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[Vancouver Canucks]

Blackfish: Riley Patterson catching fire in OHL playoffs, Sawyer Mynio not so lucky, and more

Welcome back to the Blackfish Prospect Report.

The playoff grind is carving through the junior ranks, and while some dreams have faded, others are burning brighter than ever.

At the pro level, this week saw Abbotsford’s historic streak end and Kalamazoo wrap up their season, while the Tom Willander sweepstakes heat up.

Let’s dive into the chaos.

Abbotsford Canucks (AHL)​

All good things must end, and so it was for the Abbotsford Canucks. After a jaw-dropping 13-game winning streak, their magic carpet ride hit turbulence with back-to-back losses to the Calgary Wranglers in their final home series.

The streak is nice, but what matters is that the playoffs are locked up, and there will be professional postseason hockey in British Columbia.

Even amid the losses, Abbotsford’s been a conveyor belt of opportunity. Three more prospects got the call to the big show, etching their names in NHL box scores for the first time: Ty Mueller, Kirill Kudryavtsev, and Nikita Tolopilo.

The latter earned his first career NHL victory in a snoozy 2-1 win over the San Jose Sharks.

"We were roommates in Abby. Split the rookie lap with [Kudryavtsev]. Happy for him, like really happy."

🗣 Nikita Tolopilo speaks on his first NHL start and win, wanting to work even harder this summer, and more.#Canucks | @theprovince pic.twitter.com/Z28BMx3LJ5

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 15, 2025

They join a growing parade of Abbotsford skaters who’ve tasted NHL action this season — a testament to the Canucks’ depth and the farm’s knack for churning out ready-made talent.

With the AHL playoffs looming, Abbotsford is in the midst of a dog fight for second place in the Pacific Division, with home-ice advantage already secured for round one. The roster’s about to get a boost, too — Vancouver’s season is winding down, meaning a flood of bodies could soon reinforce the farm.

And that list could include a couple of names from Kalamazoo.

The one note from the games we will cover this week was Danila Klimovich’s tremendous goal. Gaining the zone, he walked the line before making a strong move past a flat-footed defender to go top shelf for his team-leading 24th goal of the season.

WHAT A GOAL, DANILA KLIMOVICH! pic.twitter.com/4uIxP6wtbl

— Dave Hall (@davehall1289) April 12, 2025

From a point and attribute standpoint, it’s been a strong bounceback season for the now 22-year-old Belarusian, who is enjoying career highs in every aspect of his game.

The club did bring in a new body, with towering 6-foot-6 prospect Vilmer Alriksson joining after his OHL team was eliminated from playoff contention. He’s missed the last few months nursing an upper-body injury but was already seen skating with the team.

Getting the legs moving ahead of tonight! pic.twitter.com/0Vn1jmSdPB

— X – Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) April 11, 2025

Whether he draws into the lineup remains to be seen, but at the very least, having him up with the pro club to gain some experience is invaluable.

Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL)​

The Kalamazoo Wings, Vancouver’s ECHL affiliate, closed the book on their 2024-25 season with a final three-game stretch. Unfortunately, they fell shy of playoff contention, ending the campaigns of Josh Bloom and Ty Young.

Bloom went out with a bang, combining for six points (two goals, four assists) in the week’s games to cap a stellar rookie season. The 21-year-old finished third on the Wings with 39 points (20 goals, 19 assists) in 43 games — a near point-per-game clip for his first official professional season.

With Vancouver’s season wrapping and Abbotsford’s roster set to swell, could Bloom sneak in for a playoff cameo? Maybe, maybe not. But we’d bet the farm that he’s pushing for a full-time AHL spot as a 23-year-old next fall.

Then there’s Ty Young, who’s cemented himself as one of the ECHL’s elite young netminders and likely on the list for promotion for 2025-26.

His 10-9-2 record might look pedestrian, but his .926 save percentage cracks the league’s top 10 and a sparkling 8-3-0 stint with Abbotsford earlier this year sprinkles in some pleasant hope for the future.

For a 20-year-old who was still a junior hockey player, maybe at training camp, that’s one heck of a rookie campaign.

Come next season, don’t be shocked if he’s a fixture in Abbotsford’s crease rotation, challenging the veterans for starts.

Canadian Hockey League (CHL)​

With Vilmer Alriksson now in Abbotsford — likely for good, as his pro journey begins — we’re down to five CHL prospects, four still swinging in the playoff hunt.

Parker Alcos and the Edmonton Oil Kings fell in a Game 7 heartbreaker to the Prince Albert Raiders, so his draft-plus-one season is officially over.

Calgary Hitmen (WHL) – Trail Lethbridge Hurricanes 2-0

Sawyer Mynio and the Calgary Hitmen roared into the second round after sweeping Saskatoon, but the road’s gotten bumpy.

They’ve dropped both opening games to the Lethbridge Hurricanes, mustering just one goal across the pair. It’s a rare offensive drought for a team that’s been a juggernaut, and Mynio didn’t help the cause with a minus-3 rating with only four shots, a quiet output for a blueliner known for his heavy trigger.

The Canucks’ defensive prospect’s still logging big minutes, but he’ll need to rediscover his puck-moving mojo to help Calgary climb out of this hole. Game 3’s a must-win.

Barrie Colts (OHL) – Lead Kingston Frontenacs 2-0

Meanwhile, the Barrie Colts are putting on a clinic in the OHL’s second round, grabbing a 2-0 lead over the Kingston Frontenacs.

Anthony Romani continues to roll, extending his point streak with a goal and an assist in every game so far. His nine goals rank third league-wide (tied with a few others), and he’s showing no signs of cooling off.

But don’t overlook Riley Patterson, who’s caught fire in this series. With three goals and three assists in two games, he’s posted back-to-back three-point nights, sitting just one point shy of Romani’s playoff haul.

THAT'S TWO FOR PATTERSON@Canucks Prospect Riley Patterson tallied two so far in the second period for @OHLBarrieColts—keeping this back-and-forth battle close!#OHLPlayoffs | @CHLHockey | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/3kjz73z1ZZ

— Ontario Hockey League (@OHLHockey) April 13, 2025

Barrie’s outscored Kingston 13-6, and Patterson’s been a driving force, his offensive eruption fueling a relentless attack. This team’s not just rolling — they’re steam rolling, and the Canucks’ duo is at the heart of it.

Rimouski Océanic (QMJHL) – Lead Chicoutimi Saguenéens 2-0

Out in Quebec, Basile Sansonnens and the Rimouski Océanic continue to flex their muscle. They have a 2-0 edge over the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and have won all six playoff games to date.

Sansonnens isn’t the flashiest name on our list, but he’s a rock, churning out second-pairing minutes in a shutdown role with the kind of reliability that coaches crave.

NCAA​

The fairy-tale ending is over for Tom Willander and the Boston University Terriers. After clawing their way to the NCAA Frozen Four final, they ran out of gas against the Western Michigan Broncos, falling short in a low-scoring battle that hinged on BU’s inability to find the net. A valiant run, but no cigar.

Aiden Celebrini’s already confirmed he’s back for his junior year, so the spotlight remains on Willander.

The Canucks’ blue-chip blueliner faces a fork in the road: go pro or stay in school? The rumour mill’s churning, and it’s messy. As of now, he’s back in Boston, attending classes — a move that tracks for a guy who’s as disciplined in the classroom as he is on the ice.

Some say a deal for 2025-26 is close, while others claim it’s farther off than fans hope.

As of today, only one thing’s clear: burning a year off his contract with just one NHL game left this season is not happening.

Now, the focus shifts to whether he will he sign an Amateur Tryout Offer (ATO) to join Abbotsford for their playoff push.

Either way, Willander’s decision looms large, and Canucks Nation’s holding its breath.

That’s all for this week, folks. Thank you for tuning in to another week of the Blackfish prospect report.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/blackf...fire-ohl-playoffs-sawyer-mynio-not-lucky-more

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Instant Reaction: Canucks’ season finally over, lose 4-1 to Vegas

Welcome back to Instant Reaction, the series here at CanucksArmy, where we give you our instant reaction to tonight’s Vancouver Canucks game and ask our readers to do the same in the comments section below!

For one last time this season, it’s time to react instantaneously to a Canucks game, one that might be Brock Boeser’s last as a Vancouver Canuck.

After a stirring ovation and salute to Boeser, a pair of anthems, and some tedious back-and-forth action, Alex Pietrangelo drew a hooking penalty against Pius Suter, giving the Vegas Golden Knights the evening’s first power play.

In a hilarious sequence, Kiefer Sherwood clipped Pietrangelo’s skate while forechecking on the PK, opening the door for Drew O’Connor to rifle a shot on Akira Schmid shorthanded. Lankinen was sharp over the back-half of the PK, making several point-blank stops on Brett Howden and Pavel Dorofeyev.

No one would fault either club for phoning this one in. Neither clinching the division nor being firmly eliminated from playoffs deterred either club from treating game 82 like it was game one of the 2024-25 playoffs—lots of hits, lots of shot attempt,s and lots of rebound chances from the crease, including Suter’s 25th of the season 8:23 into the game!

1-0 Canucks

VANCOUVER GOAL

Pius Suter scores his 25th goal of the season!

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/8z50nqursl

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

It was a terrific, cheeky little sequence wherein Nils Höglander drew two Vegas skaters to the half-wall before backhanding a pass to a streaking Conor Garland for the turning wrister on Schmid. Suter sashayed across Schmid’s line of sight, picked up Garland’s rebound, and hit 25 goals for the first time in his NHL career. Ka-Ching!

Past the midway point of the period, Howden floated a backhander that pinged off the crossbar and nearly dropped off Lankinen’s back and into the net.

Minutes later, Quinn Hughes had a shot eephus its way over William Karlsson’s stick-blade and Schmid, pinging off the inside of the crossbar and out—weird!

Quinn Hughes hits the post. He comes close to picking up his record setting point.

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/kgLqxjGTK2

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

The Golden Knights pretty well controlled the first five minutes-and-change. Aside from Howden’s handful of attempts and ricochet off the bar, it was all Vancouver after Suter’s goal.

Hughes opened the second period with some escape-artist s*** that made colour commentator Ray Ferraro’s jaw drop. Then Elias Pettersson smoked the referee with an outlet pass attempt that got Ferraro and John Shorthouse laughing. It was nice to have fun on the broadcast, even in a game as meaningless and stakes-less as this one.

Five minutes into the period, Jack Eichel drew a tripping penalty against Garland, giving Vegas their second power play of the game. The opening minute of the PK looked like a power play for Vancouver, with the Canucks turning a lost d-zone faceoff into a 3-on-2 rush chance. After regrouping in the neutral zone, the Canucks’ penalty killers played a game of four-corner-keepaway, killing any possible power play momentum for Vegas.

After a spectacularly dominant shift from Hughes, the Knights rallied for a handful of dangerous chances on Lankinen, including a second shot off the post.

Past the midway point of the second, Lankinen made an incredible stop on Dorofeyev, off a beautiful pass from Eichel at the goal line.

Kevin Lankinen robs Vegas' top goal scorer Pavel Dorofeyev! What a save!

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/0uEovzS2Ev

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

With five minutes left in the period, Dorofeyev batted down an outlet pass of Pettersson’s at the top of Lankinen’s crease, prompting the Finnish netminder to make his fifth save on the Russian winger.

Later, Teddy Blueger and Tanner Pearson collided inside the neutral zone, resulting in Blueger going down the tunnel as a precaution. Somehow, Pearson came away unscathed. Fortunately, Blueger would return to the game at the start of the third period.

A coverage miscue from Vancouver in the dying minutes of the period led to an equalizer from Victor Olofsson, set up by original misfits Karlsson and the newly acquired Reilly Smith.

1-1 Tie

Victor Olofsson ties the game with 1:27 remaining in the 2nd period.

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/B195aQ9Kg8

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

Lankinen’s mysterious absence following the second period added some spice to the game, resulting in Nikita Tolopilo filling in as the team’s reliever for the final twenty.

Tolopilo was sharp to start, turning aside several chances off the rush from Vegas. At one point, Tolopilo got a late touch on a shot from Olofsson, which deflected the puck off the post and wide. Tolopilo would not be so lucky on the next rush chance, as Dorofeyev finally found the back of the net on his sixth shot of the game, breaking the lengthy stalemate.

2-1 Golden Knights

Pavel Dorofeyev beats Nikita Tolopilo with a nice shot. It's 2-1 Vegas.

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/bEcBzYsEhe

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

Pettersson would draw a hooking penalty against Howden almost immediately after Dorofeyev’s goal, giving them their first power play opportunity of the game.

Vancouver managed two attempts to Vegas’ one, which is a polite way of saying, “the power play sucked.”

Right as the power play expired, Eichel tipped a point shot from Ben Hutton—yes, that Ben Hutton—stretching Vegas’ lead to two.

3-1 Golden Knights

Jack Eichel tips home a Ben Hutton point shot. It's 3-1 Vegas.

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/k8KNcaLf2V

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

Cole Schwindt drew a hooking penalty against Marcus Pettersson a shift later, giving Vegas a third power play opportunity. Fortunately, they didn’t score. Unfortunately, Vegas got Tolopilo doing some aggressive coast-to-coast splits, the kind that got my popliteus aching!

Sherwood threw some hits, which was nice.

Kiefer Sherwood is not treating this like a meaningless game.

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/mmhL1HxL6F

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

With less than three minutes left, Tocchet yoinked Tolopilo for the extra attacker, deploying a unit of Boeser, Suter, Garland, Höglander, MPettersson, and Kirill Kudryavtsev.

A turnover in the neutral zone landed on Cole Schwindt’s stick, resulting in his first NHL goal—in game 82 of the season.

4-1 Golden Knights

Cole Schwindt scores his first goal of the season for Vegas. It's 4-1 Knights.

: Sportsnet | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/MzAs1lTfs1

— CanucksArmy (@CanucksArmy) April 17, 2025

Mercifully, this abject failure of a season is finally over.

Hopefully, the club can find a way to keep Boeser beyond this season. Don’t let this disastrous season-ending whimper be the last time we see him as a Canuck.

Happy retirement to Pat O’Neill.

What’s your instant reaction to tonight’s game? Let us know in the comments section below. And be sure to tune into Rink Wide Vancouver moments after the final horn!

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/instant-reaction-canucks-season-finally-over-lose-4-1-vegas

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Offseason Dreaming: How feasible is a Mitch Marner signing for the Canucks?

You come to us on this, the first day of the Vancouver Canucks’ offseason, and you ask us for more dreaming?

Okay, no problem.

The Canucks’ season has, functionally-speaking, been over for a while. And as exciting as this last run of games has wound up being – five goals in five minutes, the greatest comeback in team history, etc. – there is also an understandable desire from some corners to just get on with it and move on to what promises to be one of the franchise’s most crucial summers ever.

You know us folks at CanucksArmy will be hard at work April through August bringing you predictions, previews, and prognostications, and then tons of analysis about whatever moves the Canucks actually make. But at this early stage in the process, we’re still thinking big. This is Offseason Dreaming, and it’s all about possibility.

Which leads us to today’s topic. There’s no doubt that the Canucks will need to upgrade their forward corps this offseason. There has been a lot of talk about them adding a top-six centre, and with good reason – they clearly need one, and GM Patrik Allvin has highlighted it as a major priority.

But with Brock Boeser departing, and possibly Pius Suter, too, the Canucks will also just need more offence in general, regardless of the position it comes from. And on that front, we can’t help but wonder about the feasibility of the Canucks landing (by far) the biggest difference-maker available through unrestricted free agency this summer.

We’re talking, of course, about Mitch Marner.

The Cost​

Make no mistake here: Marner is the best UFA available, and he will also be the most expensive. AFPAnalytics currently has him predicted at an eight-year term (only possible if he re-signs in Toronto) and an AAV of $12,570,187, which is a lot…and we believe he’ll probably wind up signing for even more than that if he hits the open market.

Players like Marner – who just hit his first official 100-point season, after having paced for that on multiple occasions – just don’t become available as free agents very often. If he’s out there, a bidding war will inevitably ensue, and that will no doubt jack up the price tag.

A reminder that the cap is going up by 8.5% this season, and has similar jumps scheduled for the next two summers after this one, too. If we just apply that inflation to Marner’s current $10,903,000 compensation, it already brings us to $11,829,755. And that’s just a contract that Marner signed as an RFA, after his third NHL season of 94 points in 82 games.

Since that 2019 signing, Marner has piled up another 515 points in 415 games, good for eighth among all NHLers across that same span. He has almost certainly earned a raise, and a raise that would push him well into the range of $12+ million range. A bidding war could drive the price even higher.

So let’s go ahead and say that, were the Canucks to land Marner, they wouldn’t do so for a commitment of any less than a $12 million AAV over a seven-year term.

And that’s the low-end. A $14 million AAV may be more realistic when all is said and done.

For many, that’s the end of the dream. For others, the question becomes: can the Canucks even afford that?

The Salary Fit​

The short answer is ‘kinda,’ and the long answer is ‘yes, but not without some difficulty.’

When we previewed the Canucks’ offseason cap situation, we found them to have about $14.7 million on hand without making any transactions.

Great, that’s what they’d need to sign Marner, right?

The only problem is that the projection was for a roster of just 19 players, and the Canucks usually roll with 23. Spending room of $14.7 million is maybe, just barely enough to sign Marner and three more roster players at league minimum.

And that’s only if Marner signs at his low-end. If he signs at $14 million, say, then that would mean absolutely no room for any further signings.

With that, we’d probably say that, unless the Canucks can open up a bit more cap space, a Marner signing would be difficult to fit under the ceiling.

But the Canucks could, in fact, open up a bit more cap space. Trading Thatcher Demko, for example, and replacing him with a more reasonably-priced backup goalie should open up some $3 million. That, alone, could give the Canucks the breathing room to both sign Marner and fill out the rest of their roster.

But that would require the Canucks either freeing that space up prior to July 1, the opening of free agency, or going into the rest of the offseason over the cap and desperate to shed. Neither is an ideal situation, but they are manageable.

Which leads us to the next question of whether Marner would even be worth all the difficulty.

The Roster Fit​

So, Marner is not a centre. The Maple Leafs have tried him there on a couple of occasions, and it’s never really stuck.

The Canucks’ preference is undoubtedly for a centre. Heading into 2025/26, they’ve got the mercurial Elias Pettersson, the injured Filip Chytil, the sophomore Aatu Räty, and the reliable Teddy Blueger signed up. There is a clear-cut need for somebody else in that mix.

That said, with Boeser’s departure, their wing depth is also suddenly a lot thinner. Right now, the depth chart probably goes Jake DeBrusk, Conor Garland, and then a hodgepodge of Dakota Joshua, Nils Höglander, and Jonathan Lekkerimäki. It’s not exactly a set of world-beaters, and it also clearly needs the addition of another player at or near the top.

Marner would slot in several tiers ahead of DeBrusk.

The issue becomes how to arrange the rest of the top six around Marner. Who do they play him with? One obvious appeal would be to slot him next to Pettersson, in the hopes of fully re-sparking the latter’s offensive game.

That’s all well and good, aside from the stylistic issues that we’ll get to in a moment, but then, who is playing on the second line? It’s looking a little skimpy, especially if Chytil does not return to play.

In this scenario, the Canucks’ need for another top-six centre would remain the same. Unfortunately, there’d be no cap space left over to pursue said top-six centre.

Could the Canucks get away with having so many of their eggs in two baskets, with those baskets being Pettersson and Marner? We’re not so sure.

Time to talk about Marner’s qualities beyond offensive production. He is not, to be sure, a one-dimensional player. He’s an annual recipient of votes for the Selke Trophy and was nominated for it in 2023. He’s an excellent penalty killer, and one can’t help but get a little excited about him and Pettersson forming the most dangerous shorthanded duo in recent history.

But Marner also draws criticisms for both softness and a perceived lack of reliability when the pressure is on, which are the same sorts of criticisms laid at Pettersson’s feet most often. Marner’s reputation has grown a bit since his clutch performance at the 4 Nations, but perhaps not enough to shift the inevitable storylines should he join the Canucks.

We’re not saying that Marner and Pettersson couldn’t work together. We’re just saying that there’d be a lot of naysayers right off the bat, and any struggles along the way would be criticized to the nth degree.

It’s asking a lot of two players who, due to the salary-related restrictions we just talked about, would have to be relied on for the bulk of the offence if they ever occupied the same roster.

The Odds​

We just don’t think it’s going to happen.

With everyone wanting a piece of Marner, in theory, the bidding war will no doubt get intense. On that front, the Canucks are already playing shorthanded due to taxes, and they’d have to make a truly compelling offer to even get Marner to take a sniff. The siren call of tax havens will be strong.

There’s also a very real question of whether Marner would want to leave the media hotbed of Toronto for an only-slightly-less-intense market in Vancouver. If the guy wanted to head somewhere like Carolina after the experience he’s had thus far, everyone would understand.

We get to a point where, in order for Marner to end up a Vancouver Canuck, he’s going to have to want to specifically become a Vancouver Canuck. Were the Canucks able to pitch him on something concrete – maybe the concept of staying in a Canadian market that will build statues of him if he succeeds, just like Toronto, but without the same day-to-day insanity of Toronto – and were Marner to buy that pitch, then the chances increase.

The Canucks won’t be able to make the biggest offer he receives. They won’t be able to offer the most competitive roster. They won’t be able to offer the warmest climate.

Marner either has to choose the Canucks, or the Canucks will have to look elsewhere for their offensive upgrades in the Summer of 2025.

This particular dream is, unfortunately, of the pipe variety.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/offseason-dreaming-how-feasible-mitch-marner-signing-vancouver-canucks

 

[Vancouver Canucks]

Abbotsford Canucks chase division title with playoffs right around the corner

The Vancouver Canucks’ 2024-25 campaign is officially over, falling six points shy of a Western Conference Wild Card spot.

But hockey’s pulse still beats strong in British Columbia, as the Abbotsford Canucks have taken the American League by storm with a franchise record season.

Through 70 games, they’ve already notched 42 wins, soaring past their previous high of 40, set from back-to-back seasons in 2022-23 and 2023-24.

This historic season can be attributed to various hot streaks throughout the year, highlighted by an eight-game winning streak (January 10-January 25) and their most recent 13-game winning streak, which lasted an incredible five-week stretch (March 8-April 6).

The latter marked the AHL’s longest streak of the season and a new franchise best for the Canucks’ entire affiliated history.

With 72 games in each AHL season, each Pacific Division team has two games remaining, and all have ample reasons to play their best for this final stretch.

At the top of the division sits a three-way race to first place. While the Colorado Eagles hold an incredible advantage, needing just one point to clinch that spot, it’s anyone’s for the taking.

Why is first place important, you ask? The winner of the Pacific Division earns a first-round bye and an automatic berth in the Divisional semifinals.

Below, we will discuss how the AHL playoffs work, specifically for the Pacific Division.

For the Canucks, they can finish first, second or third place in the Division and of course, the final game of the season is an important match against the very team they are fighting with – the Ontario Reign.

If first place is out of range, it behooves the Canucks to finish second, as the seventh and final placed team will either be the Tucson Roadrunners (72 points) or Bakersfield Condors (70 points), both of whom would come in as the lower seeded team within the Pacific Division.

The good news is that no matter where the Canucks finish, they will have home ice advantage for the first round of the playoffs. As of today, the Canucks’ first-round foe — if they don’t snag the bye — remains unclear. A handful of points separates the fourth-through-sixth seeds, and a weekend shakeup could shuffle matchups in a big way.

The playoff breakdown can be confusing for those new to the American League. So, let’s break it all down.

The AHL’s Pacific Division playoff format is unique. Ten teams vie for seven spots, unlike the Central, North, and Atlantic, which hold just seven or eight teams.

Here’s how it breaks down:

• Round One (Play-In): The top seed gets a bye; seeds 2-7 face off in best-of-three series (2 vs. 7, 3 vs. 6, 4 vs. 5).

Abbotsford advanced past this round last year, edging Colorado in Game 3.

• Round Two (Divisional Semifinals): The bye team returns; four teams play a best-of-five series.

The Canucks fell here in 2023-24, swept by Ontario in three.

• Round Three (Divisional Finals): Best-of-five for the Pacific title.
• Round Four (Conference Finals): Best-of-seven, Pacific vs. Central champion.
• Round Five (Calder Cup Finals): Best-of-seven for the AHL crown.

Five rounds, scaling from three to seven games, stand between Abbotsford and the Calder Cup.

So while just two games remain in the season, with home-ice advantage already locked up, there is no shortage of incentives to play for. That goes for the Canucks, and all eight teams still in the running for placements.

Luckily for the Canucks, they are about to enjoy a significant influx of reinforcements. On Thursday, the morning after Vancouver’s final regular-season game, the club announced a string of marquee reassignments to their affiliated club.

General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the following players have been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL):

– D Kirill Kudryavtsev
– D Victor Mancini
– F Aatu Räty
– F Linus Karlsson
– F Max Sasson
– F Ty Mueller
– G Nikita Tolopilo

— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) April 17, 2025

Of course, there was one key omission. Elias Pettersson, the defenceman, will not be joining for the playoff festivities. The club failed to “paper” the player down to the minor leagues at this year’s trade deadline, resulting in him being ineligible for reassignment.

With only so many AHL call-ups beyond the deadline, the Canucks deemed the young rookie ready to play NHL games full-time this season. Whatever their reasoning, Pettersson is not eligible to be sent down and play playoff games for the Abbotsford Canucks.

However, with a fully loaded Abbotsford lineup, they are ready to face their final two stops in Coachella Valley and Ontario, California, to capture that coveted first place in the division.

With so much uncertainty, the playoff schedule has yet to be announced. However, games should kick off between April 21 and 27.

CanucksArmy will have full coverage of their playoff journey — stay tuned.

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Source: https://canucksarmy.com/news/abbots...ision-title-with-playoffs-right-around-corner