Confirmed with Link: Canucks announce Abbotsford Canucks as AHL Farm Team

[NoShowWilly]

Very cool news. I feel bad for the fans in Utica because they were spectacular, but I am happy to have our prospects developing closer to home. Call-ups won't be jet lagged when arriving to the big leagues. It's a good idea, I just hope it brings in the fans.

You also don't just bring up the guy you are fine sitting for 2 weeks. You are more willing to bring up a kid for a game or two. The player also doesn't just sit there as it is easier to swap the guy back down.

bringing a guy cross continent is such a pain in the ass. The player could never get to the game in time unless we were on the east coast one of our two-three trips a year.

 

[Seattle Totems]

Why can’t they be the Comets still?

Despite the fact that the AHL team will be called the Utica Devils, Comets is an historical hockey name in the area.

 

[supercanuck]

Should have gone with Victoria. Yes for entirely selfish reasons but honestly a Canucks affiliated AHL team would do very well here and draw from the entire Island. Even with a crappy prospect pool. And we have an international airport with some direct flights, kinda.

Good point. Victoria would have a bigger base to draw from. I'm not sure you will be getting any from Van/Bby/Coq/etc to go all the way to Abbotsford to watch an AHL team unless we get Wright and/or Bedard in there.

From a financial stand point this might be perfect if it comes to fruition: Opinion: Proposed 10,000-seat indoor stadium would catalyze downtown Surrey | Urbanized

 

[Bad Goalie]

How many trips to Abbotsford will yall be making next season, to go see a team where the only legit prospects are a goalie and a defensive dman (Dipietro and Woo) - backed up by a team full of echlers?

I'm thinking the novelty will wear off rather quickly

That number has been the norm. The rest were guys you could see after a practice let alone a single game were not NHL material, but merely place holders to fill out a roster. Couple them with the rejects of the available AHL player pool from NHL waivers and AHL/NHL tweener career guys that Benning would acquire after the good ones had all been scarfed up by the other NHL teams for their farms. The good ones usually only hang in there for a couple seasons before heading to Europe for a couple years of bigger paychecks. A lot of ex-Vancouver contracted players are over there now. Boucher was a star this season on the Cup winner in the KHL. Then some of them come back to play on the AHL rosters with a few 100 grand for their services until they aren't worth it anymore. Cal O'Reillly typifies that group.

On the Comets right now, you are about right in Mikey and Jett. Focht has been decent in the watered down league. Not sure where he fits as an NHL prospect when the AHL is up and running at force once again. Lockwood will probably be a Canuck due to the cap crunch requiring a number of ELC level NHL minimum wage contracts.

If Benning creates the same kind of rosters out west, the fan base will eat Aquaman and the Benning management team alive. Good luck with Ghost Johnson.

 

[StreetHawk]

Canucks have avoided the CHL mostly in recent drafts. I would suspect that most ahl rosters are made up of chl graduates.

ncaa guys can stay in school through to the junior or senior years. At that point gives the nhl club plenty of time to decide if that player is worth a contract or not. European players much more likely to remain overseas until they are legitimately ready to make the nhl club, with maybe limited time in the A.

 

[F A N]

You also don't just bring up the guy you are fine sitting for 2 weeks. You are more willing to bring up a kid for a game or two. The player also doesn't just sit there as it is easier to swap the guy back down.

bringing a guy cross continent is such a pain in the ass. The player could never get to the game in time unless we were on the east coast one of our two-three trips a year.

There's also potentially a cap advantage. The Leafs have employed the tactic of carrying less players on the roster to save cap space in the past.

 

[F A N]

Canucks have avoided the CHL mostly in recent drafts.

Have they? They didn't draft one last draft year but did draft Keppan, Focht, Woo, Lind, Gadjovich, Dipietro, Palmu, and Brassard in previous drafts. They seem to have stayed away from the QMJHL since 2015 though.

 

[DustyMartellaughs]

That number has been the norm. The rest were guys you could see after a practice let alone a single game were not NHL material, but merely place holders to fill out a roster. Couple them with the rejects of the available AHL player pool from NHL waivers and AHL/NHL tweener career guys that Benning would acquire after the good ones had all been scarfed up by the other NHL teams for their farms. The good ones usually only hang in there for a couple seasons before heading to Europe for a couple years of bigger paychecks. A lot of ex-Vancouver contracted players are over there now. Boucher was a star this season on the Cup winner in the KHL. Then some of them come back to play on the AHL rosters with a few 100 grand for their services until they aren't worth it anymore. Cal O'Reillly typifies that group.

On the Comets right now, you are about right in Mikey and Jett. Focht has been decent in the watered down league. Not sure where he fits as an NHL prospect when the AHL is up and running at force once again. Lockwood will probably be a Canuck due to the cap crunch requiring a number of ELC level NHL minimum wage contracts.

If Benning creates the same kind of rosters out west, the fan base will eat Aquaman and the Benning management team alive. Good luck with Ghost Johnson.

100% this. The novelty will wear off quickly if the team is neglected the way the Canucks neglected their Utica squad.

 

[Lupuls Grit]

Playing fewer games in Abbotsford while living in comfort in Vancouver and continuing to collect full salary is likely pretty tempting for old Loui! He may not have wanted to relocate to Utica to ride the buses around upstate New York and environs but why would he ever retire now? Curious if Jim had a handshake agreement with Loui about his future and wonder if Loui may want to "renegotiate" the terms of that deal with this news. [Insert Darth Vader meme...]

 

[StreetHawk]

Have they? They didn't draft one last draft year but did draft Keppan, Focht, Woo, Lind, Gadjovich, Dipietro, Palmu, and Brassard in previous drafts. They seem to have stayed away from the QMJHL since 2015 though.

Their focus has mostly been in the NCAA and Europe. Lind/Gadj/Dipietro all from 2017. Wood from 2018. Focht in 2019 is there now. Keppan, no word on him.

Have higher hopes for the 2-4 th round guys to develop in the A and maybe make it. Rounds 5-7, more of a hope than expectation of them making it, but it does help to fill out your roster.

With the CHL, you can pretty much set your watch as to when they would go to the A. Late birthdays, can do a year after their draft. Pre Sept birthdays are 2 years from their draft. With NCAA and Europe, no exact timing as they have options to remain in college or other leagues.

 

[Hit the post]

Our Quebec scouting hasn't been great for a long time now

 

[Bad Goalie]

UTICA COMETS SIGN 10-YR DEAL WITH NEW JERSEY DEVILS!
F*** YOU AQUA AND JIM BENNING

Forgive me Vancouver fans and p[osters, but I have had that feeling about those 2 for a good many years.

The posters on this site have nothing to do with that. Well, except the few bogus posters who have been outed working for the Canucks.

I have made many internet friends on this site and hope to maintain some connections.

I'm not through this year yet so don't treat me like I'm dead.

 

[Mr. Canucklehead]

Congrats to the Utica fans on you new affiliation - glad you guys will still have your Comets to cheer on.

 

[Bad Goalie]

Congrats to the Utica fans on you new affiliation - glad you guys will still have your Comets to cheer on.

We thank you much!

 

[arttk]

UTICA COMETS SIGN 10-YR DEAL WITH NEW JERSEY DEVILS!
F*** YOU AQUA AND JIM BENNING

Forgive me Vancouver fans and p[osters, but I have had that feeling about those 2 for a good many years.

The posters on this site have nothing to do with that. Well, except the few bogus posters who have been outed working for the Canucks.

I have made many internet friends on this site and hope to maintain some connections.

I'm not through this year yet so don't treat me like I'm dead.

You had me at f*** Benning

 

[F A N]

UTICA COMETS SIGN 10-YR DEAL WITH NEW JERSEY DEVILS!
F*** YOU AQUA AND JIM BENNING

Forgive me Vancouver fans and p[osters, but I have had that feeling about those 2 for a good many years.

The posters on this site have nothing to do with that. Well, except the few bogus posters who have been outed working for the Canucks.

I have made many internet friends on this site and hope to maintain some connections.

I'm not through this year yet so don't treat me like I'm dead.

A 10 year contract? I bet there is an out and New Jersey will move its team.

But hey, Aqua only gave the go ahead to give Utica back a team in the first place and Benning was only instrumental in keeping a team in Utica.

 

[Seattle Totems]

One thing not mentioned in this thread is that Vancouver will gain a slight advantage when courting NHL free agent prospects. With the farm team closer to home prospects wont have to stay in hotels and uproot their families as much.

 

[F A N]

Our Quebec scouting hasn't been great for a long time now

And between 2005 and the 2015 drafts, the Canucks had the third highest percentage in the league in % of draft picks that came from the QMJHL. The Flyers were actually #1 but at least they had home runs in Giroux and Couturier and gems like Chaput.

In that period, the most NHL games played by a Canucks player drafted out of the QMJHL was Bourdon (RIP) and his 36 games. No other player played more than 9 games. If I'm not mistaken, we got to go all the way back to Odjick's selection to even find a player drafted out of the QMJHL that played a single NHL game.

 

[Wall of Wonder]

UTICA COMETS SIGN 10-YR DEAL WITH NEW JERSEY DEVILS!
F*** YOU AQUA AND JIM BENNING

Forgive me Vancouver fans and p[osters, but I have had that feeling about those 2 for a good many years.

The posters on this site have nothing to do with that. Well, except the few bogus posters who have been outed working for the Canucks.

I have made many internet friends on this site and hope to maintain some connections.

I'm not through this year yet so don't treat me like I'm dead.

Hopefully it goes well for Utica.

 

[ihaveyuidonttouchme]

i presume the same management are come back?

 

[VanJack]

Let's face it. Utica is one of the best cities in pro hockey period. They deserve an AHL team and I hope the Devils stay there for at least a decade.

For the Canucks, the Abbotsford experiment will be interesting, until the Aquilini's get the first bill for team travel. But I suppose on the flip side, the salaries they'll be paying players in Abbotsford will be in Canadian currency, so they'll save a bit there.

But I can't help sensing that unless the Abbotsford 'no-names' are an absolute smashing success at the box office (crowds of 7,000 - 8,000 a night) they could eventually be on the move again closer to the teams they play in the Western Conference.

It sounds like a temporary landing spot to me just to get through the Pandemic years.

 

[NoShowWilly]

UTICA COMETS SIGN 10-YR DEAL WITH NEW JERSEY DEVILS!
F*** YOU AQUA AND JIM BENNING

Forgive me Vancouver fans and p[osters, but I have had that feeling about those 2 for a good many years.

The posters on this site have nothing to do with that. Well, except the few bogus posters who have been outed working for the Canucks.

I have made many internet friends on this site and hope to maintain some connections.

I'm not through this year yet so don't treat me like I'm dead.

Congratulations, BG. You've been nothing but good to us and im very happy you guys will keep a team.

 

[F A N]

One thing not mentioned in this thread is that Vancouver will gain a slight advantage when courting NHL free agent prospects. With the farm team closer to home prospects wont have to stay in hotels and uproot their families as much.

It might also convince our top prospects from Europe to give the AHL a chance.

 

[Seattle Totems]

Abbotsford Aces
This is a synonym for the word aviator but it rolls off the tongue a lot easier. It should be a top choice


Abbotsford Astros
Continuation of the Comets theme. The skate jersey logo would work almost as is.


Abbotsford Falcons
Still annoyed that Springfield misappropriated the Thunderbirds logo from the PNW. Falcons sounds pretty pretty good but it might not do much to tie in with local branding.

honourable mention goes to; Abbotsford Fiesta, Abbotsford Fairlane, Abbotsford Fusion, Abbotsford Broncos, Abbotsford Mustangs, Abbotsford Galaxie, Abbotsford Pintos,

 

[tradervik]

The obvious name is the Abbotsford Airshow. Canucks AHL players can then say they've made it to "The Show".