The Vancouver line-up will also include an all Abbotsford line with Max Sasson skating between Arshdeep Bains and Linus Karlsson. All three played huge roles in the Canucks Calder Cup championship last spring. That trio should get a heroes welcome back to the Abbotsford Centre.

Others looking to make an impression on the coaching staff tonight: Vitali Kravtsov who will look to stand out more than he did through training camp in Penticton last week. He’ll skate on left wing on a line with Aatu Räty and Mackenzie MacEachern. On defence, Victor Mancini will try to continue his strong showing which included an excellent training camp and a goal in a 5-3 loss in Seattle on Sunday in the team’s preseason opener. 

The Canucks will be facing an inexperienced Calgary line-up with few names of note. Joel Farabee, Connor Zary, Martin Pospisil and Jake Bean are among the most prominent NHL names making the trip. Former Canucks prospect Hunter Brzustewicz is expected to be in the line-up along with former Vancouver Giants forward Sam Honzek.

What was said

Assistant coach Scott Young met the media following morning skate and discussed the excitement of the organization to play a game in Abbotsford: “Yeah, especially after Abbotsford’s year last year it’s going to be great to have a game here. I think we’ll get a good fan base here tonight. I think a lot of guys are excited. Obviously a lot of our guys in the line-up are familiar with this building, so they should feel very comfortable and looking forward to the next step.”

Scott Young on what he’s seen from Vitali Kravtsov through camp: “He looks good. He’s looked really good, but now it’s game time and this is the question mark and we want to see how he does in the games. He’s a good-sized player with good hands and we want to make sure that he’s willing to grind and battle. We obviously want to see his skill set on display, too. If the effort and the compete is there we think it will go a really long way with his skill set.”

Tom Willander excited to get back into game action and continue his push for a job on the opening night roster: “I love it. I think it’s a lot of fun. It’s a new level of hockey and I think every opportunity you get on the ice, I feel like you make steady moves forward. When the level gets better, I think that’s when you develop the most. So it’s been a lot of fun.”