What Canucks can expect from WHL top scorer Arshdeep Bains

In Canadian markets, hometown players pique the interest of fans like no other. So it’s really not surprising why the Vancouver Canucks’ signing of Surrey native Arshdeep Bains created so much buzz last month. 

The six-foot, 184-pound winger led the entire WHL in points with 112 points this past season, while running shotgun with another British Columbian-born player named Ben King. 

While Bains’ scoring prowess hasn’t been a constant theme throughout his CHL career, a period in which teams passed over in the draft multiple times, his D+3 season saw a drastic change in points-per-game. 

In 2021-22, Bains has been a buzzsaw against all his opponents, his points-per-game only dipping slightly against the elite teams of the CHL Eastern Conference like Winnipeg and Moose Jaw. He still saw strong results against playoff bound opponents and rolled over non-playoff teams this season. 

21-year-olds often push huge numbers in CHL action; age, experience, and development, pushing them to the top of the ladder. The dynamic can create an almost unfair matchup in a league that is populated with teenagers. This can cause obvious pause projection-wise, and should rightfully temper expectations.

But for some players who sign later in their major junior careers, there are some clear paths to the professional game. Whether it is an NCAA or CHL free-agent, Bains represents one of the better bets as a player who has some ability to translate — especially after digging into his game. 

Passing prowess

The details of Bains’ passing ability across the entire ice surface are impressive. In transition, he constantly adjusts rush patterns to cut away from the boards and into the middle of the ice. This is born out of a lot of controlled entries per game.

From there, Bains possesses one-on-one handling ability, advanced puck-protection habits, and a variety of passes such as hooks, slips, and saucers, often off his backhand. Bains even has a delay game that buys time and exploits overactive defenders. 

In sustained pressure, Bains pulls off high-difficulty-level passes, often layering feeds through waves of defenders. Whether he is passing into space, predicting teammate movements, or executing a no-look spin-o-rama pass through his peripheral vision, the blending of tools, skill, and sense is apparent. You can see how unpredictable he can be below: 

Crease and hash-mark scorer

Bains almost exclusively scores goals within the lower slot and the crease. The reason for this is three-fold. 

First, he is a deadly individual threat. When Bains can break free transitionally and work defenders one-on-one, he is able to pop pucks into his hip-pocket, manipulate defenders in motion, and finish in tight.

While Bains isn’t infallible while carrying the puck, a good volume of attempts failing, his mindset is consistently inside driven — an area of the ice players must reach to score in professional hockey.

Second, Bains’ ability to work give-and-go’s and drive the middle of the ice creates easy possessions for his teammates. The key to his success off-puck in these scenarios is his ability to up his pace to get to soft areas of the ice, all while setting his stick to shoot, and fight through physical resistance.

This means that Bains doesn’t have to be a primary puck carrier to produce — an area that young players who have dominated in the CHL struggle with when they reach AHL action. 

Finally, opportunistic scoring permeates throughout his game. Bains pops into the crease area, often behind unsuspecting defenders, establishing body and shooting positions. He pulls off wild maneuvers like preemptive stick-checking and spin-offs to get clean shooting opportunities. But overall, the base of Bains ability here is his sense; the timing and movement that allows for so many tap-ins this season.  

Defenders will be much harder to exploit at the professional level, but regardless, Bains showing these plus-traits is nothing but good news. 

NHL future

While Bains can be an engaged defender, he doesn’t make an inordinate amount of stops while in his own zone. He does provide support on the backcheck to help guide attackers into the walls and he can identify passing and shooting lanes, occupying them in key moments, but it isn’t as prevalent as his offensive game. Combine this with his slight frame, and these factors will be the major areas where he will have to develop the most to become a reliable enough player. 

Like many undrafted players, he also have to improve his skating mechanics and pace. This would be a more prevalent ‌issue if Bains didn’t have as much skill-blending on-puck, as well as a delay game. 

With added weight and strength, he will only become a better puck-protection player which could expand his game even further. But overall, it’s clear, there is legitimate reason to cheer on Bains ability as a hockey player, even beyond the appeal of being a hometown product, even if his projection is a middle-six player. 

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