Late-Season Introduction to AHL: ‘A Stepped-Up Development Camp’

Developing for the NHL is a long path, and the Canucks organization is committed to the AHL being where the last steps are taken along the winding road.

We are seeing late-season additions to the Abbotsford Canucks with Elias Pettersson (D-Petey), Ty Mueller, Sawyer Mynio and Jonathan Lekkerimäki joining their roster.

Vancouver Assistant General Manager & Abbotsford General Manager Ryan Johnson views the young players getting reps with the AHL club as a twofold gain for the players in their development.

He wants the prospects to continue playing hockey when their CHL, NCAA, or European Pro seasons end but also get comfortable with the Abbotsford coaches, staff, trainers, and environment.

Johnson also wants the young players to live the life of a professional player, even if it is just for a month or two. There are plenty of new difficulties in a young man’s life that Johnson likes the players to experience and conquer with the support of the team and fellow players.

“You want them to ask questions,” said Johnson. “You want it almost to be a tutorial or an education. You want them to leave here with as much knowledge as possible. It's great to communicate by text and phone but when you can sit in the same room or sit on the bench and watch a guy and talk to him about his game, you cannot replace that connection.”

“When we actually get to see the whites of their eyes, it's inspiring for all of us because we get them in and see their excitement and they get to have our resources that we have as an organization and have everybody be able to impact those players in a way that encourages them and creates excitement about their path.”

One player who made the commitment to the AHL path and is reaping the rewards is NCAA free agent signing from last season, Max Sasson.

Sasson was on one of the best lines in the NCAA during the 2022-23 year and had some options with other NHL teams but decided to sign an amateur tryout with the Abbotsford Canucks and an Entry-Level Contract with the Vancouver Canucks.

This gave him the chance to play for Abbotsford in the playoffs and be able to gain a ton of experience as a pro.

“We find this time propels them forward,” said Johnson. “Max Sasson is a great example from last year. He jumped in, practiced, and even played playoff hockey. From that whole experience and familiarity, he came back in September, and it felt like he has been with the organization for a couple of years.”

Sasson has continued to improve and has been and continues to be one of Abbotsford’s top centres this season.

He had to turn down NHL games to head down the path that he is currently on and though that was a difficult decision at the time, Sasson is extremely content with the decision he made one year ago.

“I'm very glad about my decision,” said Sasson. “Everyone wants to be in Vancouver and push for that. But knowing that I was probably going to be in Abbotsford this year, coming here at the end of last year and getting in the playoffs was huge. They were so hard, and that Calgary series was a battle. That helped me know what it was going to take. Yeah, I am very pleased with the decision to come here and work my way up.”

These young players who join Abbotsford late in the year get a chance to experience a lot and show the organization how they can commit to the standards that management is looking for.

Abbotsford Head Coach Jeremy Colliton explained what he is looking for from these fresh players who come to the team late in their season.

“Look like you can be a player,” he said with a smile. “The more competition we have, the better and if you look like you can help, we will play you. The players are going to get an opportunity in practice. We have two groups at times, and we are out there watching, and you get a pretty good feel for where guys are at.”

Colliton makes sure to do a lot of small area battle drills to test the inexperienced players out against the AHLers who have played all season long.

"If guys aren't ready to play yet, that's fine. That is not unexpected,” said Colliton. “But then for them, they get a picture of what it is going to take next year or down the road to be in that position. So, it's good for both sides for sure.”

Canucks management believes that this experience late in the AHL season is adding another step to the development of young players that may have not existed in the past.

“It’s almost a stepped-up development camp in the sense that they leave here with a lot of information, a lot of experience that we know is going to help them short term and long term and, in their career,” said Johnson.

The focus is getting players comfortable with the pro game in North America but there is a heavy focus on the prospects learning about the standards that this organization instills.

“There's a specific plan in place, details, values that stem right down from Rick Tocchet and his staff down to our youngest players that are in our system,” said Johnson. “Those are standards that they are showing our players on the ice in Abbotsford, we can start to instill that in them. And obviously, we have the staff and resources to do it.”