Abbotsford Canucks are Turning the Corner as Home-Heavy December Continues

The Abbotsford Canucks opened the month of December with a pair of big wins on home ice and are looking forward to a busy month at home at the Abbotsford Centre.

With four home games over the coming two weekends, the Canucks are feeling good about the extra practice time that they will receive and are beginning to play the way they want.

Head Coach Manny Malhotra is pleased with his group’s commitment to playing to the team’s structure over their last half dozen games. The team went 4-2-0 on a road trip that began in the middle of November. From there, they outscored the Colorado Eagles 11-3 through a pair of wins on home ice.

“It always comes back to the same principles,” said Malhotra. “Holding structure allows us to play a much faster game and the most important piece is the work that the guys put in.”

The head coach spoke about how he has been happy with the past couple of weeks of practice and how his team has taken advantage of the extra ice time between games. One of the things that Malhotra is most pleased with has been his group's commitment to being one of the best-conditioned teams in the AHL.

“Guys have to be moving out there but pace with a purpose and their execution with the puck allows us to play fast. Our practices consist of a lot of high-paced drills. The guys are getting a lot of confrontations that they need and the defensive zone coverage is improving from the work we do in those drills.”

Malhotra liked how his group was committed to competing in practice and is trying to teach the players how important those practice habits are because they directly translate to how they play in games.

Abbotsford Captain Chase Wouters gives credit to his group's recent success from their buy-in to being process-driven.

“Manny has touched on that recently as we put in the work throughout the week, and it feels like everything is falling into place on the weekends. We’ve been ramping up to it and always looking forward to the games after the work we put in during the week,” said Wouters.

With a new coaching staff, the team has taken some time to become fully aligned and be on the same page between the staff and the players. Wouters believes their last road trip felt like a turning point in the room and with two more weekends before the Christmas break, the team feels confident in their progress.

“We are all connected, and I think that’s the main thing,” said Wouters. “We know where everyone is on the ice, and we know our structure and plan. We know who is going back for pucks, and who needs to be where on the forecheck. These are the types of things we have been working on in the video room as well as on the ice in practice. Though we are working through getting to know a new staff, it’s all been coming together lately, and it’s been good to see. There is still a lot of work to be done but we are excited for it.”

First-round pick of the 2023 draft, Jonathan Lekkerimäki is leading the Canucks with 14 points this season. He also leads the team with 10 goals. Wouters, John Stevens, Tristen Nielsen, and Cole McWard have played in all 23 games this season.

Artūrs Šilovs is 2-0-0 and has a 0.929% save percentage along with a 1.51 goals-against average. Nikita Tolopilo leads the goalies with 11 games played and Ty Young is back down to the ECHL for now but has played in five games as a 20-year-old netminder.

Young defencemen Elias Pettersson and Kirill Kudryavtsev have begun turning heads in the AHL. Each of the 20-year-olds has played in 20+ games this season and Pettersson is coming off a huge weekend that saw him play strong defensively while also having the first three-point night of his AHL career.

Kudryavtsev is showing that he can play both the left and right side on defence and is seeing some time on the Canucks’ power play unit. He is leading Abbotsford in points from a defenceman with 12 (2g-10a) in 20 games and the former seventh-round pick is tied for fourth points from a U21 defenceman in the AHL.

The Abbotsford Canucks have their annual Teddy Bear Toss night on Saturday, December 14th and all the toys will be donated to Archway Christmas Bureau.

Last year, captain Wouters scored to send the bears flying and he is hoping to do the same again this season but will happily see one of his teammates bring the bears to the ice.

Malhotra is excited about Saturday due to the fact that it will be his first time experiencing a Teddy Bear Toss in person.

“I’ve never been a part of one,” he said. “I’ve seen a lot of clips online but I’m looking forward to experiencing it live on Saturday.”

For tickets, you can click HERE, and do not miss the Ugly Christmas Sweater Night in the Canucks’ final game before the Christmas break on Saturday, December 21st.