The Abbotsford Canucks have added four new players to their roster for the 2025-26 season. Abbotsford signed Nikolai Knyzhov, Derek Daschke, Jayden Lee and Nolan Walker to one-year contracts. Knyzhov, Daschke and Lee are defensemen while Walker is listed as a center.
Starting with Knyzhov, he spent last season split between the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Grand Rapids Griffins. The 27-year-old left-shot defender has 118 games of AHL experience, as well as 81 games at the NHL level. Listed at 6'3", 222 lbs, Knyzhov also played six games last season in the ECHL with the Cincinnati Cyclones.
Next is Daschke, who spent last season in the ECHL with the Utah Grizzlies. The 27-year-old, left-shot defenceman recorded 56 points in 65 games and is closing in on 150 ECHL games for his career. Listed at 6'2", 194 lbs, Daschke already has experience playing for the Canucks organization, as he was part of the Kalamazoo Wings during the 2023-24 season.
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The third defender signed was Lee, who is from North Vancouver. The 24-year-old, right-shot defenceman played last season in the ECHL with the South Carolina Stingrays, where he recorded 32 points in 48 games. Listed at 5'9", 161 lbs, last year was Lee's rookie campaign as a pro after spending five seasons at Quinnipiac University.
As for the only forward signed, that was Walker, who is from Alaska. The 26-year-old center played last season with IK Oskarshamn in the HockeyAllsvenskan, where he recorded 34 points in 51 games. Listed at 5'10", 181 lbs, Walker has also played 131 games in the ECHL during his career.
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