On December 7, the Abbotsford Canucks celebrated their 5th anniversary as an organization. Though the team would eventually drop the game 2-1 against the visiting Coachella Valley Firebirds, the crowd at Rogers Forum still honoured the team until the last whistle blew.
Beginning play in the 2021-22 AHL season, the Abbotsford Canucks were not the first AHL team to occupy the Fraser Valley. The Calgary Flames had their affiliate Abbotsford Heat take up residence in the then-named Abbotsford Centre from 2009 until 2014. The Canucks organization at the time had their AHL affiliate in Manitoba, until the Winnipeg Jets revival took over the Manitoba Moose, leaving the Canucks to sign a two-year affiliation agreement with the Atlanta Thrashers’ now-unused AHL affiliate Chicago Wolves. The Vancouver Canucks then housed their prospects across the continent in Utica, New York, before gaining approval in May 2021 to relocate their AHL organization to the largely vacant Abbotsford Centre.
In the seven years between the Heat and Canucks, the Abbotsford Centre was largely dormant when it came to hockey. The Fraser Valley Thunderbirds of the BCEHL would begin using the building in 2018, though that was it for the 7000-seat arena.
At least until the Vancouver Canucks announced they would be moving their AHL team 4500 kilometres closer to the Abbotsford Centre, thereby creating the Abbotsford Canucks. Canucks fans were excited to see their team’s prospects in close proximity, and players were excited to get a fresh start in bringing back professional hockey to the Fraser Valley.
“Moving to a new city, I guess you don’t really know what to expect coming in, and I’ve loved every minute of it,” Abbotsford captain Chase Wouters would tell The Hockey News, “It was exciting because everyone was on the same page.”
Wouters signed with Abbotsford as a free agent ahead of their inaugural season after spending five years in the WHL with the Saskatoon Blades, pursuing his dream of playing professional hockey. At 22 years old, Wouters was named the team’s first captain in 2022, ahead of the team’s second season in the Valley.
“It was a great opportunity like that from the management and the coaching staff here. To wear the ‘C’ is something I’m very proud of. It’s something I don’t take lightly, and it’s a huge honour.”
Wouters is one of four players still with the organization from the 2021-22 season, along with forward Danila Klimovich and defensemen Jett Woo and Guillame Brisebois, though Woo and Brisebois have yet to play this season due to injury. Woo was recently activated onto the Abbotsford roster, and Brisebois has been on injured reserve for the Canucks since the season began.
Last year was the definitive highlight for the young center, as Abbotsford captured its first-ever Calder Cup in its first season under rookie head coach Manny Malhotra.
“Being able to reach the top of the mountain, the end of the goal with that group of guys that we went through it with,” Wouters would say on the Calder Cup win, “There’s a lot of guys on that team that were here since the start and whether you’ve been here two, three, four, one year. Whether you’re a first-year guy, we kind of have a culture around here where everyone’s welcome and everyone can be their self, and be comfortable, and that’s what helped us get to that ultimate goal last year.”
“It’s an amazing feeling and something I’ll never forget, that’s definitely been the highlight.”
Though Abbotsford is coming off of a championship year, the season thus far has been a difficult one, hampered by injuries and constantly changing lineups at the whim of the NHL squad’s needs. They occupy the last place in the AHL’s Pacific Division with a 5-15-1-3 record, which is a far cry from their triumphs this past spring. Still, Wouters hopes to focus on the positives for the remaining months of the regular season.
“You look at our record and we’re not where we want to be, of course, but you always gotta take positives away. It’s obviously a lot of room to improve and room to grow as a group and grow as a team, we’re going to keep doing that. I mean, it falls on my shoulders, falls on kind of everyone in the room and we’re gonna be better. We’re going to keep pushing each other every day to crawl back into this thing. I got a huge belief in our group in there and that hasn’t wavered since day one.”
When asked about the most influential person during his time in Abbotsford, Wouters gave kudos to his friend and former assistant captain, John Stevens. Stevens was a veteran AHL center, having played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers and spending parts of two seasons with the Utica Comets before joining Abbotsford in the franchise’s move westward. Though he was injured in the spring and missed the Calder Cup Playoffs, Stevens was still an integral part of the Canucks locker room and was the first person passed the Calder Cup by Wouters during the post-game celebrations. Being an unrestricted free agent, Stevens signed with Kiekko-Espoo of the Finnish Liiga this offseason.
“He was a huge mentor to me my first year. He really showed me what it was like to be a pro in pro hockey and to be a part of this community. Definitely a huge mentor to me and really helped me through the first couple of years and even through stuff now.”
Having been with the team for the past five seasons, Wouters has seen the crowd in Abbotsford grow ever since their first home game on October 20, 2021, a 3-2 win over Logan Thompson and the Henderson Silver Knights.
“I think back to our home opener five years ago, and it was obviously exciting. Everyone was excited, and compared to what it was like last year in the end of the playoffs, it was just crazy. The support after we won […] was crazy, and it’s an ongoing thing. It’s going to keep building as we get out in the community more and get to know people. It’s amazing, and we obviously thank the support so much.”
“We have a ton of support from surrounding towns. It’s not just Abbotsford, it’s Chilliwack, it’s Langley, […] everyone is rallied around coming to games and showing the support. And we like to give back to the community as much as we can, whether it’s doing appearances or taking the time to talk to fans after the game. That stuff goes a long ways, that’s something we definitely take pride in.”
Looking ahead to the next five years, Wouters mentioned his goal is to make it to the NHL, along with continuing to build upon the foundation he has helped build in Abbotsford.
“We’re just going to keep building, keep growing the culture here […] Whether guys are new guys coming in or guys that are staying here, everyone coming in comes in here and knows our identity and what it means to be an Abbotsford Canuck.”
Wouters has witnessed the ups and downs for the organization since the very beginning, being the player with most games played for the team (290 at the time of writing), and having just clinched his 100th career AHL point on December 2. From a pro hockey rookie to a championship-winning captain, Wouters has experienced a lot in the past five seasons, though his advice to his younger self is to simply live in the moment.
“I know it’s only been five years, but just enjoy every day. There’s a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, but the guys in the room, those are your teammates, those are your brothers, and you build relationships with them over time, and they’re long-lasting relationships, they’re friendships that go beyond hockey.”
“If I could tell myself one thing five years ago is just enjoy it, work hard, and do everything you can to earn trust, and to be able to expand your hockey game and just get better as a player and a person.”
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