The Vancouver Canucks announced today that netminder Jiri Patera has been recalled on an emergency basis from their AHL affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks. Patera, 26, has played each of the last two seasons exclusively at the AHL level, though an injury did cost him a chance to earn NHL games last season, as he was limited to just seven games played. He’s already up to five games played so far this season, posting a .894 save percentage, 3.10 goals-against average, and 1-2-2 record.
CHEK TV’s Rick Dhaliwal reported on this recall in some additional detail, noting that while netminder Kevin Lankinen is not currently injured, Thatcher Demko “may need a maintenance day.” And since the Canucks have back-to-back games to play on Saturday and Sunday, recalling Patera allows the team to be cautious and give head coach Adam Foote an additional goaltender to work with in case Demko is not able to play in one of the team’s two upcoming games. Dhaliwal did also note that Demko “is not hurt.” While he hasn’t yet played for the Canucks, Patera does have some NHL experience. The 26-year-old played in eight games across two seasons with the Vegas Golden Knights, posting a .902 save percentage.
Other notes from the Western Conference:
- The Dallas Stars might have to deal with the loss of Colin Blackwell due to an injury, reports Stars Thoughts’ Robert Tiffin. Per Tiffin, Blackwell “took a heavy shot last night in the leg/foot” and did not practice today. While there has not been any official update from the Stars, it appears entirely possible that Blackwell will miss some time due to injury. The 32-year-old veteran of over 300 NHL games isn’t much of an offensive producer (he has one point through 14 games) but has been a key contributor on the penalty kill. He leads all Stars forwards in short-handed ice time per game so far this season, and ranked second in 2024-25, just behind Sam Steel.
- Vegas Golden Knights prospect Arttu Kärki, who ranked No. 13 in the team’s system by Elite Prospects in August, has signed a contract to transfer to Jukurit in Finland’s Liiga. The deal runs through next season, and should give the 20-year-old blueliner a more consistent place to play moving forward. The 2023 third-round pick was drafted by Vegas out of Finland’s U20 circuit, but spent the following season in the OHL. He split last season between Tappara and Assat, and now will play for his fourth Liiga team in two years. Kärki has only played in one game so far this year, a Sept. 9 victory for HIFK Helsinki over Jukurit of all teams, and Kärki scored a goal and played in just under 18 minutes of ice time. The Golden Knights maintain the exclusive rights to sign Kärki to an entry-level deal until June 1, 2027, and Elite Prospects scout Lassi Alanen wrote in August that “if everything breaks right” Kärki could “end up as a No. 5 NHL defenceman.”