One year ago today, the Abbotsford Canucks won their first Calder Cup in franchise history.
Welcome to the 2025 Calder Cup Throwback Series. Throughout the course of April, May, and June, we’ll be looking back at some of the biggest moments in the Abbotsford Canucks’ Calder Cup championship run from 2025.
One year ago today, Abbotsford won their first-ever Calder Cup by taking down the Charlotte Checkers in six games. The AHL Canucks hoisted the Calder Cup after taking a close 3–2 win against the Checkers in Charlotte on June 23, 2025, with this being their 16th win in 24 post-season games through 2025.
The road to the Calder Cup was not an easy one for Abbotsford. The AHL Canucks skated in five separate series, starting with their first-round matchup against the Tucson Roadrunners. It took Abbotsford three games to seal the win.
In the second round — the farthest the team had gotten in the post-season in franchise history — Abbotsford managed to take down the Coachella Valley Firebirds in four games. They clinched the series win while on home-ice, shutting the Firebirds out by a score of 2–0.
In their first Pacific Division Final, Abbotsford met their match in a Colorado Eagles team that finished atop the Western Conference during the 2024–25 regular season. Though it took the entire series, Abbotsford ultimately advanced to the next round thanks to a 5–0 performance in a sudden-death Game 5 on the road.
The Texas Stars were the next team Abbotsford needed to defeat en route to the Calder Cup. Armed with some of the post-season’s most potent scorers at the time, Texas proved to be a tough team to beat, though the AHL Canucks still managed to grind out the series win in six games. For their efforts, they secured the Robert W. Clarke Trophy as the Western Conference Champions.
Finally, after three games that went to overtime and two regulation matchups that were decided by only one goal, Abbotsford defeated the Checkers in Game 6 to secure their first Calder Cup in franchise history.
Photo Credit: @AbbyCanucks - XAbbotsford’s championship run didn’t come without its share of strong performances. Artūrs Šilovs led the way in net, registering five shutouts and a 2.01 GAA, ultimately earning him the title of the 2025 AHL Playoff MVP. Linus Karlsson led the way in scoring for both Abbotsford as well as the AHL as a whole throughout the post-season, recording 14 goals and 12 assists in 24 games. Arshdeep Bains and ex-AHL Canuck Sammy Blais followed suit with 24 and 19 points respectively.
Since their Calder Cup win, Abbotsford has lost a fair number of key contributors to their championship winning team via both free-agency and jumps to the NHL. Šilovs, Blais, Phil Di Giuseppe, and more have all ended up with different NHL organizations, while Karlsson, Max Sasson, Aatu Räty, and others have taken on full-time NHL roles with the Canucks. Former General Manager Ryan Johnson is now Vancouver’s GM, while Manny Malhotra is now head coach of the Canucks.
Follow along with the 2025 Calder Cup Throwback Series below.
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