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Abbotsford Canucks preview: Players to watch in weekend rematch with the Wranglers

Photo credit: Abbotsford Canucks

By Jacob Fraser

Oct 24, 2026, 15:00 EDTUpdated: Oct 24, 2026, 13:27 EDT

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The Abbotsford Canucks are set to take on the Calgary Wranglers for the third and fourth time this season this weekend. To kick off the 2026-27 AHL season, the Canucks travelled to Calgary; this time, the Wranglers are heading to Abbotsford for back-to-back games at the Forum.

The Canucks enter the matchup on a three-game win streak, with a 3-2-0-1 record. Their two regulation losses both came in their first two games of the season against the Wranglers. The start of the season may not have gone as planned for the group under new Head Coach Ryan Papaioannou, but the Canucks have recently stepped up and should come into this weekend with more chemistry and confidence.

We’ve yet to hear about defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev’s health, but after last week’s games in Abbotsford against the Coachella Valley Firebirds, Papaioannou was hopeful Kudryavtsev would be available for this weekend’s games. With three points in three games, getting the Russian defenceman back into the lineup would be a huge addition to the Canucks’ lineup on the back end.

Puck drop for Saturday is set for 5:00 PM at the Rogers Forum. Sunday’s matchup will kick off at 3:00 PM.

Players to watch

Braeden Cootes comes into the weekend with six points through six games. His first career AHL goal came against the Wranglers, and with his line alongside Kole Lind and Trey Fix-Wolansky, the trio looks to continue their dominance, with Cootes hoping to keep up his point-per-game pace.

Ty Mueller started the season hot, scoring four goals in four straight games. Since then, he hasn’t found the back of the net, but with a line of Mueller, Bennett Schimek, and newcomer Jacob Quillan. The Canucks ‘ fourth-round pick in 2023 looks to build off his great start to the season with yet another good performance against the Calgary Flames’ AHL team.

Recently, Riley Patterson and Vilmer Alriksson have found success, despite playing in the Canucks’ bottom six. With five points in six games for Patterson and three points for Alriksson, they will certainly look to build on their recent success and potentially earn bigger roles in the Canucks’ lineup.

Both Nikita Tolopilo and Ty Young split the matchup last time around against the Wranglers. Though it didn’t go the Canucks’ way with back-to-back 4-2 losses, the goaltenders each had solid performances, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both goaltenders split this weekend’s slate once again.

What’s next?

It’s a big weekend for the Canucks against the 5-3 Wranglers. Two wins this weekend would put the Canucks ahead of the Wranglers in the standings and potentially at the top of the Pacific Division.

These will be their last two home games before a two-game road trip, then a return to Abbotsford in early November for another four-game homestand.

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