The Abbotsford Canucks are a professional

ice hockey Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an Ice rink, ice skating rink with Ice hockey rink, lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two o ...

team based in

Abbotsford, British Columbia Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metro ...

, and members of the

American Hockey League The American Hockey League (AHL) is a professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental league for the National Hockey League (NHL). Since the 2010–11 season, every team in the le ...

(AHL). The team began play in the 2021–22 season with home games at Abbotsford Centre as the AHL affiliate of the

National Hockey League The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey sports league, league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranke ...

Vancouver Canucks The Vancouver Canucks are a professional ice hockey team based in Vancouver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division (NHL), Pacific Division of the Western Conference (NHL), Western Conference, and ...

. The team is a relocation of the franchise owned by the Canucks and known as the Utica Comets from 2013 to 2021. This is the second AHL team to play in Abbotsford after the

Calgary Flames The Calgary Flames are a professional ice hockey team based in Calgary. The Flames compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Pacific Division in the Western Conference, and are the third major professional ice hockey tea ...

affiliate Abbotsford Heat from 2009 until

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

History

The Abbotsford Canucks franchise is one of the oldest professional hockey franchises in existence, dating back to 1932, when the team was known as the

Quebec Beavers The Quebec Castors or Quebec Beavers were a professional ice hockey team based in Quebec City, Quebec from 1926 until 1935. They were members of the Canadian–American Hockey League (CAHL). History The team first played in the 1926–27 season. Th ...

. In 1935, the franchise moved to Springfield and became the

Indians Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

, reviving the name after the original Indians franchise ceased operations during the 1932–33 Canadian-American Hockey League season. In addition to the Indians, the team has been known as the

Syracuse Warriors The Springfield Indians were a minor professional ice hockey franchise, originally based in West Springfield, Massachusetts and later Springfield, Massachusetts. The Indians were founding members of the American Hockey League. They were in existen ...

, Springfield Kings, Worcester IceCats, Peoria Rivermen, and Utica Comets. On March 29, 2013, Canucks Sports & Entertainment (CS&E), owners of the

's (NHL)

, was announced as purchasing the

(AHL) franchise then playing as the Peoria Rivermen. The purchase was approved by the league on April 18. After purchasing the franchise, CS&E intended to have the franchise located in a market close to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the city, up from 631,486 in 2016. Th ...

with their initial preference as Abbotsford, which at the time was home to the

AHL farm club, the Abbotsford Heat. The Heat had been rumored to relocate to

Utica, New York Utica () is a city in the Mohawk Valley and the county seat of Oneida County, New York, United States. The tenth-most-populous city in New York State, its population was 65,283 in the 2020 U.S. Census. Located on the Mohawk River at the foot ...

, at the time. Negotiations between the Canucks and Abbotsford broke down by April 22 and the Heat remained in the city. After exploring options for having the team in Vancouver,

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a port, seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the county seat, seat of King County, Washington, King County, Washington (state), Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in bo ...

, and Peoria, CS&E came to a six-year operating agreement with

Robert Esche Robert L. Esche (born January 22, 1978) is an American former professional ice hockey goaltender who is the current president of the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League (AHL) and the Utica City FC of the Major Arena Soccer League (MAS ...

to place the franchise in Utica and the city's soon-to-be-renovated Memorial Auditorium as the Utica Comets. The Comets began play in the 2013–14 AHL season. The Heat lasted only one more season in Abbotsford before relocating to Glens Falls, New York, as the Adirondack Flames in 2014. Before the 2019–20 season, CS&E and Esche's operating contract was extended for up to an additional six years, with potential opt outs every two seasons. In April 2021, a new trademark was filed for the brand "

Utica Devils The Utica Devils were a professional ice hockey team of the American Hockey League (AHL). The team was based in Utica, New York, and played its home games at the Utica Memorial Auditorium. History The Utica Devils were AHL affiliate of the Natio ...

" by Robert Esche for a potential relocation of the Binghamton Devils. On May 4, the Canucks announced that they planned to relocate the Comets' franchise to Abbotsford, pending final discussions with the city of Abbotsford and league approval, for the 2021–22 season. On May 6, the league approved both the relocations of the Canucks owned Comets franchise to Abbotsford and the Devils franchise to Utica with the Utica team remaining branded as the Comets. The Canucks and the city of Abbotsford signed a five-year agreement on June 29 to host the team, with options for further renewal that could extend the deal for as long as twenty years. On July 14, the name, logo, and colours were released. The Vancouver Canucks transferred both former Comets general manager Ryan Johnson and head coach Trent Cull to Abbotsford.

Season-by-season records

Players

Current roster

Updated January 2, 2023.

Team captains

Chase Wouters Chase or CHASE may refer to: Businesses * Chase Bank, a national bank based in New York City, New York * Chase Aircraft (1943–1954), a defunct American aircraft manufacturing company * Chase Coaches, a defunct bus operator in England * Chas ...

, 2022–present

References

External links

* {{British Columbia Sports Ice hockey clubs established in 2021 2021 establishments in British Columbia