Canucks re-sign third impressive AHL call-up this month

The Vancouver Canucks have re-signed another one of their impressive AHL call-ups.

Defenceman Christian Wolanin has inked a new two-year, two-way contract extension with the Canucks. He’ll get paid $775,000 while in the NHL, or $500,000 if he gets sent to Abbotsford.

Wolanin is getting a modest $25,000 raise while in the NHL, but gets a pretty significant $150,000 bump on his current AHL salary.

Christian Wolanin #Canucks
$775k 2 year / 2-way extension

Each season:
$775k / $500khttps://t.co/GTQp3Jk2T2

— CapFriendly (@CapFriendly) March 23, 2023

Wolanin has been a good luck charm of sorts for the Canucks since being called up on February 18, as the 28-year-old’s arrival coincided with the start of Vancouver’s 10-4-1 streak.

The 6-foot-2, 190-pound defender has no goals and three assists in 15 games with Vancouver. An offensive-minded defenceman, Wolanin has 55 points in 49 AHL games with Abbotsford — earning a spot in the AHL All-Star Game this season.

While he hasn’t scored near that pace at the NHL level, Wolanin has shown himself capable of playing at a higher level, following previous stints in Ottawa, Los Angeles, and Buffalo.

“Christian has been a key contributor at both the AHL and NHL level this season,” said Canucks GM Patrik Allvin. “He has developed nicely under the watchful eye of our Abbotsford coaching staff and player development team. This has allowed him to step into his current role in the NHL and show that he can help our team get results.”

Wolanin is just the latest AHL call-up to earn a new contract from the Canucks, who have been busy re-signing depth players this month. They re-signed Guillaume Brisebois on March 7, giving him a two-year deal that includes a one-way contract in the second season. Vancouver also re-signed Phil Di Giuseppe to a two-year, two-way deal on March 12.

What all three deals have in common is they are minimum salaries ($775,000) at the NHL level. Wolanin and Di Giuseppe each get $500,000 while in Abbotsford, which is big money for the AHL. Brisebois will receive $375,000 while in the AHL next year, but his contract jumps up to $775,000, regardless of if he plays NHL or AHL in 2024-25.

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