Abbotsford Canucks: 2026 Off-Season/Free Agency HUB

Consider signing up for a subscription so we can continue to bring you exclusive first-reports, prospect features and stories from around the American Hockey League (AHL).

Quick. Easy. Support original journalism!

Written by: Ben Lypka, Reporter/Photographer - Abbotsford News

@BenLypka on Twitter/X

One year after winning the franchise’s first-ever Calder Cup, the Abbotsford Canucks found themselves on the outside looking in on the Pacific Division playoff picture.

Injuries, offensive struggles and a ‘hybrid retool’ followed by the promise of an actual rebuild for the parent club in Vancouver led to challenges at both the AHL and NHL level for the Canucks organization.

Abbotsford never really recovered from a franchise record 11-game winless streak that spanned from Oct. 17 to Nov. 12, 2025.

The club managed to crawl out of the basement with a push in late-March and April that saw them finish the season at 6-3-1, but the Canucks missed out on the postseason for the first time since arriving to Abbotsford in 2021.

They finished 29th in the 32-team AHL with a record of 28-37-4-3 and scored a league-worst 173 goals in those 72 games. Abbotsford averaged 2.4 goals per game and also tied for the second-worst penalty kill in the league at 76.6 per cent.

But it wasn’t all doom and gloom, as rookie defenceman Sawyer Mynio took advantage of early opportunities to establish himself and forward Ben Berard emerged out of the ECHL to become an all-star and a scoring threat in the AHL.

Mynio ate huge minutes in the face of injuries and stepped up to score 21 points in 58 games a a 20-year-old. The third round pick made major strides in his debut campaign.

Berard put up 20 goals to lead the Canucks and earn an AHL contract. He was also excellent in the shootout making five of six opportunities.

Late-season additions like defender Jack Thompson and college free agent signing Bennet Schimek also showed promise in the second half and both players should be counted on in 2026-27.

General manager Ryan Johnson and head coach Manny Malhotra, two of the architects of that 2025 championship team, have both moved on to identical positions in Vancouver starting in 2026.

Johnson hired former Ontario Reign general manager Richard Seeley to be the new general manager and Seeley is still on the hunt for a new bench boss in Abbotsford.

Prior to hiring Seeley, Johnson signed defenders Thompson and Cole Clayton and also re-upped with captain Chase Wouters. Other key players expected to return include: Arshdeep Bains, Vilmer Alriksson, Kirill Kudryavtsev and Jimmy Schuldt.

Seeley also has to make decisions on players like Joe LaBate, Nils Aman, Chase Stillman, Danila Klimovich, Guillaume Brisebois and Jiri Patera.

With the rebuild happening in Vancouver, it’s expected that Abbotsford will also lean towards a youth movement.

Forward Riley Patterson, a fourth round pick in 2024, made his AHL debut late last season and will likely get a big opportunity this season.

Newly-signed Ilya Safonov is another player that the Canucks will rely on for offence.

Forward Gabe Chiarot is fresh off a Memorial Cup win with the Kitchener Rangers and may also earn a roster spot.

The 19-year-old exception rule could prove to be useful for Abbotsford, as 2025 first round pick Braeden Cootes is eligible for that roster spot. Cootes played three NHL games last season, but could be best served with some experience in the AHL.

The goalie position is somewhat up in the air for Abbotsford, with youngsters Ty Young and Aku Koskenvuo possibly getting more time. Vancouver’s injury issues in the crease meant that Nikita Tolopilo was in Vancouver and the NHL club may roll with three goalies in 2026-27. Jiri Patera also may be brought back as a veteran presence in Abbotsford.

Development is key for the next few years for Vancouver and Abbotsford will be critical to this attempt to bring the Canucks back to relevancy. However, one year without the playoffs may be one too many for Abbotsford fans and improvement on what was a disastrous 2025-26 would be welcomed by fans in the Fraser Valley.