‘I just need to continue this’: Canucks winger DeBrusk focused on rebuilding game
Advertisement
Read this article for free:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
We need your support!
Local journalism needs your support!
As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.
Now, more than ever, we need your support.
Starting at $15.99 plus taxes every four weeks you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.
Subscribe Nowor call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.
Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
To continue reading, please subscribe:
Add Brandon Sun access to your Free Press subscription for only an additional
$1 for the first 4 weeks*
*Your next subscription payment will increase by $1.00 and you will be charged $20.00 plus GST for four weeks. After four weeks, your payment will increase to $24.00 plus GST every four weeks.
Read unlimited articles for free today:
or
Already have an account? Log in here »
VANCOUVER – It’s been a week of highs and lows for Vancouver Canucks winger Jake DeBrusk.
He held out Monday when his team took a 3-2 shootout win over the Seattle Kraken. Back in the lineup Friday for a rematch in Vancouver, DeBrusk notched a goal and two assists as the Canucks fell 4-3 in a shootout.
The 29-year-old forward would have preferred if the points had gone toward a victory.
“It’s better in a win,” DeBrusk said. “We didn’t win. I think that everyone likes to judge people on points. It’s easy to say that when you have a couple points in the game. But we lost.”
Vancouver (16-20-4) fell behind 2-0 midway through the second period before rallying late in the frame and forcing extra time in the third.
Brock Boeser helped DeBrusk get on the board late in the second, slicing the winger a pass from the goal line on the power play. Stationed backdoor, DeBrusk directed the puck in off his skate for his first goal in seven games and cut Seattle’s lead to 3-2.
Kiefer Sherwood and Linus Karlsson also scored for the Canucks, while Thatcher Demko stopped 25 of the 28 shots he faced.
Matty Beniers played hero for the Kraken (18-14-7), scoring the lone goal in the shootout.
Cale Fleury, Chandler Stephenson and Ben Meyers all scored for Seattle in regulation, and Joey Daccord made 20 saves.
It’s been a frustrating season for the Canucks, and for DeBrusk.
Vancouver was expected to challenge for a playoff spot. Instead, halfway through the campaign, the squad sits second last in the NHL standings with a 1-3-1 record over their last five games.
DeBrusk, now in his second campaign with the Canucks, is known as a point producer and had a career-high 28 goals last season.
While he has 10 goals and 10 assists in 2025-26, he didn’t have a multi-point performance going into Friday’s contest and was a healthy scratch Tuesday.
Canucks head coach Adam Foote said DeBrusk has responded well to being sidelined, playing defence first and being solid on the forecheck.
“Jake’s a goal scorer and he gets real streaky,” Foote said. “He wants to score, he wants to help his team out, he feels down on himself when he doesn’t.
“And sometimes — I hate using the term — but you guess, maybe. Or you play for hoping a bounce goes your way, you can get the edge or get a step on a guy. And when he plays the right way, he’s going to get his chances with his speed and the guys around him. So I like the way he was playing with more structure and he was able to create.”
As injuries continue to ravage Vancouver’s roster, the team will look to DeBrusk to put pucks in the net.
He’ll have another chance Saturday against his former team, the Boston Bruins.
The veteran NHLer knows what it’ll take to piece together a good run of games.
“I’m just trying to build, trying to get back. Little things. You just try to stick to your ABCs, just try to stay as focused as possible,” DeBrusk said. “Honestly, half of it with me is my own head. So I just need to continue this.”
KARLSSON CASHES IN
Hours after inking a two-year, US$4.5-million extension with the Canucks, Karlsson celebrated with his 10th goal of the season.
“I love to play here. So, I mean, I’m really excited for two more years in the organization,” he said.
The deal comes amid a breakout season for the 26-year-old depth forward.
Karlsson had three goals and three assists over 23 games with Vancouver last season. Over 37 appearances in 2025-26, he has 17 points.
The elevated performance follows a spring in which he helped the American Hockey League’s Abbotsford Canucks bring home the Calder Cup.
“I try to be the same player as I’ve always been, bring the game I had in Abbotsford to here,” Karlsson said. “I felt like even the end of last year, I got it a little bit. And I got a lot of confidence from the playoffs in Abbotsford, and then brought it to this season.”
SEATTLE’S SURGE
The Kraken logged just one win over 10 games between Nov. 26 and Dec. 18.
Since then, they’ve been one of the hottest teams in the league, going 6-0-1. Seattle’s lone loss across the stretch was the 3-2 shootout loss to Vancouver on Monday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2026.