Canucks assign goaltender Nikita Tolopilo to AHL Abbotsford

Tolopilo, 25, started the season in Abbotsford. After capturing a win on opening night and finishing with a 0.99 goals against average and a .973 save percentage, the Belarusian netminder was injured a few games later after making a miraculous save against the Ontario Reign on banner-raising night. He would miss just under one month before returning to game action.

With goaltender Thatcher Demko out with a lower-body injury and Kevin Lankinen staying home for the first half of their late November California (and Colorado) road trip, Tolopilo was summoned to tandem with Jiri Patera.

The 6’6″ netminder performed well in the first two games of the road trip. Against the Anaheim Ducks, Tolopilo stopped 41 of the 45 shots he faced in a 5-4 victory and saved 24 of 27 shots in a 3-2 loss to the San Jose Sharks. Lankinen returned to the Canucks lineup for their game against the Los Angeles Kings the next night, with Tolopilo serving as his backup.

At the tail end of the road trip, Tolopilo flew back to Vancouver for the birth of his daughter. He would stay home for the final game of the road trip against the Colorado Avalanche, and was returned to the Abbotsford Canucks with defenceman Elias Pettersson for a tune-up game against the Calgary Wranglers. The next morning, both Tolopilo and Pettersson were returned to Vancouver.

Tolopilo earned his next start on December 6 against one of the hottest teams and goaltenders in the National Hockey League, the Minnesota Wild and Jesper Wallstedt. Tolopilo made 28 saves, finishing with a .933 save percentage en route to a 4-2 victory over the Wild.

But with Thatcher Demko healthy and ready to return tonight against the Buffalo Sabres, Tolopilo will now join an Abbotsford team that is in need of its top goaltender. In the AHL this season, Tolopilo has a 2-3-1 record, with a 2.91 goals against average and a .908 save percentage. Abbotsford currently sits at the bottom of the Pacific Division with a 5-15-1-3 record, seven points behind the ninth-place Tucson Roadrunners.