season at Boston University to prepare for turning pro is very common.
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But Celebrini will now have a chance to take a huge step into a much bigger role his Terriers team this season with several players graduating to pro hockey, like fellow Canucks prospect Tom Willander. Aiden’s father spoke over a year ago on the popular Vancouver sports show Donnie and Dhali about his son. He said, “I’m really curious to see how it turns out for Aiden. I think the best is yet to come [for him]. I see him building, and I see him as obsessed with [hockey] right now as he has ever been.” Celebrini also grew up loving the Canucks, so to have him one day play a game with the team would be a great story.
Matthew Perkins, Forward, Northeastern
Perkins shocked most people when he was drafted higher than expected in 2023 in the fourth round, when the Canucks took the forward after he had just completed his draft-plus-one season in the United States Hockey League with the Youngstown Phantoms. He has spent the last two seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth but has been unable to produce big numbers with the Bulldogs, recording 15 points in his first season and only five in 2024-25. He will now transfer to Northeastern for a better opportunity.
With this transfer, Perkins has the chance to be counted on as a top player on their roster, as he is one of only a few players on their upcoming team to have been drafted in the NHL. A new and bigger role could give him the chance to increase his point production, which Canucks scouts and management would obviously be a big fan of. A big season for Perkins could do wonders for his career.
This will be a big season in the NCAA for the Canucks, and many of their prospects have the chance to take big steps. Productive campaigns from all three of these players could mean big things for them in the future.
