The 2025 Calder Cup champion Abbotsford Canucks are a team made up of resilience and hard work. The team’s work ethic and drive has been commendable throughout the postseason. Let’s take a look at how each member of the AHL Canucks’ Calder Cup Playoff roster was acquired. 

Joe Arntsen   

Arntsen, formerly the captain of the Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL, was signed by the AHL Canucks at the start of this season. His current deal expires at the end of Abbotsford’s playoff run. He has suited up for two of the AHL Canucks’ Calder Cup Playoff games. 

Arshdeep Bains

A fan favourite, Bains was signed to his NHL entry-level contract in March of 2022. Since then, he has been a key piece for Abbotsford both offensively and defensively. He averaged a point per game during the Calder Cup Playoffs with seven goals and 17 assists in 24 games. His current contract expires at the end of the 2024–25 season, making him an RFA. 

Sammy Blais 

Initially signed to a PTO with the Vancouver Canucks at the start of the 2024–25 season, Blais was sent down to Abbotsford after Vancouver’s training camp and has remained an important member of the AHL Canucks since. He scored six goals and 13 assists in 23 games and remained a physical presence for Abbotsford. With his dominant performances throughout the playoffs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Blais found his way back to an NHL team in 2025–26. 

Guillaume Brisebois 

Brisebois has been a staple in the Canucks organization for virtually a decade. He was drafted 66th overall in 2015 by Vancouver and has split his playing time with the NHL club and their AHL affiliate. He is one of three active Abbotsford players who played with the Utica Comets, Vancouver’s old affiliate, with the others being Jett Woo and John Stevens. 

Phil Di Giuseppe 

An NHL and AHL veteran of sorts, Di Giuseppe joined the Canucks organization in 2021 after signing a one-year contract. He has earned multiple two-year deals since then, with his current one being in its final year. In both NHL and AHL play, Di Giuseppe has made a positive impact on the ice and fits into all spots in a lineup. 

Ty Glover

Glover joined the Canucks organization via trade. In October 2023, he and fellow Pittsburgh Penguins player Mark Friedman were acquired by Vancouver in exchange for Jack Rathbone and Karel Plasek. Glover has played a good depth role for the AHL Canucks during this postseason run, taking part in five games. 

Akito Hirose 

A free agent signing out of the NCAA, Hirose inked his entry-level deal in March of 2023 and soon followed this up with a two-year contract after an impressive seven-game showing with Vancouver. He has spent the past two seasons predominantly with Abbotsford and will become a group-6 UFA at the end of this season if not signed. 

Dino Kambeitz 

Abbotsford was familiar with Kambeitz when they signed him to a one-year deal back in July of 2024. Prior to joining the AHL Canucks, he had spent three seasons as a member of the Bakersfield Condors, a team Abbotsford had faced twice during this stretch. He and Glover have traded places in the lineup at times during this playoff run, with Kambeitz slotting into eight of the AHL Canucks’ matches. 

Linus Karlsson

You won’t find many Abbotsford fans who aren’t familiar with Karlsson. The team’s leading scorer was acquired by the Canucks organization back in 2019, as he was traded to Vancouver from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for Jonathan Dahlén. Since signing his entry-level contract and joining Abbotsford in 2022, he has remained a staple in the team’s offence. 

Jujhar Khaira 

The newest member of the AHL Canucks, Khaira is no stranger to the province of BC. Originally from Surrey, Khaira spent NHL time with the Edmonton Oilers (who drafted him 63rd overall in 2012), Chicago Blackhawks, and Minnesota Wild before being traded to Abbotsford in the AHL this season. 

Danila Klimovich 

Klimovich was Vancouver’s first selection in the 2021 NHL Draft, going 41st overall. He joined Abbotsford the season after he was drafted and has spent the past four seasons with the AHL Canucks. His entry-level contract expires after next season. 

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Kirill Kudryavtsev 

Kudryavtsev was a seventh-round selection for Vancouver in the 2022 NHL Draft, but during his time with Abbotsford, he has looked much better than what his draft round would suggest. The defender signed his entry-level contract with the Canucks in 2023 but did not make his organizational debut until the 2024–25 season. 

Jonathan Lekkerimäki

Lekkerimäki was Vancouver’s first-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, going 15th overall. Highly touted as one of the organization’s top prospects, he made his Abbotsford debut in 2024, around a year after inking his entry-level contract. The 2024–25 season was his first full year with the AHL Canucks. 

Victor Mancini

Mancini may have one of the more popular acquisition stories on this list, as he was one of three pieces sent to Vancouver as part of the J.T. Miller trade from January 2025. While he initially reported to Abbotsford during the regular season, Mancini also spent 16 games with the Canucks throughout the back half of the season. His playoff efforts have made him one of the team’s more highly-coveted assets. 

Cole McWard

McWard joined the Canucks organization around the same time as Hirose and was also signed out of the NCAA. The defender played his first game for Abbotsford at the start of the 2023–24 season. Lineup shifts throughout the Calder Cup Playoffs have forced him out of a regular spot, but he has still played in 12 of the team’s games. McWard currently is not under contract for the 2025–26 season. 

Ty Mueller

Vancouver selected Mueller 105th overall in the 2023 NHL Draft. He signed his entry-level contract last March and joined Abbotsford for his rookie season a few months later. As a first-year player, Mueller has been lights-out for Abbotsford, even making his NHL debut at the tail end of Vancouver’s 2024–25 season. 

Tristen Nielsen

Nielsen, a product of BC hailing from Fort St. John and spending three seasons with the Vancouver Giants, has been with Abbotsford since the team’s inaugural season. He signed an entry-level contract with the Canucks organization in 2023 and will become an RFA at the end of the 2024–25 season. 

Aatu Räty

A member of the AHL Canucks for the past three seasons, Räty became part of the Canucks organization after Vancouver traded their former captain, Bo Horvat, to the New York Islanders. During the Calder Cup Playoffs, he has been sidelined on a couple of occasions due to injuries. Even so, he has still registered three points in six games played.  

Max Sasson

Another successful NCAA free agent signing, Sasson inked a deal with the Canucks in March of 2023 after two seasons at Western Michigan University. His first season with Abbotsford was in 2023, during which he played in seven regular season games and six playoff matches. Sasson will be an RFA at the end of Abbotsford’s playoff run. 

Artūrs Šilovs

The playoff hero in 2024 with Vancouver and in 2025 with Abbotsford, Šilovs was selected by the Canucks in 2019 with the 156th overall pick. He signed his entry-level contract in the same year and didn’t make his Abbotsford debut until the 2021–22 season. Since then, he has split time with both Vancouver and its AHL affiliate. 

Nate Smith

Smith was a recent Abbotsford signee, having joined the team after signing with the Canucks organization on the first day of the 2024 free agency period. He has played a big depth role for the AHL Canucks since his arrival, dressing for 20 of Abbotsford’s 22 games. If he remains without a contract by the time the season ends, he’ll become a group-6 UFA. 

John Stevens

While Stevens didn’t end up playing in any of Abbotsford’s Calder Cup Playoff games, he has been an instrumental part of their leadership group since joining the Comets in the 2019–20 season. He played 45 games in the 2024–25 regular season and scored four goals and 11 assists. 

Nikita Tolopilo

An undrafted goaltender, Tolopilo signed an entry-level contract in March of 2023 and made his AHL debut a few months after that. He has mainly split Abbotsford’s starts with Šilovs throughout this span. After Abbotsford’s playoff run, Tolopilo will be an RFA.  

Christian Wolanin

Wolanin is a seasoned NHL and AHL defenceman who ended up in Abbotsford after signing a one-year contract in July of 2022. After an impressive 55-point season, he was signed to a two-year extension that ends after this current season. As a key piece of the AHL Canucks’ defensive core for the past few years, it’s in the team’s best interest to keep Wolanin in their ranks. 

Jett Woo

A longstanding part of the Canucks organization, having been picked 37th overall by the team in 2018, Woo has spent time with Vancouver’s AHL affiliate since 2020. Since signing his entry-level contract in 2019, Woo has inked short-term, one-year deals with the team that drafted him. Like many others in the organization, he’ll be an RFA once the end of the season hits. 

Chase Wouters

Abbotsford’s captain since the 2022–23 season, Wouters joined the team in their inaugural year. Prior to this, he spent four seasons with the Saskatoon Blades, three of these as captain. He inked a new deal with Abbotsford in June of 2024 which is set to expire after the 2025–26 season. 

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Will 6-foot-5 goalie with ‘very good upside to be a No. 1' interest Flyers in draft? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers’ rebuild.

Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.

“There are all kinds of possibilities here,” the Flyers’ general manager said in April. “I think it’s really exciting going into it. It’s powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don’t have picks or teams that want to tweak things.”

So it’s a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.

“There are really good players in this draft,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said May 27 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Maybe people say it’s not a good draft; I’m not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players.”

After the Trevor Zegras trade, the Flyers are slotted to make 10 picks, including three first-rounders and three second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and No. 31 (Oilers trade).

Before the draft arrives, we’ve been breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.

To wrap things up:

Joshua Ravensbergen

Position: Goalie
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 191
Catches: Right
Team: Prince George

Scouting report

Arguably the top goalie in the draft, Ravensbergen possesses ideal size and athleticism for the position. He looks very technical in net and seems to read the play well, giving himself a good chance to make saves.

The 18-year-old was tied for third this season among WHL goalies with 51 games played. He was named a finalist for the league’s goaltender of the year award, going 33-13-4 with a 3.00 goals-against average and .901 save percentage.

The season prior, Ravensbergen went 26-4-2 with a 2.46 goals-against average, .907 save percentage and six shutouts. He was even better in the playoffs, finishing 9-2-1 with a 1.98 goals-against average, .931 save percentage and three shutouts.

“Ravensbergen’s certainly a guy that has the upside potential,” Dan Marr, the vice president of NHL Central Scouting, said June 11 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I still think he’s finding his way as to what type of goaltender he’s going to be, but he’s someone, when you project, who has got a very good upside to be a No. 1 goalie in the NHL one day.

“But you know, defense is a tough position to master; goaltending can be even more difficult to master. So he’s working on it, he’s in a good situation where he plays most of the games. You want a goalie that plays games.”

Ravensbergen is the top-ranked North American goalie by NHL Central Scouting. He’s the 24th overall player on EliteProspects.com and No. 1 among goaltenders. TSN’s Bob McKenzie has Ravensbergen at 34th overall and also as the draft’s top netminder, while Button has him at No. 29 and as the second-ranked goalie.

“It’s kind of debatable who’s going to be the first goalie off the board because there are a couple of really high-end Russian goaltenders,” Marr, who worked in scouting and player development for over 20 years, said. “Drafting a goalie, it’s what your comfort level is; with the teams, I don’t think a goalie goes high, but a goalie could sneak into the first found. Every team will assess their depth at that position, their needs.”

Fit with Flyers

Ravensbergen could be a super interesting option for the Flyers if he’s available at No. 31.

The organization knows well that a team can never have enough goaltending depth in its system. The club is still searching for a franchise goalie and it would help to have another candidate in the prospect picture.

The Flyers didn’t take a goalie last summer, but they grabbed two in the first three rounds of the 2023 draft. They selected Carson Bjarnason in the second round and Egor Zavragin in the third. Both had good developmental seasons in 2024-25.

Considering that the Flyers have six picks in the opening two rounds of this draft, it wouldn’t be a bad time for them to snag a goalie again.

More targets

• Hagens is ‘Matt Duchene type of player’ who could be on Flyers’ radar at No. 6

• Flyers would probably love if Barkov-like prospect is available at No. 6

• ‘Fascinating,’ 6-foot-5 center has tons of intrigue for Flyers at No. 6

• Younger brother of Flyers prospect is ‘complete’ center and option at No. 6

• ‘David Krejci-like’ center with plenty of upside would give Flyers good decision

• Could a 6-foot-6, ‘just blossoming’ defenseman be a fit for Flyers at No. 6?

• Will Flyers grab prospect with ‘really, really unique’ combination at No. 6?

• Reschny’s performance vs. 2024 top prospect should have Flyers’ eye in first round

• Flyers could have three shots at ‘dynamic, explosive skater’ on the wing

• Finding another Foerster? Flyers may have one if they draft Bear in first round

• Martone would offer Flyers ‘pretty complete package’ if he’s there at No. 6

• Flyers’ future power play QB? 6-foot-4 defenseman has ‘offensive punch’

• ‘That’s how tight it is’ — Eklund could interest Flyers among international prospects

• A center with ‘really, really strong’ upside could be first-round sleeper for Flyers

• Big winger with ‘really good top-end speed’ might be around Flyers at No. 22

• D-man who ‘could end up being a trophy winner’ has compelling combo for Flyers

• Swedish center with ‘no holes to his game’ could be solid pick for Flyers

On Tuesday, Quebecers celebrated their national holiday, Saint-Jean-Baptiste. A day that has been eventful in Montreal Canadiens’ history, from the blockbuster in 2017 that was meant to solve the first center conundrum when Jonathan Drouin arrived in Montreal in return for Mikael Sergachev to Artturi Lehkonen’s Cup Final trip-clinching goal.

On that special day for the province, it felt like a good idea to list who would be featured on my Mount Rushmore of Quebec hockey players. Of course, the list cannot only include Tricolore players, but they do dominate. Without further ado and in no particular order, here we go.

The Canadiens Had Moved On From Zegras
Canadiens: Potential First-Round Pick – Jack Nesbitt
Could The Canadiens Swing A Big Trade With The Golden Knights?

Maurice Richard

Any Mount Rushmore of Quebec-born players has got to include the Rocket. The original Richard was so much more than a hockey player; he was the idol of a people and the leader the province needed to undergo social and political changes. He empowered the people of Quebec to shine and excel in their fields. The first player to score 50 goals in 50 games, the Rocket now has a trophy named after him, which is awarded annually to the league’s top goal scorer. When he left the game, Richard was leading all players in career points with his 966 points in 978 games.

Mario Lemieux

It’s impossible not to put the Magnifique on this list. Lemieux is arguably the best player in history, and it’s impossible to know what heights he could have reached had he not had to deal with chronic back pain and cancer. When he hung up his skates for good, he had played 915 games and picked up 1723 points for a 1.88 point-per-game average, not far behind Wayne Gretzky’s 1.92 PPG average. In addition to being a fantastic player, Lemieux saved the franchise that drafted him, the Pittsburgh Penguins, twice. Once as a player and once as an owner, when you think of hockey in Pittsburgh, you think of Super Mario, even though it is now the home of Sid the Kid.

Patrick Roy

I may catch some flak for this one since Roy doesn’t lead the NHL in goalie wins, but I believe he was an absolute force on the ice, not just because of how well he played, but also because of his mental strength. There should be a picture of Roy next to the word “clutch” in the dictionary. To this day, Roy remains the only player in history to win the Conn Smythe Trophy as playoffs MVP for two different teams and to win it three times in four Stanley Cup wins, which demonstrates the significant contribution he made to those victories. Brodeur might have won three Cups, but he never was the playoffs' MVP. In his 1,029-game career, Roy has a 551-315-131 record. Furthermore, he led the Canadiens to their last two Stanley Cups; without his elite goaltending, Montreal would still be stuck on 22 Cups.

Guy Lafleur

I was torn here between Flower and Le Gros Bill, but Lafleur is the last absolute offensive superstar who wore the Sainte-Flanelle and was part of that Canadiens’ dynasty in the 1970s. When Beliveau skated into the sunset, Flower took over the torch, and although it took him a couple of years, he eventually held it high for all to see. In 1,126 games, Lafleur put up 1,353 points while Beliveau, in just one less game, put up 1,219 points. Perhaps I’m showing my age here, and I went with Lafleur because I was lucky enough to see him play; that’s a possibility, but just like Richard, Lafleur was the people’s idol. Unlike many players, he was always frank and ready to give his opinion, which is another reason why people loved him. Quebecer’s reaction to his death in April 2022 said it all…

Photo credit: Eric Bolte - Imagn Images

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The Rockford IceHogs have signed forward Brett Seney to a two-year deal, it was announced Monday. 

Seney, a 2015 sixth-round pick of the New Jersey Devils, spent the entire 2024-25 season with Rockford, putting up 10 goals and 29 assists for 39 points in 58 regular season games. With the IceHogs having made the playoffs, Seney got into seven games with the team and accumulated three points. 

Having turned pro at the end of the 2017-18 season, Seney has gotten into 66 career NHL regular season games with the Devils, Toronto Maple Leafs and the Chicago Blackhawks. In that span, he has scored six goals and added eight assists for 14 points. 

Having served as the captain of Rockford this past season, the organization clearly values Seney as someone who can help guide the younger players coming through the system while also still being an important contributor himself. Although it remains to be seen whether Seney will see another NHL game, he seems content in his role with the IceHogs and that is a good thing.