There are 10 players scattered around the NHL, AHL, and other leagues who were also part of Abbotsford's 2025 Calder Cup winning team and are now with different teams — let’s take a look at where they are now.
The Abbotsford Canucks raised their 2025 Calder Cup Championship banner on Friday in a game against the Ontario Reign, though not all members of the championship-winning team were present to watch. There are 10 players scattered around the NHL, AHL, and other leagues who were also part of this Calder Cup winning team who are now with different teams — let’s take a look at where they are now.
Sammy Blais
Blais was only with Abbotsford for a year, but the scrappy forward quickly became a fan-favourite for AHL Canucks fans due to his feisty attitude and penchant for delivering massive hits on his opponents. The forward finished the 2025 postseason with six goals and 13 assists in 23 games played, earning himself an NHL deal with the Montréal Canadiens. Near the start of the season, Blais was put on waivers by the Canadiens and ended up being claimed by the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Phil Di Giuseppe
Di Giuseppe’s stint with the Canucks organization began in the 2021–22 season, spending the full season with Abbotsford. Other than during the 2023–24 season, he spent at least 20 games with Abbotsford every year that he was with the Canucks. During the 2025 off-season, Di Giuseppe signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Jets. He is now playing for their AHL affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, and has a goal and an assist in four games.
Ty Glover
Glover came to the Canucks organization via trade back in October of 2023. He split his first season with the organization with Abbotsford and the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL. In 2024–25, he played in 37 games with Abbotsford, scoring four goals and six assists. Glover is currently playing for Löwen Frankfurt of the DEL in Germany and has three goals and four assists in 11 games.
Akito Hirose
Hirose went directly from the NCAA to the NHL in 2023, making his NHL debut on April 2. From then on, the majority of his time with the Canucks organization was spent with Abbotsford. The defenceman suited up for 22 of Abbotsford’s 24 playoff games last year, during which he scored a goal and four assists. Like Glover, Hirose also ended up heading to Germany after winning the Calder Cup, as he now plays for the Fischtown Pinguins in the DEL.
Cole McWard
McWard’s career slightly mimicked Hirose’s when the two defencemen first joined the Canucks, as both were signed as free agents in 2023 and both departed during the 2025 off-season. McWard tallied a total of 10 goals and 33 assists in 124 regular season games with Abbotsford, though he only played in 12 of the team’s games during their Calder Cup run last year. McWard signed a one-year deal with the New York Islanders in the summer and currently plays for their AHL affiliate, the Bridgeport Islanders.
Tristen Nielsen
A fan favourite who’d been with the organization since the 2021–22 season, Nielsen is now playing for the Colorado Eagles in the AHL. Prior to departing from the Canucks organization, Nielsen put up a total of 52 goals and 63 assists in 231 games with Abbotsford, as well as five goals and four assists in all 24 of their playoff games in 2025. He currently has two goals and three assists in five games played with the Eagles.
Artūrs Šilovs
Perhaps the most notable departure from the Canucks organization this year was Šilovs, who Vancouver traded to the Pittsburgh Penguins. Šilovs earned the title of Calder Cup Playoff MVP last year after his spectacular performance throughout the team’s 24 games, including posting a 2.01 GAA and five shutouts. Since departing from the Canucks, Šilovs has carved out a position for himself in Pittsburgh, posting three wins in four of his starts — including one against his former team — and nabbing his first shutout of the season in his Penguins debut.
Nate Smith
The 2024–25 season was Smith’s first with Abbotsford. The forward scored nine goals and 17 assists in 60 games, while also putting up four goals and five assists in 22 playoff games. As of October 25, Smith has yet to sign a deal with any other teams and is currently an unrestricted free agent.
John Stevens
Stevens was a longtime Abbotsford Canuck and a key part of their leadership group before the Canucks’ AHL affiliate had even moved back to BC. He wore the ‘A’ alongside Abbotsford captain Chase Wouters for three of his four years with the AHL Canucks. While his 2024–25 season was cut short due to injury, Stevens was around the team for the bulk of playoffs and got to celebrate with them when they won the Calder Cup. Since then, the forward has moved on to Europe, signing with Kiekko-Espoo of Liiga in Finland.
Christian Wolanin
Wolanin enjoyed some of his best years with Abbotsford, including a six-goal, 49-assist season in 2022–23 in which he averaged over a point per game. An offensively-talented defenceman, Wolanin put up a rate of nearly 0.7 points per game throughout all of his three seasons with Abbotsford, including two goals and eight assists in 17 playoff games in 2025. Wolanin is currently an unrestricted free agent.
Abbotsford continues their season-opening weekend with a matinee matchup against the Reign today. Puck drop is scheduled for 3:00 pm PT.
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