The Abbotsford Canucks are gearing up for their fifth season as an AHL franchise.

And for the first time in their brief history, they’ll enter as defending Calder Cup champions.

Fresh off a record-breaking 2024–25 campaign that included a franchise-best 44 wins and a run through five playoff series, the Canucks will look to carry that momentum into the 2025–26 season and become the second back-to-back winner in the last four years (Hershey Bears in the 2022-2023, 2023-24 seasons).

Their first chance to defend their title comes Friday, October 10, when they kick off a four-game road swing beginning in Henderson, Nevada, against the Silver Knights.

Abbotsford has enjoyed success against the Henderson Silver Knights, including a clean 4-0-0-0 season series sweep last year in which they outscored the Knights 17-4.

Overall, the Canucks boast a 16-7-0-1 all-time record versus their Pacific Division opponent.

As is tradition, the club will begin their season on the road — the fifth time in as many years — before returning to Abbotsford for its home opener and Calder Cup banner-raising ceremony on Friday, October 24, which begins a six-game homestand.

While the official opening night roster has yet to be released, several new faces are expected to feature in the lineup. This includes many intriguing rookie debuts and latest additions.

The 11th overall pick in 2023, Tom Willander makes his highly anticipated professional debut after spending the last two seasons with Boston University.

Known for his aggressive play style, elite skating, and ability to play in all situations, Willander is expected to play a top-four role immediately and could see time on both special teams units.

A standout two-way defender in the WHL, Sawyer Mynio is another candidate to crack the opening lineup.

Although initially known for his penalty-killing prowess, he added an incredible offensive toolkit to his repertoire, leaving the Junior ranks as one of the more potent producing defenders in the WHL.

Despite being a 20-year-old rookie, Mynio has an opportunity to fill key minutes early due to injuries on Abbotsford’s back end.

Standing at 6-foot-6, Swedish winger Vilmer Alriksson is impossible to miss. After serving two seasons in the OHL, split between Guelph and Brampton, the Canucks’ 2023 fourth-round pick leaps to the AHL and is expected to play in the middle-six, where he can use his size and reach to generate offence and wear down defenders.

Acquired from the Pittsburgh Penguins as part of the Arturs Silovs trade, Chase Stillman brings energy, experience, and physicality to Abbotsford. The 22-year-old forward has two AHL seasons under his belt and is looking to carve out a more consistent role and resurrect his stock that once saw him drafted 29th overall in 2021.

He brings 36 points (18 goals, 18 assists) in 119 AHL games.

After spending the past two (and change) seasons in the KHL, Vitali Kravtsov returns to North America with something to prove. The former first-round pick has the talent to be a game-changer at the AHL level and should feature prominently in Abbotsford’s top six.

He returns with 92 points (45 goals, 47 assists) in 121 KHL games over the last two seasons.

European free-agent signing Anri Ravinskis is another newcomer to watch. While he missed most of training camp recovering from off-season hernia surgery, the heavy-set winger is expected to compete for a middle-six spot if healthy enough to play in the early going.

Abbotsford’s blueline will begin the year without two of its most experienced defenders.

Jett Woo (upper body): Suffered an injury during last year’s Calder Cup run, which he played through. He is considered month-to-month.

Guillaume Brisebois (lower body): The nature of the injury has not been disclosed, but he is expected to be out indefinitely, with a potential return not anticipated until early 2026.

These injuries should open up early-season opportunities for rookies like Kirill Kudryavtsev, Tom Willander, Sawyer Mynio or depth players on AHL contracts.

After their two-game set in Henderson, the Canucks will head east to face the Laval Rocket for two games, completing a four-game road trip to start the season.

Their home opener — and banner ceremony — takes place on October 24, marking a celebratory return to Abbotsford Centre as they raise the franchise’s first Calder Cup banner.

The 2025–26 season represents a new chapter for the Abbotsford Canucks. With several names playing either in Vancouver or having moved on from the organization, it’s a new-look roster.

Without confirmation for the final roster, here are the names expected to compete for an opening night spot (not line combination predictions):

The road to a repeat starts now.