No doubt about this. Brackett and Smyl are basically saving the Canucks prospect pool, drafting late risers from the USHL and the NCAA. Without that infusion of talent, it's unnerving to think how weak the prospect pool would be. The problem of course is that the Canucks have drafted virtually nothing of substance from any of the Major Junior Leagues in Canada.
Obviously they have high hopes for Lind and Woo.....but seems to me that the Major Junior players the Canucks take flyers on in mid to late rounds, either don't pan out or never even get signed. They've had more luck cherry-picking older prospects like MacEwen, Chatfield, Sautner, McEneny and now Eliot who basically went un-drafted.
But if there's some sort or organizational review in the off-season, they really need to overhaul their CHL scouting imo.