Tonight is a big night for the city of Abbotsford, as the 2025 Calder Cup-winning Abbotsford Canucks will be heading back to their home arena to celebrate the championship with their fans. The Abbotsford Centre is sure to be pumped up for the occasion, as the team has had to open up extra sections to accommodate for the amount of tickets being sold. Before the team’s big celebration, let’s take a look back at the remarkable journey that brought them to the Calder Cup.
Abbotsford’s playoff run started on April 23, 2025, in Game 1 of their first-round matchup on home ice against the Tucson Roadrunners. They won the first game with a narrow 4–3 score, though it didn’t take long for them to face their first bit of adversity. In Game 2 of this series, Tucson capitalized on Abbotsford’s weaknesses, taking a 4–1 win from the AHL Canucks to even the series up at one win each. After Abbotsford’s Calder Cup win, head coach Manny Malhotra recalled how significant this game was in helping the AHL Canucks establish their resilient identity.
“I think that speaks more to our focus and our ability to compartmentalize things,” Malhotra said of the team’s trademark resilience. “Obviously the emotions of playoffs can get very high and very low, and it started right from our first series with Tucson, where you get Game 1, lose Game 2, and all of a sudden you’re in a do-or-die game in the first series. That, in itself, built up again, that belief that we talked about playing in those situations where it’s a do or die situation.”
Clearly, this game had a massive impact on the team’s ability to claw back after a bad loss. The game after, Game 3, Abbotsford dominated Tucson in a 5–0 win, with Calder Cup Playoff MVP Artūrs Šilovs registering his first shutout of the postseason. This victory sent Abbotsford off to the second round of the playoffs, matching them up against a familiar opponent in the Coachella Valley Firebirds.
Since Abbotsford finished higher in the standings, they opted to take the final three games of their second round series. This meant that Coachella Valley hosted the first two games of their playoff round. Game 1 proved that Abbotsford was up for the challenge of starting a series on the road, as they took a 3–1 win despite being scored on early on. Game 2 was yet another test of the team’s resilience, as Coachella Valley took the win 5–4 in overtime despite the AHL Canucks clawing back from being down 3–0 by the end of the first period.
“Heading into the playoffs, we had competitive series that went all the way to Game 3, Game 5, Game 6, there was nothing easy about the run, and I think that helped us overall in the outcome of just getting better and growing as a team and got us ready for the Finals,” Arshdeep Bains added on how earlier rounds impacted the way the team played in the Calder Cup Finals.
When Abbotsford got back on home ice for Game 3, it was their strong points that got them the 3–1 win to put the Firebirds on the brink of elimination. Contributions throughout the lineup, as well as players putting themselves on the line, ultimately gave the team the victory. The team came to Game 4 ready for a date with the Colorado Eagles in the Pacific Division Finals, and punched their ticket after a solid 2–0 win. Again, Abbotsford’s systems play did great work for them, as they were able to limit the chances that got to Šilovs.
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By beating Coachella Valley in four games, Abbotsford set a new franchise record for the farthest they’ve gone in the Calder Cup Playoffs. In previous seasons, they were unable to make it past the second round. To start their third round matchup, Abbotsford made it clear that they were ready to make a good run. In Game 1, which took place at the Abbotsford Centre, they repeated their score from their series-clinching win against the Firebirds by shutting down the Eagles 2–0. Game 2 told a different story, with physicality ruling the night as the AHL Canucks lost 5–3 at home. With the series tied, the team gutted out a 3–2 overtime win in Game 3 but also lost Game 4 by 3–1 to take the series to sudden-death in Colorado.
“You think about that Game 3 against Tucson, Game 5 against Colorado. Those are games that you dream about,” Abbotsford captain Chase Wouters said, reflecting on the team’s potential elimination games throughout the series. “Every day, you think about those moments.”
“I think every sudden death game was so fun to play in,” Šilovs said of the team’s elimination games. “You want to win, but it’s just fun to have that pressure.”
In this urgent Game 5 on the road that was expected to be a close game, as all the other games in the series had been, Abbotsford took a commanding 5–0 win to advance to the Western Conference Finals. With the Texas Stars as their opponent, the AHL Canucks kicked off the series with a 3–2 overtime win in Game 1. Riding the victory high, Abbotsford continued their dominance of the Stars with a close 1–0 win in Game 2.
How Home Ice Has Provided A Big Playoff Advantage For The Abbotsford Canucks
Home-ice advantage provides different perks for different teams. For the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/game-day/abbotsford-canucks-standouts-from-game-3-of-the-2025-calder-cup-finals">Abbotsford Canucks</a>, playing at the Abbotsford Centre means a lot of different things — all of which are good.
When the series moved to Texas, things changed. Abbotsford’s penalty kill, which was nearly unbeatable throughout their run, surrendered two goals in a 5–2 Game 3 loss. Fortunately, they were able to avoid erasing their series lead by winning 5–4 in overtime in Game 4. With goals from all over the lineup, including two from Tristen Nielsen, this win was a testament to the team’s depth and next-man-up mentality.
“That next man up mentality for us got us over the line at times, and then kind of grew us into the team we became in the playoffs,” Malhotra noted.
This series was decided in a similar fashion to the Calder Cup Finals. Game 5 had a similar result to Game 4, but not the same winner, as Texas took the 2–1 win on home ice. This allowed Abbotsford to make the trek back home and clinch the Western Conference Finals on home ice. In a big Game 6 at home backed by “the best fans in the league,” the AHL Canucks put four past the Stars to take a 4–2 win. Players and coaches alike have been adamant about the support the fans at the Abbotsford Centre give them when they play there, and this game was no different.
Within a matter of days, Abbotsford was back at it, taking on the Charlotte Checkers for the Calder Cup. The Checkers had nearly a week’s worth of more rest than Abbotsford, and during Games 1 and 2, this was evident. Despite playing tired and facing 54 shots against, the AHL Canucks took Game 1 in a 4–3 double-overtime win. Game 2 also went to overtime, though the score was not in Abbotsford’s favour, as Charlotte scored the final goal to take the game 3–2.
From there, the series shifted to the Abbotsford Centre, where three nights’ worth of energetic crowds helped the AHL Canucks escape with two wins and an overtime loss. Abbotsford had one of their best games of the postseason in Game 3, taking a massive 6–1 win to take the series lead yet again. While Game 4’s score was closer than the last, Abbotsford still controlled most of the game, leaving the building that night with a 3–2 win and one last home game before the end of the season.
“It’s A New Day Tomorrow”: How The Abbotsford Canucks Are Moving Past Their Calder Cup Finals Game 5 Overtime Loss
Saturday night didn’t end the way the Abbotsford Canucks wanted it to, as the team lost their final home game <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/game-day/abbotsford-canucks-lose-last-calder-cup-finals-home-game-4-3-in-overtime-against-the-charlotte-checkers">4–3</a> in overtime. The game-winning goal for their 2025 Calder Cup Finals opponent, the Charlotte Checkers, came off a fluky play in which the puck bounced off two different <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/ahl">AHL</a> Canucks and in. Having carried a 3–1 series lead into Game 5, Abbotsford had the opportunity to end the series on home ice, but were unable to do so despite a spirited effort.
Despite a hard-fought effort in Game 5, and a desire to win the Calder Cup on home ice, Abbotsford ultimately lost 4–3 in overtime. This wasn’t for a lack of trying — in fact, for the bulk of the extra period, it looked as though the AHL Canucks would pull it off. However, an unfortunate bounce forced them back to Bojangles Coliseum in Charlotte for one more game.
“We wanted to win it here in front of our fans, but it’s a tough task to win in five games in the finals. It’s competitive,” Bains said of Game 5.
“It almost seemed more fitting for us to do it on the road and just go out and grind another game out again,” Malhotra noted, referencing the team’s identity and playing style. “We found ourselves in a situation where we were two goals down, we had seen that a number of times throughout the playoffs — not a situation that we wanted to be in — but the fact that we were able to claw back, obviously special teams were a huge part of last night, getting us one on the power play, and then the [penalty] kill just shutting things down. It was just a very ‘us’ game, and a very fitting end to our season tough series.”
As Malhotra discussed, Game 6 pretty much epitomized Abbotsford as a team. Everyone watching could see the resilience, hard work, and motivation on full display. What may have been even more special was seeing the players’ jubilation after clinching the win.
“I’m Just So Happy Right Now”: The Abbotsford Canucks React To Their 2025 Calder Cup Win
Words can be hard to come by for players on a team that just won their first championship in franchise history. However, that wasn’t the case for the <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks/game-day/breaking-abbotsford-canucks-win-2025-calder-cup">2025 Calder Cup champion</a> Abbotsford Canucks, who took down the Charlotte Checkers in six games to win the title after five gruelling playoff rounds. In postgame interviews with <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/vancouver-canucks">Vancouver Canucks</a> Insider member Lindsey Horsting, four members of the team spoke on the feeling of being Calder Cup champions.
“When you look back at it now, it makes it a lot sweeter that we had to fight for everything to go out, and we had to play five rounds, and we had to win and lose games, and by the end of it, we truly gave it our all,” Bains described. “It’s an unbelievable feeling that we get to go home winners.”
“Going back the last couple years, I feel like we’ve had good teams, and we just weren’t able to get over that hump,” Wouters explained his feelings behind the win. “It’s a special feeling. We’ve got a special group in here, and it’s nice to be recognized for that, and to be able to become champions as a team.”
“There’s so many guys who grew up together. It’s a special group, special chemistry, the same guys fighting for every inch of the ice, like blocking shots, like doing everything in their power to win these games,” Šilovs said. “It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, we’ve managed to bounce back every single game and I think that’s what it takes to win.”
“We had a lot of fun. We came to the rink every day and had a lot of fun,” Malhotra ended his media availability with. “We competed in practice and just created an incredible environment, a fun hockey environment to be a part of.”
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