Having won six of their last seven games, the Abbotsford Canucks are flying high as they march on to the final stretch of their inaugural AHL season.
Abbotsford currently has a 21-16-4 record with a stronghold on a playoff spot in the AHL's Pacific Division and are 12 points up on the next closest team. There are 27 games remaining in the Canucks' AHL season and there have been some great storylines through the first 41 games.
As highlighted below, the team's success has come on the backs of a lethal power play, an injection of youth, hometown talent, and exceptional goaltending.
Offensively, the team has one of the most productive lines in the entire AHL. The trio of Phil Di Giuseppe, Sheldon Dries, and Sheldon Rempal has been electric.
Dries has a team-high 26 goals on the season, good enough for second in the AHL. He's been red-hot through the month of February, recording 10 goals and 15 points in nine games - making him a potential player of the month candidate.
Much of the offence is coming with the man advantage.
Dries has 12 power play goals, while Rempal has 10 of his own. On the backs of the Sheldons, the Canucks' power play is third in the AHL with a 24.1% conversion rate.
Playing with the man-advantage has proven to be Abbotsford's best trait this season. One of the young players who has been able to grab a spot on the second power play unit is Danila Klimovich, who just turned 19 last month. The young Klimovich is currently fourth on the team in shots on net and finds the most space for his lethal shot when playing with the man advantage.
Klimovich was selected in the second round of the most recent NHL draft and has immediately jumped into the AHL. His 10 points in 36 games don't pop off the page but the confidence in his own ability to handle and shoot the puck wows the fans out at the Abbotsford Centre on a nightly basis. Making the jump to the AHL is always tough for teenagers, but Klimovich has used his size and skill to fit right in.
As for the defence, it has been anchored by local boy Noah Juulsen, who grew up and played his minor hockey in Abbotsford. Veteran defenceman Ashton Sautner has been a rock on the back end, always making good decisions with the puck and playing physically in his own zone.
Then there are Madison Bowey and Jack Rathbone, who have had some great offensive nights at the Abbotsford Centre. They can both be found quarterbacking a power play unit when they are in the lineup. Bowey was recently called up to the NHL while Rathbone is nursing an upper-body injury.
Between the pipes, Spencer Martin has been excellent this season after beginning to work some new things into his game from goalie coach Curtis Sanford. It has been a big year for Martin. He showed extremely well in a small stint in the NHL and has many fans wondering if there is a chance for him to be the NHL backup next year.
Head coach Trent Cull has his team playing their best hockey of the season as they take the final trot towards the AHL playoffs, which begin at the start of May. In their last seven games alone, they've scored a whopping 35 goals - an average of five goals per game.
After a short road trip, the team now returns home for two massive games this weekend against the Pacific Division-leading Stockton Heat. The Abbotsford Centre has consistently proven to be a thunderous rink and the thought of electrifying playoff hockey in the Valley gives the community something to cheer about together as Abbotsford sets their eyes on a Calder Cup championship.
