Arshdeep Bains is one step closer to making his NHL debut as the Vancouver Canucks announced this evening that he has been called up.

This comes mere hours after Rick Tocchet told reporters that Dakota Joshua would be out week-to-week with a hand injury suffered during Tuesday’s game against the Chicago Blackhawks. Given that the Canucks will begin a three-game road trip after their tilt with the Winnipeg Jets tomorrow night, an extra forward was going to be needed.

To make room for the Surrey-born forward, defenceman Jett Woo was assigned to Abbotsford. Woo was recalled on Monday after Carson Soucy was placed on IR and Nikita Zadorov’s two-game suspension but did not suit up in Vancouver’s last two games this week.

This is a well-deserved call-up for Bains, who has had a dominant season in the AHL so far and has emerged as Abbotsford’s leading scorer. The AHL All-Star winger’s 39 points (nine goals and 30 assists) in 42 games has him 12 points clear of a three-way tie for second place between Linus Karlsson, Max Sasson, and Aatu Räty.

It remains to be seen if Bains gets into the lineup during this upcoming stretch of games, but this is a nice reward for his strong showing in the AHL. At the very least, he will get a chance to skate with the big club.

Although Woo was merely brought up as insurance during a time when the Canucks were shorthanded defensively, getting an NHL paycheque is nothing to sniff at, given all that he has been through since getting drafted.

Woo has also been having a strong season in the AHL, as he is currently second among Abbotsford defencemen in scoring with 16 points (five goals and 11 assists) in 42 games. He is expected to slot right back into their top pairing alongside Nick Cicek for their game against the Calgary Wranglers.

The Canucks will square off against the Jets on Saturday night in a battle of the top two Canadian teams this season, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. PST.