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The Vancouver Canucks' AHL affiliate is a wagon right now

Daniel Wagner
Daniel Wagner
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Nov 4 2026, 2:00 pm
The Vancouver Canucks' AHL affiliate is a wagon right now
@AbbyCanucks/X

After 16 games, the Vancouver Canucks sit at the very bottom of the NHL standings with a 3-12-1 record. They have just one win in their last 13 games.

Their AHL affiliate, on the other hand, has been on the exact opposite trajectory.

After dropping their first three games, the Abbotsford Canucks have gone on a seven-game winning streak and have soared to the top of the standings. By points percentage, Abbotsford has the second-best record in the AHL, behind only the Grand Rapids Griffins.

It’s the opposite of last season, when Abbotsford won their first two games, then lost 11 straight.

It’s not just that Abbotsford has been winning games, but that they’re piling up goals.

The Canucks are averaging 4.0 goals per game, which leads the entire AHL. Since they were held to two goals in each of their first two games, they haven’t scored fewer than three goals in any game since, and have mixed in some lopsided wins along the way.

That’s in spite of missing one of the Canucks’ most important prospects for the last four games.

Braeden Cootes got off to a hot start this season, with six points in his first six games. He was also racking up shots, averaging more than three shots per game.

Unfortunately, a lower-body injury has kept him out for the past four games.

Canucks co-president of hockey operations Daniel Sedin gave an update on Cootes’s injury on Canucks Central with Brendan Batchelor and Randip Janda.

“Cootes, we’re hoping he’ll be back this coming weekend,” said Daniel Sedin. “We talked to Rick Seeley today, and he’s positive, so we’ll see where that goes, but it shouldn’t be something that will keep him out for long.”

Abbotsford should be even better once Cootes returns, as the 19-year-old centre has quickly adapted to the speed and physicality of the AHL, and is looking like a key part of the Canucks’ future.

Along with Cootes, other Canucks prospects have taken a leading role in Abbotsford.

Kirill Kudryavtsev Abbotsford Canucks

@AbbyCanucks/X

Kirill Kudryavtsev has also missed some time, but he’s been fantastic when in the lineup, with six points, all assists, in five games. The defenceman looks like a prime candidate for a call-up if the Canucks face blueline injuries at the NHL level.

2023 fourth-round pick Ty Mueller leads Abbotsford in scoring with six goals and 10 points through 10 games. Right behind is 2024 fourth-round pick Riley Patterson, whose emergence as a top prospect is a welcome surprise.

Abbotsford has also been getting strong performances from prospects Sawyer Mynio, Vilmer Alriksson, and goaltender Nikita Tolopilo, whose .910 save percentage is, so far, a career high.

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