Kirill Kudryavtsev is headed to the AHL All-Star Game
Named an AHL All-Star for the first time in his career, Kirill Kudryavtsev has been solid on the backline for a struggling Abbotsford Canucks team this season. He is tied for third in scoring for the team this season, with one goal and twelve assists in 28 games, and is leading scoring from the blue line alongside rookie defenceman Sawyer Mynio.
Kudryavtsev recently broke a five-game scoring slump with an assist against the Bakersfield Condors on January 6, a game where he had four shots registered. In his 28 games this year, he has 44 shots already, over half of his 81 shots in 65 games from his rookie season. For a team that has had its struggles in scoring this season (at the time of writing, Abbotsford is second-last in the league with 82 goals for), Kudryavtsev still puts in the extra effort from the back end.
A seventh-round pick from the Canucks in 2022, Kudryavtsev turned pro last season and made an immediate impact on a stacked Abbotsford roster. He was tied for second in defensive scoring as a rookie, with 26 points (5G, 21A) in 65 games. He also tied for the lead in defensive scoring during the team’s Calder Cup run with 10 points (1G, 9A) in 21 games.
Kudryavtsev played with the Soo Greyhounds in the OHL from 2021 until 2024, receiving the Most Gentlemanly Player and Best Defenseman awards for the team in the 2022-23 season, and was nominated for the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player by the Greyhounds in the 2023-24 season.
He signed a three-year entry-level contract with Vancouver on March 10, 2023, and made his NHL debut for the team in an April 14, 2025, overtime win over the San Jose Sharks. He played 13:33 in his NHL debut, registering a shot on net and three blocks.
Internationally, Kudryavtsev has represented Russia in past events and won a gold medal in the 2021 Hlinka Gretzky Cup U18 tournament, defeating future Canucks teammates Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Liam Öhgren in the tournament semifinals. Kudryavtsev hails from Yaroslavl, Russia, 250 kilometres north of the capital Moscow, and played within the local Lokomotiv Yaroslavl system before transitioning to North America.
Oct 28, 2025; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Vancouver Canucks defenseman Kirill Kudryavtsev (59) shoots during warm up prior to a game against the New York Rangers at Rogers Arena. Mandatory Credit: Bob Frid-Imagn ImagesKudryavtsev is the fifth Canuck to be named an AHL All-Star, and will be the fourth to take part in the exhibition festivities, joining Christian Wolanin, Arshdeep Bains, and Ty Mueller as Abbotsford players who participated in the AHL All-Star weekend. Defenceman Elias Pettersson was named an All-Star in 2025, but was unable to participate due to his call-up to the NHL.
At just 21, Kudryavtsev has a bright future ahead of him, with the AHL All Star nod just the beginning of what is looking to be a great career for the young defenceman.
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