Vancouver Canucks found their AHL head coach but got rejected: report
Hey, we’ve all been rejected before.
The Vancouver Canucks have been working like madmen this offseason, revamping the roster through trades, signings, and one of the most bountiful drafts in recent memory. They also found their next head coach in Manny Malhotra and recently filled out his coaching staff.
Now, one of the last big to-dos on general manager Ryan Johnson’s list is finding Malhotra’s replacement down in Abbotsford.
According to CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal, the Canucks came close to hiring their guy.
The #Canucks interviewed and offered the Abbotsford job to Memorial Cup winning coach from Kitchener Jussi Ahokas
Believe Ahokas turned it down.
Ahokas is viewed as 1 of the best young and upcoming coaches, wouldnât be surprised if he lands elsewhere in the AHL.
— Rick Dhaliwal (@DhaliwalSports) July 16, 2026
Dhaliwal reported on Thursday that the Canucks interviewed Memorial Cup-winning coach Jussi Ahokas of the Kitchener Rangers and that they offered him the head coaching role in Abbotsford.
Apparently, the Finnish coach turned down the role.
Dhaliwal first linked the Canucks to Ahokas for the Abbotsford head coaching role back on the June 22nd edition of the Donnie and Dhali podcast.
Jussi Ahokas reportedly turned down the Canucks’ offer. (The Coaches Site/YouTube)
Ahokas has been coaching for more than 20 years, spending most of that time coaching teenage youngsters in Finland. He eventually took over as head coach for Finland at the U20 World Junior Championships, where he led them to their last gold medal win in 2019 when the tournament was hosted in Vancouver.
The 45-year-old then moved from coaching teens to manning the bench for four years in Finland’s top hockey league. In 2023-24, he took on a head coaching role with the Rangers, where Kitchener has been one of the best teams in the OHL under his watch.
“What brings the good results…of course, we want to work on skill and technique, but it’s more of how we work together,” Ahokas said on The Coaches Site podcast back in 2023.
“When we enjoy each other, and we’re having a good time, and we’re working hard for each other, that’s usually when we get the best ideas.”
Aside from the on-ice success he’s led his teams to at multiple levels, Ahokas has also been applauded for his work on the personal side with players. He’s touted ideas such as breaking your season into chapters, with a big emphasis on team culture.
That all sounds like he’d be a perfect fit for the Canucks and their mantra. However, it all appears to be a moot point, with Ahokas reportedly not joining the organization after all.