Canucks send Höglander to AHL for first time in his career
Nils Höglander is headed to the AHL for the first time in his career.
The Vancouver Canucks announced the demotion late Monday night after yet another 5-1 loss on home ice. Höglander didn’t play, as a healthy scratch.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that F Nils Höglander has been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL).
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) December 20, 2022
The 22-year-old has played 141 NHL games since making his debut nearly two years ago but has never been sent down to the minors. The third-year Canuck has had an up-and-down season, ranking 10th in team scoring with nine points (3-6-9) in 25 games.
It’s a far cry from his rookie year when Höglander had 27 points (13-14-27) in the 56-game pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season.
Höglander has been a healthy scratch on multiple occasions this season and has bounced around the lineup. He recently saw time on a line with Bo Horvat and J.T. Miller and had brief success on a surprisingly effective line with Sheldon Dries and Connor Garland. The Swedish winger had four points in four games prior to Saturday’s loss to Winnipeg.
Höglander joins Vasily Podkolzin in Abbotsford. The 21-year-old Russian has five points (2-3-5) in nine games since being sent down to the AHL on November 28.
It’s been a disappointing season for both Höglander and Podkolzin, two young players on entry-level contracts that had shown a lot of potential in their respective rookie seasons.
The Abbotsford Canucks have two home games this week, tonight and Wednesday, before the Christmas break. The Vancouver Canucks play at home to Seattle on Thursday and on the road in Edmonton on Friday, before getting three days off for the holidays.
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