The All-Star break is in the rearview, and the Abbotsford Canucks are back to work.

After a week off, Abbotsford returns home to Rogers Forum to open a two-game set against the Ontario Reign. The pair of games in Abbotsford represents the first leg of a three-game stretch between the Pacific Division rivals.

Ontario arrives sporting a 31-14-1-1 record, riding a three-game winning streak and a 7-3-0 run over their last ten contests. Abbotsford, meanwhile, snapped a five-game skid in their last outing but still sits at 16-26-3-3 on the season.

The Canucks are winless in three meetings against Ontario this year and have been outscored 15-6 in the process. Coincidentally, each of those games finished with a 5-2 scoreline.

Duncan, BC’s Ben Berard, returns from the AHL All-Star festivities after representing Team Pacific in the championship victory. Berard recorded two goals and three assists during the event and delivered one of the weekend’s top highlights at the skills competition. He co-leads Abbotsford with 23 points on the season.

Sharing that mark is Ty Mueller, who has been one of the team’s hottest players in recent weeks. Mueller has collected 10 points (4G, 6A) over his last nine games and now sits at 23 points on the year, putting him on pace to approach last season’s 39-point rookie total.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki continues to climb the leaderboard as well. The Swedish forward leads the club with 11 goals in just 18 games and now sits five points back of the team lead. He has goals in four of his last six games and points in five.

Both Lukas Reichel (Germany) and Anri Ravinskis (Latvia) remain out while representing their respective countries at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.

Kirill Kudryavtsev, who was originally slated to appear in the All-Star game, continues to miss time with what has been reported as a high ankle sprain. Vilmer Alriksson, Joseph LaBate, Nils Åman, Sawyer Mynio, MacKenzie MacEachern, and Chase Stillman also remain sidelined with injuries. However, both Nils Åman and Chase Stillman were seen skating with the team, so both may rejoin the lineup.

Nikita Tolopilo received back-to-back starts last week. With a day off between games this weekend, he could see a similar deployment. If not, Aku Koskenvuo may draw his first start in two weeks.

Facing one of the league’s most productive offences means defending will be paramount. Ontario ranks second in the AHL in goals scored with 159, while Abbotsford has allowed the league’s third-highest total at 164.

Limiting high-danger chances and staying structured in their own zone will be critical. A tighter, lower-event game may not be flashy, but it could be the formula required for Abbotsford to pull out points during this three-game stretch.

Game one goes Saturday at 7:00 p.m. PT, followed by a Family Day matinee on Monday at 1:00 p.m. PT.

The Canucks will then travel to California for a one-game rematch against the Reign on Wednesday at Toyota Arena.