Vancouver Canucks place Carson Soucy on injured reserve, call up Jett Woo

The Vancouver Canucks have officially put defenseman Carson Soucy on injured reserve due to a hand injury.

Soucy was injured in a 6-4 win over Toronto last month, with the Canucks giving a 5-6 week timeline for a return. Soucy was previously placed on long-term injured reserve in November with a lower-body injury, keeping him out of action for 23 games. He missed a further two games in October with a lower-body injury, limiting him to just two goals and six points in 21 games as a depth defenseman.

Soucy signed a three-year deal worth $3.25 million per season with a full no-trade clause this past summer.

The Canucks subsequently called up defenseman Jett Woo from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. Drafted 37th overall in 2018, Woo has a chance to make his NHL debut after proving to be one of Abbotsford’s most valuable defenders. The 23-year-old from Winnipeg, Manitoba, has five goals and 16 points, putting him on pace for a career-best rate of 26.

Vancouver has one of the best defensive pairings in the NHL in Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek, with Ian Cole and Tyler Myers shutting things down on the second pairing. With Soucy injured, Noah Juulsen stepped up alongside Mark Friedman, but Woo being called up gives the team some extra depth to play with. Woo is eligible to make his NHL debut against the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday evening before returning home to host Detroit on Thursday.

The Canucks sit first in the NHL with a record of 35-12-6. They’re 6-1-3 over the past 10 games, while seeing a bit of a boost from the recently acquired Elias Lindholm.