Abbotsford Canucks Thread | Down on the Farm

[Bad Goalie]

I can't believe that the Canucks are going to pay AHL bottom feeder John Stevens $100K to play for Abby.

20189-19
Bridgeport Sound Tigers 7 Pts/25 GP (76 game schedule, scratch, scratch,scratch)

2019-20
Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5Pts/16 GP
Utica Comets 9Pts/24GP playing mostly on the wing.
Again 76 game schedules (scratch, scratch,scratch)

2020-2021
Utica Comets 10Pts/24 GP often playing with 1st and 2nd line wingers.

 

[iceburg]

I can't believe that the Canucks are going to pay AHL bottom feeder John Stevens $100K to play for Abby.

20189-19
Bridgeport Sound Tigers 7 Pts/25 GP (76 game schedule, scratch, scratch,scratch)

2019-20
Bridgeport Sound Tigers 5Pts/16 GP
Utica Comets 9Pts/24GP playing mostly on the wing.
Again 76 game schedules (scratch, scratch,scratch)

2020-2021
Utica Comets 10Pts/24 GP often playing with 1st and 2nd line wingers.

Looking at the roster he might not make the team.

 

[JAK]

It's not our money, *shrug*

Faster we burn all of FAQ's money, faster we get new ownership.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

I keep forgetting about Madison Bowey, too. He'll likely be there.

 

[theguardianII]

Hmm, how many Canuck draft picks? 3?

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Hmm, how many Canuck draft picks? 3?

I think it’ll be Gadjovich, Focht, Lockwood, Woo and DiPietro for sure. Possibly Klimovich, Juolevi, Plasek.

 

[David Bruce Banner]

I think it’ll be Gadjovich, Focht, Lockwood, Woo and DiPietro for sure. Possibly Klimovich, Juolevi, Plasek.

Costmar, Karlsson or Utunen?

 

[Hit the post]

This post makes me say something I never thought I'd say: I miss @Bad Goalie

I'd trade Bad Goalie for Alternate but they have to take cap dump Hit the Post to complete the transaction.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Costmar, Karlsson or Utunen?

Are any of them signed to contracts? I know the organization is high on Costmar, but I don’t remember hearing he’d signed.

 

[rypper]

Are any of them signed to contracts? I know the organization is high on Costmar, but I don’t remember hearing he’d signed.

Nah none of them are signed.

 

[Lindgren]

I think it’ll be Gadjovich, Focht, Lockwood, Woo and DiPietro for sure. Possibly Klimovich, Juolevi, Plasek.

When you put those names together with all the recent signings, there won't be very many spots left, especially on the back end, for undrafted Juniors looking for opportunities. That's a mistake on management's part: this year more than any there's a possibility that some of the juniors overlooked in the draft could really hit.

Signing loads of tweener depth defencemen is good for the short term goal of making the playoffs (injury call-ups), but not so much for the long term.

 

[tyhee]

Looking at the rosters suggested leads me to think that Canucks' management still has a bit of work to do.

Devante Stephens is including in the top six on defence, but so far in his career has been an AHL/ECHL tweener-someone who plays in the ECHL until there is an injury. That was the case even this past season, with the AHL watered down by taxi squads.

Chase Wouters was included in the top 12, but my reaction when I saw the signing was pretty much the same as @BadGoalie had. I haven't watched him play and so am going off his boxcar stats and only one scouting report that I found online (that spoke highly of his defence, poorly of his offence and projected him not to be drafted). I think that if Wouters is is better than AHL/ECHL tweener this fall we should be pleased. He may work out well but undrafted overagers shouldn't be expected to immediately succeed in the AHL.

And then, of course, is the fact that the lineups posted here so far don't include more than 18 skaters, so there is no margin for injury callups to the NHL nor injuries in the AHL.

I'd like to see a few skaters with less than 261 regular season games in the AHL/NHL/European Elite leagues (to avoid the veteran/veteran exempt rules) but who have been regulars in those leagues signed, possibly to AHL deals.

One thing for sure is that the Abbotsford Canucks will bear only a passing resemblance to the Utica Comets of 2015-2021. The turnover is higher than we're used to seeing, which makes it difficult for most of us to predict the lineup and how good the team will be.

 

[JAK]

I think the Baby Nucks will also be able to benefit a lot from the support staff from the Canucks.

For example,
Roger Takahashi can probably stay in town and work with them instead of going on short road trips with the Canucks.

Heck, training camp alone could allow longer looks for the ones fighting for roster spot.

 

[RoyalRed]

So excited to have our farm team close by! Don't get me wrong I loved the Utica Comets and I understood the benefit of having the team close to other teams so road trips weren't so long but there are also benefits of having the team close to our team as well. Also selfishly it's just cool lol. That and even though it's not in California, all the California AHL teams are reasonably close just down the coast.

 

[chaputonyou]

So, does Juolevi stay up and Rathbone get sent down?

not to sound too negative about Juolevi but it’s time to move on from him. Trade the guy to a team that thinks they found a 5th overall gem for a draft pick.

 

[RoyalRed]

not to sound too negative about Juolevi but it’s time to move on from him. Trade the guy to a team that thinks they found a 5th overall gem for a draft pick.

I think we give him a chance. I know he's had a lot of leash but maybe it will just be a slow, gradual process getting his skating and game back after the injuries. Forwards are safer to give up and move on from but I think we need to exhaust every inch of leash with a defenseman like Juolevi.

 

[JAK]

I think Juolevi deserves another look at least.

He has worked his way back after multiple injuries, and he wants to play.

Where as Virtanen was given every chance and he just doesn't seem to want to be a player.

So Juolevi deserves a look.

 

[Jannik Hansen]

Canucks acquire Martin from Lightning

Comets have added Spencer Martin to the fold.

 

[RoyalRed]

Canucks acquire Martin from Lightning

Comets have added Spencer Martin to the fold.

Solid vet goalie at the AHL level. I wasn't comfortable with just DiPietro and Silovs. Now Abbotsford will have a pretty strong tandem and Silovs can start his pro development in the ECHL.

 

[tyhee]

Abbotsford Canucks announce inaugural season schedule:
ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS ANNOUNCE INAUGURAL SEASON SCHEDULE - Abbotsford Canucks

Has anyone heard about travel plans?

Looking at the schedule, I'd have to think they are doing some flying.

They play in Southern California October 19 and at home in Abbotsford October 22. They have numerous two day road trips to the southwestern USA. They play in Tucson, AZ November 27 and then at home, a 25 hour bus ride away, on November 30. Those are but some examples from early in the season.

They could bus of those trips, but the travel would be truly brutal and the team would be playing tired and losing practice time.

 

[bh53]

Any skater with more than 320 career games in the AHL, NHL and high-level European leagues qualifies as a veteran. Someone should make a spreadsheet. I looked up a few, Brady Keeper is exempt, Nic Petan surprisingly still is too Brad Hunt is not, and that's as far as I got.

Any given night an AHL team has to ice (excluding goalies) at least 12 "development players" (players with less than 260 professional league games), 1 "exempt player" (players that have played between 260-320 professional league games), and the remaining 5 spots can be given to "veterans" (players with more than 320 games) or "development players" and "exempt player"

The Abbotsford Canucks are potentially looking at these players for a line-up (excluding goalies)

Player	Pos	Total Pro Games	Status
Brad Hunt	D	478	Veteran
Justin Dowling	C	514	Veteran
Phil Di Giuseppe	LW	428	Veteran
Kyle Burroughs	D	347	Veteran
Justin Bailey	RW	334	Veteran
Luke Schenn	D	832	Veteran
Madison Bowey	D	272	Exempt
Nic Petan	F	283	Exempt
Sheldon Rempal	RW	150	Development
Sheldon Dries	C	211	Development
John Stevens	C	165	Development
Chase Wouters	C/LW	0	Development
Devante Stephens	D	192	Development
Danila Klimovich	RW		Development
Vasiliy Podkolzin	RW	99	Development
William Lockwood	RW	26	Development
Carson Focht	C	28	Development
Jonah Gadjovich	LW	101	Development
Olli Juolevi	D	124	Development
Jack Rathbone	D	16	Development
Jett Woo	D	28	Development
Brady Keeper	D	74	Development
Guillaume Brisebois	D	188	Development

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

Luke Schenn likely will be in the NHL for the season so the five veteran spots will be for Dowling, Hunt, Di Giuseppe, Burroughs, Bailey, and one of Bowey or Petan play (or both can play if one of the veteran players comes out). Then we can fill the roster with the "development players"

I think the lineup will be along the lines of this (assuming Podkolzin, Juolevi, Rathbone, Schenn are all in the NHL)

Gadjovich - Petan - Bailey
Di Giuseppe - Dowling - Lockwood
Klimovich - Dries - Rempal
Focht - Stevens - Wouters

Hunt - Woo
Brisebois - Keeper
Stephens - Burroughs
Bowey (Can only come in if Hunt, Burroughs, Petan, Dowling, Di Giuseppe or Bailey can't play)

Dipietro
Martin
Silovs (in the ECHL)

Still need to add some depth players to this roster but looking strong so far.

 

[JAK]

I could see them adding more veterans to the line up towards training camp, see who's left out there.

AHL schedule is more compact, and travel from Abbotsford to rest of AHL is no picnic.

Might as well use FAQ's cash and get extra bodies to rotate.

 

[chaputonyou]

I think we give him a chance. I know he's had a lot of leash but maybe it will just be a slow, gradual process getting his skating and game back after the injuries. Forwards are safer to give up and move on from but I think we need to exhaust every inch of leash with a defenseman like Juolevi.

BlueRoyal - I hear you and get where you are coming from. It's just - Juolevi has had a lot of chances and it's not just injuries that have caused him to not become the player we thought he would be.

Outside of the injuries that may have have contributed to him getting beaten wide a lot when defending the rush...people forget that Juolevi didn't have the world's greatest attitude as a young player and the Canucks brought in Sami Salo to mentor him in Finland as well.

This is it for Juolevi - and if he doesn't look great at training camp, the Canucks need to deal him away and try and get some value from him before sending him to Abbotsford.

Chaput

 

[RoyalRed]

BlueRoyal - I hear you and get where you are coming from. It's just - Juolevi has had a lot of chances and it's not just injuries that have caused him to not become the player we thought he would be.

Outside of the injuries that may have have contributed to him getting beaten wide a lot when defending the rush...people forget that Juolevi didn't have the world's greatest attitude as a young player and the Canucks brought in Sami Salo to mentor him in Finland as well.

This is it for Juolevi - and if he doesn't look great at training camp, the Canucks need to deal him away and try and get some value from him before sending him to Abbotsford.

Chaput

Fair enough. I don't think he'd get any value though. Just another reason to make do with him. I'm not saying gift him chances though. I just mean if he flops in preseason then let him man the blueline in Abby. Until the Canucks are rich enough on the blueline to not care what they get for him I think they should keep him.

 

[WishfulThinker]

It will be interesting to see if they can actually make Abbotsford a good development team sooner rather than later (or at all).

Utica sounded like a great and supportive hockey atmosphere, but the pipeline was not flowing. I'm sure alot of the blame is on the Canucks, but either way, the whole thing needed a shock to the system.

My small hope is that being closer to the main club will be a positive change and maybe it'll be slightly easier to bring over some of our European prospects so we can at least test them before we lose them. It doesn't look like Benning/Johnson are doing their part for that yet unfortunately.