Looking Back At Arshdeep Bains' Journey To His First NHL Call-Up
Bains was called up to the Vancouver Canucks on Friday.
From undrafted prospect to NHL call-up, Arshdeep Bains has had a memorable journey early in his career. The Vancouver Canucks called up the Surrey, B.C.-born forward Friday after it was announced that Dakota Joshua was week to week with an upper-body injury. In honour of his call-up, here is a look back at Bains' career so far and how he got to this point.
After going undrafted at the WHL level, Bains signed with the Red Deer Rebels and made his regular season debut on Dec. 15, 2017. It didn't take long for him to register his first point, which came via an assist a day later against the Tri-City Americans. In his rookie season of 2017-18, he would play 40 games for the Rebels, scoring two goals and recording seven points.
Bains would play 257 regular season games with Red Deer, with his best season coming in 2021-22 as he led the WHL in points with 112. As a result of his fantastic final season, the Canucks signed him to an entry-level contract on Mar. 11, 2022. He would wrap up his WHL career just a few months later after the Rebels were eliminated from the postseason by the Edmonton Oil Kings in the second round that season.
It wouldn't take long for Bains to make an impact at the AHL level, as he played 66 games as a rookie for the Abbotsford Canucks in 2022-23. He scored in his AHL debut on Oct. 14, 2022, and would finish the season ranked fifth on the team with 38 points. Bains also made an impact during the postseason, recording two goals and an assist in six games.
That leads to this season, where Bains has taken his game to another level. He stood out during the Young Stars tournament as well as the preseason and is currently leading Abbotsford with 39 points in 42 games. To top things off, he was named MVP of the AHL All-Star Challenge after scoring the game-winning goal and leading the tournament with five points in four games.
While Bains may not get into a game during his call-up, the fact that he gets this opportunity is a testament to how hard he has worked over the past few years. He has continued to work on his game and should serve as an inspiration to young kids hoping to one day make the NHL. A fan favourite in the Canucks organization, he has a bright future ahead of him that should see him play games for Vancouver at the NHL level.
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