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Canucks: AHL affiliate is officially relocating to Abbotsford next season

By Zaahid Lalani

LAVAL, QC - MARCH 09: Carter Bancks #34 of the Utica Comets skates the puck against the Laval Rocket during the AHL game at Place Bell on March 9, 2019 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the The Utica Comets 5-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC - MARCH 09: Carter Bancks #34 of the Utica Comets skates the puck against the Laval Rocket during the AHL game at Place Bell on March 9, 2019 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the The Utica Comets 5-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /
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LAVAL, QC – MARCH 09: Carter Bancks #34 of the Utica Comets skates the puck against the Laval Rocket during the AHL game at Place Bell on March 9, 2019 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the The Utica Comets 5-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)
LAVAL, QC – MARCH 09: Carter Bancks #34 of the Utica Comets skates the puck against the Laval Rocket during the AHL game at Place Bell on March 9, 2019 in Laval, Quebec, Canada. The Laval Rocket defeated the The Utica Comets 5-3. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images) /

The Vancouver Canucks are officially bringing their American Hockey League affiliate closer to home.

Earlier this week, the team announced their intent to move their farm team back to the Lower Mainland for the 2021-22 season. At the time, the details of the partnership between the Canucks’ organization and the city of Abbotsford were still being finalized, and the official move was subject to approval from the AHL Board of Governors.

That meeting took place on Thursday morning, and, as expected, the Canucks were given the green light to officially begin the relocation process.

The Canucks have been affiliated with the Utica Comets since the 2013-2014 campaign, with the team achieving good success during their tenure in New York. They were able to reach 200+ consecutive regular season sellout games between 2015 and 2020, and also made it all the way to Calder Cup Finals during the 2014-15 campaign, falling to the Manchester Monarchs in five games.

The new farm team will play out of the Abbotsford Centre, which served as the previous home to the Abbotsford Heat, the former failed affiliate for the Calgary Flames, from 2009 to 2014.  The arena can host approximately 8,500 hockey fans, and it’s expected that the team should have no issues filling up the stands once people can safely attend again.

For starters, the Abbotsford Centre is one of the newest and best-equipped buildings amongst the other AHL teams.  Built in 2009, the arena shouldn’t require any serious renovations or upgrades for at least the next 10-15 years, and will be a great experience for fans who are looking to enjoy the game while supporting local hockey (when they’re not at Rogers Arena, of course).

This will also be an opportunity for both fans and management to keep better tabs on some of the talented and promising prospects in the system, such as Will Lockwood and Jett Woo, who have yet to make the jump from the AHL, as well as recent NHL first-timers Kole Lind, Jonah Gadjovich and Jack Rathbone, granted they don’t crack the Canucks’ roster next year.

Not to mention, we might be able to get a sneak peek of possible coaching staff for the Canucks in the distant future. Just ask current bench boss Travis Green, who coached the team from 2013 to 2017.

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