THE BEST INAUGURAL SEASON MOMENTS: DRIES WINS AHL PLAYER OF THE MONTH

With the dust of Abbotsford's playoff efforts settled, it is time to close the door on the Canucks' Inaugural Season in the AHL. However before the calendar flips to 2022/23, how about a trip down memory lane? Over the next few days, memorable moments from the team's inaugural campaign in Abbotsford will be highlighted in this series.

Following Friday's piece re-visiting Yushiroh Hirano's historic ride AVAILABLE HERE, Sheldon Dries winning AHL Player of the Month for February get's today's spotlight.

Sheldon Dries signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Vancouver Canucks in July 2021. However it would be in Abbotsford where Dries proved his worth.

He would go on to lead the Canucks in goals, picking up 35 tallies in 54 games, good enough for fourth most in the AHL. From that total, 18 goals were picked up on the man advantage, which would be a league-best for power play Goals. Dries would also play 11 games with the Vancouver Canucks, picking up a pair of goals.

Yet, in a season filled with highlights for Dries, the month of February was particularly special. Sheldon picked up 12 goals and added seven assists for 19 points in 11 games for Abbotsford during the month.

His contributions helped the team put together a six-game win streak, and go 7-4 across the month of February. On March 1st, the AHL announced that Dries had won the Player of the Month for February, becoming the first player to win the award during a team's inaugural season since Chris Terry did it for the Laval Rocket in March 2018.

Dries had four multiple-goal efforts on the month, beginning Feb. 7 when he scored twice and added an assist in Abbotsford’s 8-5 win over Tucson. He notched two assists in a 5-0 win over the Roadrunners on Feb. 9, then set a career high with four goals to help the Canucks to an 8-2 win over Manitoba on Feb. 11. Dries scored twice in a 5-2 win at Bakersfield on Feb. 16, and netted both Abbotsford goals in a 4-2 loss to Colorado on Feb. 20. He closed out the month with another three-point game, posting a goal and two assists as the Canucks defeated Stockton, 6-2, on Feb. 27. Ten of Dries’ 12 goals came on the power play, helping the Canucks go 18-for-54 (33.3 percent) with the man advantage during the month.

On April 26th, the Abbotsford Canucks announced that Sheldon Dries had won it's first-ever team MVP award. He finished the year leading the team in goals (35), and second on the team in points (62). Dries ranked amongst the top 10 across the AHL in multiple categories, including goals, power play goals, and power play assists.

Dries also notched a goal in the team's final playoff game, which would be his 12th career playoff goal. A tally stretching across three playoff runs with the Canucks, Colorado Eagles and Texas Stars.

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