Canucks Victor Mancini's heartfelt gesture for young fan and his father wins hearts

Vancouver defenseman Victor Mancini had a heartwarming interaction with a father-son duo, who are Canucks fans. Mancini reportedly saw a post made by the user @JaredinLangley on X.

“Got the Canucks legend Victor Mancini's game used stick,” @JaredinLangley tweeted on Sunday.

The user also tagged the Canucks in the tweet, which featured a short video clip where a young boy wearing a Canucks jersey bought a hockey stick from Vanbase, the team’s officially designated sporting goods and merchandise store. The boy was excited and said that he got a stick Mancini used during a game.

On Monday, the fan posted a sequel on X. He shared a screenshot of a text chain with the Vancouver Canucks’ official account where the team invited him and his son to attend Tuesday’s game against the Winnipeg Jets. The message also said that Mancini saw the earlier video and would like to sign the stick the boy carried.

“Well Victor saw the video and the Canucks have invited us to the game tomorrow night where he will get to meet Victor after the game to have his stick signed! We love this team and Victor!” @JaredinLangley tweeted on Monday.

The New York Rangers traded Mancini to the Canucks as part of a multiplayer deal on Jan. 31, which also involved J.T. Miller heading to New York. Since the move, Mancini has played seven games for Vancouver with a +2 rating.

He is in his rookie NHL season. Mancini made his debut as a Rangers player on opening night.

Victor Mancini’s unconventional path to the NHL

Victor Mancini went undrafted until his third year of eligibility for the NHL. He was selected by the New York Rangers in the 2022 Entry Draft and signed a two-year entry-level contract last April.

He was a standout performer during the Rangers’ preseason training camp and an injury to regular defenseman Ryan Lindgren saw Mancini make the roster for opening night. His performances over the next six games reportedly impressed New York coach Peter Laviolette, who decided to keep him on the roster when Lindgren returned. In October, Laviolette shared the reasons why he kept Mancini on.

“A little bit of everything to be honest, it’s his (Mancini’s) skating, it’s his size, it’s his poise with the puck,” Laviolette said, via The Hockey News. “He plays a physical game inside of his own elements. He’s big and he’s hard to play against. He does the right things with the puck. He’s very coachable as well.”

Mancini will likely feature for the Canucks against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday.