The Abbotsford Canucks opened their season with two games against the Calgary Wranglers on the weekend. They won the first matchup on Friday (Oct. 11) 4-3 and fell in the shootout on Sunday (Oct. 13), by the same 4-3 score – despite throwing 48 shots Devin Cooley’s way. They have a 1-0-1 record to start the 2024-25 campaign, and now look ahead to Oct. 18 where they will begin a two-game set against the Colorado Eagles, the team they eliminated in the first round of the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs.
With all that said, let’s take our first walk on the farm and look at how these first two games went and the players that stood out.
Too Ripe: Brannstrom Seemingly Doesn’t Belong in the AHL
Erik Brannstrom doesn’t belong in the American Hockey League (AHL). He is a veteran of 266 NHL games and at times played top-four minutes for the Ottawa Senators. Over the first two games of the season, he looks like an NHL defenceman and at times has made the opposition look silly. In one play, in particular, he came all the way from his own zone, danced around a couple of Flames’ defenders and got a shot off on Cooley.
Erik Brännström is fun to watch in the AHL. pic.twitter.com/xLlwsC29R5
— 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀 Faber 🔥 (@ChrisFaber39) October 13, 2024
Brannstrom already has three assists and seven shots on goal and is well on his way to earning a call-up to Vancouver. I have a feeling once he gets it, he won’t be making the trek back to Abbotsford any time soon. But until then, Abbotsford fans get to witness a very skilled puck-moving defenceman that can get you out of your seat at a moment’s notice.
Primed For Growth: Klimovich Hits the Ground Running With First Goal
Danila Klimovich had a season to forget in 2023-24, scoring only two goals and four points in 24 games. He was often a healthy scratch for then-head coach Jeremy Colliton and struggled to do anything offensively when he was in the lineup. It took until Jan. 21, 2024, before he got his first goal and even after that, he was held pointless for the last 11 games of the season.
This season has already gotten off to a better start as Klimovich already has his first of the campaign. He scored it on Friday on a breakaway after using his speed to slip behind the defence. His second game wasn’t as pretty though, finishing with zeroes across the board and an ugly minus-3 in the plus/minus column – proving that defence is still something he needs to work on.
New Blooms: Blais, Twarynski, Kambeitz & Kudryavtsev Grab First Points in Abbotsford Colours
In addition to Brannstrom’s three assists, newcomers Sammy Blais, Carsen Twarynski, and Dino Kambeitz scored their first goals in Abbotsford colours and Kirill Kudryavtsev notched his first AHL point – an assist on captain Chase Wouters’ season-opening goal. Blais was signed to an AHL contract in the offseason and will be playing for an NHL deal all season, whether it be with the Canucks or another team. He had two points on Friday and will be an invaluable veteran resource for all the youngsters Abbotsford has in their lineup.
Related: Canucks’ Top 15 Prospects for 2024-25 Season
Twarynski and Kambeitz are also on AHL deals. Twarynski spent last season split between the Bridgeport Islanders and the Austria league where he put up a combined 10 goals and 20 points in 52 games. He has two points on the season so far, scoring his first on Sunday. As for Kambeitz, he has played for the Bakersfield Condors his entire pro career after spending four seasons in the Western Hockey League (WHL) with the Victoria Royals and Lethbridge Hurricanes (the last of which he wore the “C”). He signed with the Canucks in July and brings 174 games of AHL experience to the lineup. He scored his first on a shorthanded breakaway on Sunday after he stole the puck from Ilya Solovyov on the boards, sped in on Cooley and put it over his glove.
Quick Hits
- It was reported before the game on Friday that Jonathan Lekkerimaki was banged up after an injury he sustained in a scrimmage on Oct. 5. However, Canucks insider Rick Dhaliwal tweeted yesterday (Oct. 13) that he was sick. Regardless of illness or an actual injury, after such a strong training camp with the parent club, it’s unfortunate that he couldn’t start the season on time.
- Jiri Patera and Nikita Tolopilo split the starts with both giving up three goals apiece. Tolopilo got the win on Friday while Patera took the shootout loss on Sunday. Ty Young is also on the roster, but I anticipate he will be dispatched to the WHL or ECHL sooner or later as it’s usually not good to have a young goaltender sitting for too long especially when he’s only 20 years old.
- Abbotsford’s power play has continued its struggles from last season going 0/8 in their first two games. They were ranked 23rd in the league in 2023-24, scoring on only 17.6 percent of their opportunities. On the flip side, their penalty kill was pretty good, giving up only one goal on 10 Wranglers’ power plays, continuing their dominance from last season when they were ranked third in the AHL with an 85 percent kill rate.
- Manny Malhotra picked up his first win as a head coach on Friday after spending his previous seven seasons as an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs and Vancouver Canucks.
What’s Next For Abbotsford?
The Canucks will travel to Colorado for a back-to-back set with the Eagles on Friday (Oct. 18) and Saturday (Oct. 19) before returning to the comforts of Abbotsford Centre for their home opener on Oct. 25 against the San Diego Gulls.
Stay tuned for more Canucks on the Farm as the season continues!
