MVP, Rookie Of The Year, And More: Which Abbotsford Canucks Should Win Each Team Award?

Just like their NHL affiliate, the Vancouver Canucks, the Abbotsford Canucks have released their voting platform for their 2024–25 end of season team awards. Fans can vote for the winner of four different awards: Most Valuable Player, Fan Favourite, Unsung Hero, and Rookie of the Year. Last year’s winners were Arshdeep Bains (MVP and Fan Favourite), Marc Gatcomb (Unsung Hero), Max Sasson (Rookie of the Year), and Captain Chase Wouters (Man of the Year — not voted on by fans). Here are some of the nominees for this year’s awards and who should ultimately win them. 

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The five nominees for Abbotsford’s MVP are Bains, Sasson, Aatu Räty, Christian Wolanin, and Linus Karlsson, though there is an option to vote-in another player. Each player has made a good case for being named the team’s most valuable player, but the Canuck who should win this award should be Räty. The forward has performed well both in the AHL and NHL this season, starting with a training camp that saw him earn a season start with Vancouver. Even with his recent call-up on March 23, Räty still leads the team in points with 39 in 41 games played. 

Despite his successes, there is a slight caveat to Räty being named the team’s MVP. Just like how the Hart Memorial Trophy winner is highly contested in the NHL, a team MVP should be a player that plays an instrumental role in whether their team succeeds or not. Without Räty, Abbotsford has continued its win streak, stretching it to 11 straight games. However, in the seven wins Räty played in before being called up, he put up three goals and three assists. 

Some of the voting options for Abbotsford’s fan favourite are Bains, Räty, Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and Tristen Nielsen. It’s not surprising to see some of the team’s most popular players on this list, as usually the more popular players are the ones to gain a higher following. Realistically, there’s no specific player who should win the team fan favourite award — the player that wins will likely just be the most popular one. For that reason, it’s probable that Lekkerimäki will be voted fan-favourite due to his status as the Canucks organization’s top prospect. 

Of the five team-selected nominees for Abbotsford’s unsung hero, four are forwards. The lone goaltender pitched for this award is Nikita Tolopilo, who has started the bulk of Abbotsford’s games (33). Wouters, Sammy Blais, John Stevens, and Ty Mueller have also been nominated. Similar to the fan favourite award, whether a player is an unsung hero or not is subjective — a case could be made for each player. Blais, in particular, has been stellar as of late. Since Abbotsford’s win streak began, Blais has tallied 12 points, with three of these coming in their 5–1 win against the San Jose Barracuda on March 29. This comes at a time when four of the team’s current top-10 scorers are playing with Vancouver. For his efforts in a time when Abbotsford has been missing some key players, Blais should be named the team’s unsung hero. 

Abbotsford’s 2024–25 rookie class have put up impressive efforts this season, with two players making their NHL debuts and sticking to Vancouver’s lineup for extended periods of time. Lekkerimäki, Elias Pettersson (D), Kirill Kudryavstev, Ty Mueller, and Ty Young are the nominated players, all of whom deserve to win this award. However, one player sticks out dramatically compared to the others. Pettersson made his NHL debut on January 25 and has carved himself a stable spot in Vancouver’s lineup since then. Even before playing his first game for Vancouver, Pettersson was named to the AHL All-star classic for his play with Abbotsford. While Pettersson hasn’t played a game for Abbotsford since the 4 Nations Faceoff break, the fact that he has only played 38 games for them this season should say everything about how his AHL rookie campaign went. 

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