Vancouver Canucks call up red-hot defenceman Christian Wolanin, place Thatcher Demko on IR
1 year ago
The Vancouver Canucks have recalled left-shot defenceman Christian Wolanin from the Abbotsford Canucks of the AHL, and have officially placed goaltender Thatcher Demko on injured reserve.
The announcement came late Monday afternoon, just a couple of hours before puck drop between the Canucks and Montreal Canadiens.
Wolanin has been red-hot lately, tallying 21 games over his current 12-game point streak. At 10 games, Wolanin broke the Abbotsford Canucks’ previous franchise record point streak, and has since extended it by two games. Earlier today, Wolanin was named the American Hockey League’s player of the week.
Wolanin impressed right away in the preseason, and was one of the Canucks’ final cuts before solidifying their opening night roster. He got reps quarterbacking power plays and on the penalty kill during this year’s preseason for the Canucks, and has continued to impress while down in Abbotsford, where he’s been logging top-pairing minutes.
The Abbotsford Canucks are currently riding a four-game winning streak on the back of Wolanin’s strong performance over the week and are back in action this weekend as they face off against the Manitoba Moose on Friday and Saturday.
Wolanin wasn’t at morning skate today, but it will be interesting to see if he’s thrown into the Canucks’ lineup right away. As you read in today’s scenes from morning skate article, Quinn Hughes was not at AM skate, with Kyle Burroughs filling in for him while Riley Stillman remained on the third pair alongside Tyler Myers.
After practice, however, head coach Bruce Boudreau called it a maintenance day for Hughes, and added that he expects him to play tonight. That would suggest that Burroughs was simply a placeholder, and that Stillman will remain in the lineup. Burroughs and Stillman have platooned as of late for the third LHD spot, but the organization may want to get a better look at Wolanin in that spot instead.
We’ll find out shortly if Wolanin will play tonight.
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