The hockey season doesn’t officially start until games are being played at the Abbotsford Centre (AC). Well, the groundhog saw his shadow, the Canucks played at home, and there’s another atmospheric river this weekend? Hockey season … it’s the best.
Here are my early-season Abbotsford Canucks takes:
Welcome back, Manny
In Abbotsford’s home opener on Oct. 25, Canucks fans got another chance to cheer for Manny Malhotra, when he was introduced at the AC just prior to puck drop. In his first home game as head coach, the Canucks defeated the San Diego Gulls 3-1. Malhotra was pleased with his team’s effort transitioning the puck out of their own end.
“I think our biggest takeaway was that we played a simple game, and we executed well,” said Malhotra. “Our D did a great job of getting pucks up, didn’t spend a whole lot of time in our D zone, and then our mindset offensively was real basic.”
Malhotra said the team felt the crowd’s energy in the raucous atmosphere, fueled by those who got tickets for UFV rush night.
“It’s always fun; I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t. You hear a lot about fans here and in Abbotsford, and to see the passion that they have [for] the game, to be involved right from the start themselves, honestly [means a lot].”
Second period swing
In the second period Abby tilted the ice, outshooting San Diego 15-1. Aatu Räty scored the game winner, showing chemistry with Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who was making his season debut.
“I think we did the right things,” said Räty. “We got the pucks in there that we wanted, and we knew that we could put some good pressure on their D men. We stacked a lot of good shifts on top of each other, and they couldn’t change,” he explained. Räty described that it “felt like a play-off game” with the fans waving towels in support of their team.
Klimovich’s stock rising
Danila Klimovich is trending in the right direction, with four points in seven games as of Oct. 30. Klimovich scored a beautiful power play goal from the right circle in the home opener and might have played his best game as a pro, collecting two points on the night. Klimovich is in his fourth season with Abby, and his personal goals have changed, particularly with Malhotra’s guidance.
“Of course they’re different,” said Klimovich. “[I’m] try[ing] to focus on winning, and my execution.” Klimovich expressed wanting to become more of a shooting threat in high danger areas. “[Getting] more of my shots to be a goal, to be more accurate and shoot in the right time and right space — and use my partners.”
Woo leading by example
Jett Woo is a leader on this Canucks team. In the home opener, Woo broke up a number of plays on the rush, preventing chances from being shots on goal. Malhotra expects Woo to continue making an impact in a mentorship role.
“Being a veteran guy in our line-up, the expectation is that his details, his execution, [and] the way he plays the game, should set an example for the rest of the group,” said Malhotra. “He’s done a good job of that, a great example of it tonight being put in some key defensive situations.” Malhotra continued, “Offensively, he has that ability to get up in the rush and make plays on the line, but overall, he’s been an intelligent player for us, and [we value] that ability to lead by example.”
Kudryavtsev’s advice from Tyler Myers
Kirill Kudryavtsev is 20-years-old, and the Yaroslavl, Russia native has played with the Soo Greyhounds in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) for the last three years, before joining Abbotsford this season and playing himself into regular minutes. Kudryavtsev has a vibrant personality and a great sense of humour. The young left-handed defenseman has picked up valuable experience with the Canucks in his first pro season.
Kudryavtsev recalls learning from Tyler Myers in Vancouver’s training camp, saying, “He was really on me about my gap. I mean, he’s like, what? 6’6”? He is a big guy, [a] really good skater. He loves to get up on people and kill the play [at the] blue line — and this is my weakest point. I really suck at the gap,” said Kudryavtsev with a laugh. “And I’m pretty sure I got some confidence there also, because he was on me; even if I [didn’t] do good, he’s still helping me out. I know he’s been through [everything before]. He played [his] thousandth game a couple days ago. He knows what he’s saying, so I just have to put my faith in him.”
As of Oct. 30, the Abbotsford Canucks’ record sits at 4-2-1, good for third in the pacific division.
