November 14th, 2024
JC Clemas
The Vancouver Canucks have already been very active in their call-ups this season. Before the season started, it appeared that Vancouver had their forward group completely set in stone, but that was not the case. There seem to always be some depth spots to fill. With the trade of Daniel Sprong and injuries now becoming a concern (I don’t like you Tanner Jeannot), the players in Abbotsford are seeing that they have a chance to touch NHL ice if they can impress in the AHL. Many players have already seen time in both leagues, and many more could be eyeing their opportunity this season. I’ll take you through both those groups.
Up and Down- Nils Åman, Aatu Räty, Arshdeep Bains, Artūrs Šilovs, Jonathan Lekkerimäki
I was concerned a team would steal Åman off waivers from us (specifically Colorado with that atrocious forward depth), but luckily he snuck through. He’s pretty much a replacement-level player at the NHL level, but it’s fitting considering he only plays in the NHL lineup if he’s replacing someone. He has very limited offensive ability, but a solid hockey IQ and a good defensive game, which I like for a 4th liner. In the AHL, he’s only played 3 games but has 3 assists to show for it. Räty hasn’t been quite as good in the few regular season games he played compared to his preseason performances, but he doesn’t look out of place at the NHL level. In the AHL, he has been impressive, putting up 7 points in 8 games. It’s clear the organization has been pretty high on him since he came to Vancouver (I mean, he was one of the pieces they traded the captain away for). I’m assuming he will be bouncing around the two leagues this season, but he is developing quite nicely, and it seems like he has 3C potential. I haven’t been very high on Arshdeep Bains at the NHL level. I think he’s fine, but that’s it: exactly fine. I don’t hate when he’s on the ice, but I’m also not convinced we’re going to see much production at those points. I liked the duo of him and Sprong on our 4th line. Unfortunately, that just simply does not exist anymore.
Šilovs has been… not very good in the NHL this season. It appears he may just be built for the big moments (international or playoff hockey), which is quite odd for a goalie. It’s evident to me that he needs more time in the AHL to develop, and he’s going to get that time once Demko returns from his injury. He has 1 game in for Abbotsford this season, and was solid in it, saving 23 of 25 shots and getting the win. That’s a big confidence booster given his NHL performances this season. I’m sure Šilovs will be more than fine, but most goalies need a lot of time to develop. At just 23, Šilovs has more time to settle in and become the NHL-calibre goalie we know he can be.
The big fish of these five is Jonathan Lekkerimäki. The 2022 1st round pick has impressed in both the SHL and AHL since being drafted, and his arrival in Vancouver has been well-anticipated. We’re finally getting it. After 7 points in 7 games at the AHL, mixed with the disgusting, injury-inducing hit by Tanner Jeannot on Brock Boeser, Lekkerimäki made his NHL debut against Calgary on a line with JT Miller and Pius Suter. In the long run, I feel Lekkerimäki needs to be Pettersson’s winger, but it’s evident they just see him as a Boeser replacement currently. He certainly has the potential to fill Boeser’s shoes (or skates?), with an absolute rocket of a right-handed shot. Obviously, I want to see Boeser get back as soon as possible. I just hope Lekkerimäki can impress in his opportunity now so that Boeser’s return doesn’t come at his expense.
Centres- Max Sasson, John Stevens
Sasson and Stevens are two off-the-board picks as call-ups but deserve mentions for their AHL contributions so far. I’ve been high on Sasson the past couple of seasons. The 24-year-old had a productive season in Abbotsford last season, with 42 points in the 56 games he played. He seems like a Nils Åman kind of player to me, with a good hockey IQ, but limited potential for NHL production. Sasson had some good moments in the preseason as well. So far, Sasson has posted 7 points in 13 games for Abbotsford, which doesn’t exactly scream “NHL-calibre” unless the injury bug really hits the team. I would love to see Sasson get a couple of NHL games in before the regular season ends. I do not have my hopes up for it.
My hopes are even lower for the potential of Stevens getting a callup. The 30-year-old has spent his entire professional career in the AHL and has been a productive player in that time. He’s arguably been the best all-around player for Abbotsford so far this season. I, like most of you, have criticisms of +/- as being a useful statistic (Quinn Hughes disagrees). However, I think it’s worth mentioning that Stevens has a significant lead in that statistic on the team, at a +7, and is one of just 4 Abbotsford players to be in the positives. Besides, who doesn’t love seeing a career AHLer finally get his shot in the NHL? Realistically though, the Canucks are pretty solid at the centre position. With Miller, Pettersson, Blueger, Suter, Åman, and Räty, it appears a lot of things are going to have to go wrong for either Sasson or Stevens to don the orca this season.
Wingers- Phil Di Guiseppe, Sammy Blais, Danila Klimovich
Phil Di Giuseppe and Sammy Blais both have over 250 career NHL games played. It’s difficult to overlook that kind of experience if you ever have some spots to temporarily fill in the lineup. I was actually a pretty big fan of Di Giuseppe’s playoff contributions once he acquired the power of “New Dad Strength”. I was not a fan of his before that. I thought he was using up a spot in the lineup that would have been better suited for a young player, such as Vasily Podkolzin, who spent most of last season playing his heart out in the AHL. PDG is good as a replacement player, and I wouldn’t mind seeing him as long as he isn’t a regular. The same thing goes for Sammy Blais. After being traded back to St. Louis by New York a couple of seasons ago, Blais put up 20 points in 31 games. This was a heater for the ages, given that he scored 7 points in 53 games last season. I doubt Blais can be a productive player in the NHL again, but who knows, maybe we can trade him for Pavel Buchnevich.
Danila Klimovich has been an intriguing player to me since the Canucks drafted him in the 2nd round of the 2021 draft. The Belarusian lacked no confidence immediately, attempting to make the team right out of his draft year. He was unable to do so, and in the years since, has struggled mightily in the AHL. In the 2023-24 season, Klimovich had a year to forget. Injuries and scratches kept him out of the lineup for the bulk of the season, and he finished with just 4 points in 24 games. So far this season, he’s been bouncing back. He
currently leads Abbotsford, with 8 points in 11 games. He has effectively doubled his point total from last season in about half the games. That really inspires some confidence that he can still develop into an NHL player, but it seems like a long shot. If he continues this production, I would be campaigning pretty hard for him to get a chance with Vancouver this season. Even if he doesn’t get a chance, it is really nice to see him grow into an impactful player for the AHL club.
Defensemen- Christian Wolanin, Mark Friedman, Cole McWard
Realistically, none of these guys are players that a contending team would want to have on their defense. But then again, Vancouver has some of those guys currently. Wolanin is a very good offensive defenseman in the AHL. In the 2022-23 season, he scored 55 points in 49 games. The 29-year-old has played 89 career games in the NHL across stints with Ottawa, Buffalo, LA, and Vancouver. He hasn’t really impressed in any of those. Still, I can see a reality where he gets a chance in the NHL again this season. I actually thought he
deserved to be called up last season, and with questionable play from Carson Soucy and Derek Forbort so far, I wouldn’t mind seeing Wolanin up at some point if we need him.
Mark Friedman is the most “meh” player I think I’ve ever seen on the Canucks. That sounds mean, but it’s really quite a compliment. Friedman managed 1 point in 23 games last season, adding 35 blocks and 33 hits. He was basically just Juulsen 2.0, but without as much physicality and with a slightly better ability to play the puck. He’s unable to really have a significant impact on the game, either positive or negative, so I don’t have many compliments or complaints about him. Seeing him in the Vancouver lineup at some point this season would likely elicit zero reaction from me. Not a long-term option, but he’s alright. He’s a very good AHL player. I’m hoping that he can stay there and help out Abbotsford for most of this season.
Barring a miracle, or just a lot of injuries, McWard isn’t touching NHL ice this season. I just wanted to bring him up. Do you guys remember when he scored his first career NHL goal against Calgary and hit that nasty celebration? It was such a meaningless game too. I thoroughly enjoyed that and we do not talk about it ever. Again, McWard isn’t making the NHL this season, but he’s pretty fine in the AHL. Keep doing funny celebrations, Cole.
Abbotsford has had a shaky start to this season, currently sitting at 6-6-0-1 (the AHL separates OTLs and SOLs into those last two numbers). They haven’t really been given the chance to play as a full team yet, with Vancouver continuing to steal their players. Šilovs’ eventual return to the AHL team should help them in their bid for playoffs, and I’m sure they’ll get back on track soon even without him. They’re back in action against the reigning Calder Cup runner-ups, Coachella Valley, on Friday. Vancouver is in action tonight against the Islanders, as former captain Bo Horvat is welcomed to town for the second time since his departure.