Abbotsford Canucks Prepare for Three-Game Road Trip Through California

Lightning McQueen’s transporter Mack said it, Phantom Planet sang it on the intro to The O.C., and now the Abbotsford Canucks are living it: California, here we come.  

Abbotsford heads south for a three-game road trip, beginning with a back-to-back on Saturday and Sunday before closing out the trip on Wednesday.  

The Canucks are one of the hottest teams in the AHL. They are 9-1-1 over their last 11 games and sit second in the Pacific Division. They have outscored their opposition 49-39 this season, and their penalty kill holds an 85.4% kill rate through 14 games.  

We've seen impressive play up and down the lineup, and Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou has confidence in all four lines and all three pairings he has been icing.  

Ty Mueller and Trey Fix-Wolansky lead the Canucks with 12 points apiece. Mueller leads the team with seven goals.  

Fix-Wolansky has played on a line with Kole Lind and Braeden Cootes for most of the season. The trio is finding more chemistry every game, and when they get rolling, they create long possessions in the offensive zone.  

Lind is strong on the puck, Fix-Wolansky brings incredible speed, and Cootes brings a relentless effort and quick stick on every shift. The line is fun to watch, and Fix-Wolansky has become a fan favourite at the Rogers Forum; he has scored all five of his goals on home ice this season and had a big goal on Tuesday night to force overtime.

Another standout for the Canucks has been 20-year-old Riley Patterson. The young forward ranks second in the AHL in goals among U21 players. He had his first multi-goal game as a pro in Abbotsford's win on Wednesday night.

Patterson has worked his way onto both the power play and the penalty kill with the Canucks. The head coach has praised his on-ice IQ and the significant improvements he's made in the faceoff circle since becoming a pro.  

Papaioannou said that he challenged Patterson to be more of a dog and has liked the response from the 20-year-old.  

"Getting challenged is great," said Patterson. "We've talked about it before, just getting more on the inside, and getting to those hard areas, and it was nice to see it pay off."  

Patterson talked about his first dozen games of the season and how different the AHL is from the OHL.  

"It's definitely different. It's a lot of new things, but I think that's great," said Patterson. "I love to learn and go to practice every day and learn new things. And the older guys have been great. Everyone's been great to me, so it's been a lot of fun."  

On the back end, Sawyer Mynio ranks second in the league in points among U22 defenceman. Mynio is in his second full season with Abbotsford and was named the team's rookie of the year in 2025-26.  

Brandon Buhr was acquired in a trade on October 15th and played his first two games with Abbotsford this past week after a six-game stint with the Kalamazoo Wings in the ECHL.  

Buhr was named first star Wednesday night and scored his first AHL goal in the win.  

The 24-year-old grew up a Canucks fan and is ecstatic to play for his hometown organization.  

"I've been a Canucks fan my whole life, so it was obviously insane when I got that call. I was super excited because it was a step towards my dream coming true to play for the Canucks," said Buhr.  

Buhr is excited to have family members at home games now, and having the built-in support system is helping him focus on hockey and his development. He has many memories as a Canucks fan, including watching the Canucks slay the dragon against the Chicago Blackhawks.  

"I was at Game Seven against Chicago; I was eight years old, and I remember Burrows catching the puck off the glass and ripping that top-corner shot. That was probably the highlight of watching the Canucks," he said with a massive grin.  

The new Canucks forward says he plays a fast, physical game, focusing on getting in hard on the forecheck and contributing goals when opportunities arise. His current development focus is becoming a better defensive player. Buhr wants to stay aggressive on the ice but is working with coaches to harness his aggressiveness so that he can still play within a system.  

The Abbotsford Canucks play Saturday in Ontario (6:00 p.m. PCT), Sunday in Coachella Valley (3:00 p.m. PCT), and wrap up the road trip Wednesday in Ontario (7:00 p.m. PCT). You can watch all those games on FloHockey.