The forward looks to be in Vancouver’s lineup on October 9th’s season opener against the Calgary Flames.
The forward looks to be in Vancouver’s lineup on October 9th’s season opener against the Calgary Flames.
On Tuesday, October 1, the Vancouver Canucks released another round of pre-season roster cuts. The list included names such as Phil Di Giuseppe, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, and Linus Karlsson. Players currently remaining with the big club, for the most part, don’t particularly differ from those who were expected to make it at the beginning of the pre-season. After a spin with the Young Stars and an impressive pre-season, it looks like BC-born Arshdeep Bains will be part of his hometown’s lineup on opening night. Here’s a look back at the steps in his career that brought him to the big league.
Bains is from Surrey, BC, making him no stranger to the Vancouver Canucks. As a kid, Bains played 25 games with Delta Hockey Academy’s U15 Prep team in the 2015–16 season, scoring 15 goals and 13 assists during that time. Their playoff campaign saw him notch two goals and two assists in three games, with the team eventually losing in the semifinals. Also on this team was current Buffalo Sabres forward Dylan Cozens.
After his time with Delta Hockey Academy, Bains joined the U18 AAA Vancouver NE Chiefs, part of the BCEHL’s U18 division. In 26 games, he tallied seven goals and 16 assists, as well as a goal and an assist in five playoff games. The year after, he played with the U18 AAA Valley West Hawks. It was here when his offensive talents exploded, notching 16 goals and 40 assists in 22 games.
The 56 points that Bains put up with the Valley West Hawks earned him a look from the Red Deer Rebels, the WHL team that he eventually ended up spending five seasons with. His first 40 games, which he played in the 2017–18 season (the same year he spent with the Valley West Hawks), culminated in a two-goal, five-assist effort, as well as five playoff games. After one season of testing the waters of the WHL, Bains began to find his footing in a new league — a pattern that seems to have continued throughout his career. He scored 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 63 games in the 2019–20 season before all leagues were cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
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When the WHL resumed play in 2020–21, Bains was named an assistant captain for the Rebels. In the 23 games he played in this season, he registered a .91 points percentage (8 goals, 13 assists in 23 games). However, he began to turn heads in the season after, in what would ultimately be his last year with Red Deer. Scoring 43 goals and 69 assists in 68 games, Bains led the entire league in points and assists. With a point-per-game performance in this season’s playoffs, the BC-born forward made a lasting impression on his hometown team.
While he may have gone undrafted at both the WHL and NHL level, that didn’t stop Bains from making his way to the Canucks. After leading the WHL in scoring, he signed an entry-level contract with Vancouver — a deal that ends following the upcoming 2024–25 season. He was assigned to Abbotsford for his first year following Vancouver’s training camp in 2022 and tallied 38 points (13 goals, 25 assists) in 66 games.
Last season was yet another leap for Bains, who, after marinating in the AHL for a season, came back and earned himself a nod to the AHL All-Star Game. At the time of selection, he’d garnered a point per game in 40 games played (nine goals and 31 assists). During the AHL All-Star challenge itself, Bains scored the game-winning goal and finished the night of festivities with two goals and three assists. This performance resulted in him being named MVP. He finished the season with 55 points in 59 games and four points in six playoff matches.
Bains made his NHL debut on February 20, 2024, at Ball Arena against the Colorado Avalanche. The game coincided with the team’s father’s trip, allowing his father, Kuldip, to be in attendance. Bains played eight games for Vancouver last season. Now, as the pre-season concludes, he remains on the team’s roster, awaiting what may be a full-time position with his hometown team.
