Abbotsford Canucks Reach Calder Cup Final

The Abbotsford Canucks are officially in the Calder Cup Final, finishing their series against Texas, 4-2. Parent Club Vancouver has never had an affiliate win an AHL or IHL championship. The last trophy the team – or its affiliates – won was the Central Hockey League’s Dallas Black Hawks in 1978-79. Former Canuck John Muckler was their coach, if you’re curious.

How much does that matter?

Abbotsford Canucks Reach Calder Final, Does the NHL Follow?

Odd as it sounds, the playoffs aren’t equally important to every AHL team. The last team the Canucks faced, for instance, was the privately-owned Colorado Eagles. Yes, they want to win, but they also need to win because they want the money. They have an affiliation deal with the Colorado Avalanche, but that’s as far as the relationship goes.

By contrast, Coachella Valley is affiliated with the Seattle Kraken, who own the team. That’s a more typical situation, and the focus of NHL-owned teams is more around player development rather than team wins. Draft picks and college free agent signings get prime spots, while veterans fill out role spots.

Teams in a new location might go veteran-heavy for their first year, looking to make a good first impression. New fans want to follow a winner, and winners make the news. Abbotsford loaded up when they moved from Albany, though some of that was through necessity. Not many draft picks were on Vancouver’s system in 2021-22.

AHL vets Sheldon Rempal, Phillip Di Giuseppe, and Spencer Martin anchored the team, while BC-born “tweeners” Noah Juulsen and Nic Petan caught local interest. But few young players drafted by the Canucks have gone any further than that first-year squad.

There is still room for Danilla Klimovich to make an impact in the NHL, but he’s also been scratched in the playoffs this year. And as much as we love “throwback” defencemen, Jett Woo has yet to reach Vancouver. Artūrs Šilovs is rebuilding his reputation with this cold-blooded playoff run. But otherwise, that was a bare cupboard.

Then and Now

This year’s Baby ‘Nucks are being driven by… well, a number of veterans, but the youth is showing up, too.

They were a high-scoring team in the regular season, but the Canucks have reached the Calder Cup Final by tightening games up. It’s where Šilovs has shone, racking up a .929 save percentage in his 18 games. He simply refuses to treat any game as more or less important than any other game, and it shows.

After their just-finished series against Texas, the Stars now feature four players above a point-per-game in the playoffs. Abbotsford, even after the win, has zero. Texas’ two wins were one in overtime and the other by three goals. Vancouver’s four wins were two in OT, one 1-0, and a 4-2 win with an empty net.

It hasn’t been a case of scoring demons leading the way, is what we’re saying. Heck, the Stars scored two shorties against Abbotsford in one game, and those were the first the Canucks have given up all season long. The defence, we can say, is solid. That’s the way veterans play, and the team is led there by Christian Wolanin and Guillaume Brisebois.

Jujhar Khaira and Sammy Blais have been an absolute wrecking crew on the ice. Di Giuseppe is still doing his eternally useful thing as well. But 28- and 29-year-old players aren’t a shining beacon for the future. Who is coming to help Vancouver in the future?

How Much Patience is Too Much Patience

The two players leading Abbotsford’s offence are Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson, neither a Canucks draft pick. Karlsson has had a bit more success at the NHL level, though he is leading the team in scoring right now. He can certainly make the show as a starter next year. Bains will need a bit more to stick next time he’s called up.

College signee Max Sasson has been a pleasant surprise, bringing plenty of the speed Vancouver lacks. He’s not exactly lighting up the scoreboard in the Canucks run to the Calder Final, but after Karlsson no one is. The thing is, these are guys in their mid-20s. They can certainly help, and Vancouver should be glad they’re in the system. But they aren’t selling season tickets.

Two young forwards can help soon, and should be exciting to watch. But Aatu Räty, solid as he was in the regular season, has been injured for much of the playoffs. And Jonathan Lekkerimäki has been a healthy scratch with just one goal in 12 games. What they are going to contribute next year is never certain, but shouldn’t be relied on. Not yet.

Just like with the big club, it comes down to Abbotsford’s surprising names on the blue line to bring hope.

Canucks Calder Final Runs on Defence

New arrival Victor Mancini has been something of a revelation to fans who never followed him back East. He showed flashes of what he could do in 16 games with Vancouver this season, but his confidence has skyrocketed these playoffs. He’s challenging opposing forwards, using his skating to get to evade checks or get back into position, and unleashing a fine shot when he gets the chance.

He hasn’t been setting the world on fire, but he’s controlling play well and using his 6’3″ frame when needed. Fortunately for Vancouver, he doesn’t require waivers next season. He’s also playing well enough that he could be a nice sweetener in any deal they make. Either way, he’s a win for the Canucks.

The other defenceman is perhaps even more shocking for two reasons: he’s a Canucks draft pick (GASP!) and that pick was in the seventh round. Kirill Kudryavtsev was taken 208th overall in 2022, and played two NHL games in April. Nothing much happened in them, which is high praise for a 20-year-old rookie. He’s done even more in the playoffs.

Kudryavtsev has been a 5’11” beacon of calm. He thinks fast enough to never get surprised, assessing the situation well and making the right play. He’s not perfect, and making plans isn’t the same as executing them. But he’s on the right side of the puck at any given moment and is unfazed playing the right side despite being left-handed.

He may not play in the NHL next season, but Kudryavtsev provides some real “what are YOU doing here?” lift to Vancouver’s prospects. And if the Abbotsford Canucks actually win the Calder Cup Final, he’ll be a key reason why.

Not every Calder champion makes noise at the NHL level. Realistically, most don’t. But a deep run like this, win or lose, gives their parent club some more names to think about fo their future.

*One game in 1955-56 when the Canucks were in the WHL. It counts!