The Abbotsford Canucks have trimmed their roster as they prepare for the start of the 2024-25 season. On Sunday morning, the team announced several roster cuts, reducing their training camp squad by 10 players.

Among the notable names, Josh Bloom, the lone player signed to an NHL contract, was sent down. Now 21, the Ontario native made the Abbotsford Canucks out of camp last season but struggled to find consistent playing time. After spending three months with the club, Bloom was sent to Kalamazoo to seek higher minutes. Following just eight games in the ECHL, he was loaned back to his OHL team, the Saginaw Spirit. He finished the strong, recording 40 regular season points and 11 in the playoffs, scoring the Memorial Cup-clinching goal.

Alongside Bloom, several players signed to AHL deals were also re-assigned, including forwards Ben Berard, Lee Lapid, Jermaine Loewen, and Zach Okabe; defencemen Joe Arntsen and Zach Berzolla; and goaltender Jonathan Lemieux.

With these cuts, Abbotsford’s roster now includes 15 forwards, eight defencemen, and two goaltenders as they prepare for their season opener against the Calgary Wranglers on Friday, October 11th, in Calgary.

In related news, the Vancouver Canucks completed a trade, acquiring defenceman Erik Brännström in exchange for Tucker Poolman. Shortly after the trade, Vancouver placed Brännström on waivers, hoping to send him down to Abbotsford, where he could join an already crowded group of left-shot defenders.

Earlier in the week, the Canucks lost one of their goaltenders, Jiří Patera, who the Boston Bruins claimed. However, with Bruins’ star netminder Jeremy Swayman now officially signed. And on Sunday morning, Boston placed Patera back on waivers, where the Canucks will have first dibs at reclaiming him to return to their original plan between the pipes in Abby.

The Abbotsford Canucks will begin their season with four consecutive road games before returning home to host the San Diego Gulls for a back-to-back on October 25th and 26th.