Colorado Eagles a tough opponent for the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL Pacific Division Final
Photo credit: Abbotsford Canucks
May 14, 2025, 14:00 UTC
The Abbotsford Canucks are facing their toughest opponent yet when they open the third round of the American Hockey League playoffs on Friday against the Colorado Eagles. The Canucks began their road to the Calder Cup against seventh seed Tucson in the opening round and advanced to take on fourth ranked Coachella Valley in round two. Now they go up against the top team in the Pacific Division during the regular season in a best of five series that starts on Friday in the Fraser Valley.
So what makes the Avalanche farmhands such a formidable force? Let’s dig in and find out a little more about Abbotsford’s next opponent.
They can score
Colorado was the highest scoring team in the American Hockey League this season registering 250 goals in 72 games. They haven’t scored at quite that same rate in four playoff games, but they did outscore San Jose 13-8 in their four game series that wrapped up last Wednesday.
O from the D
Jacob MacDonald had a season for the ages. The 32-year-old blueliner scored 31 goals in just 63 regular season games. He led the Eagles and finished tied for sixth in the AHL in goals. Did we mention he was a defenceman? To give MacDonald’s season added context, he scored 31 goals this season while the next highest scoring defenceman in the league netted 18. And the next highest had 16. So McDonald nearly doubled all but one defenceman in the league in goals this season. Thirteen of his goals came on the power play which topped all d-men and was just one off the league lead overall. MacDonald hasn’t found the net in the playoffs yet. But neutralizing his offence from the point will surely figure in the Abbotsford game plan.
Home cooking
The Eagles were the best team in the league on home ice this season posting a formidable 26-6-4 record and outscoring opponents by 50 (149-89) in their 36 games at Blue Arena in Loveland, CO. The Canucks don’t have to worry about any of that right now with the series starting in Abbotsford, but they will have to win at least one game in that building to win the series. On the road, Colorado was a fairly ordinary 17-15-4 so perhaps that gives Abbotsford a leg up to protect home ice and head south with a 2-0 series lead.
A threat while shorthanded
Colorado was the seventh best penalty killing team in the AHL during the regular season. But more than successfully nullifying the penalties they took, the Eagles were a threat to score while down a man. Colorado finished the regular season with 15 shorthanded goals – second only to the Charlotte Checkers who bagged 16 shorthanded markers. Remarkably 12 different players cashed in while the Eagles were penalty killing. Tye Felhaber led them with three shorties while Chris Wagner had a pair. After that 10 other guys each chipped in with one.
Lots of local connections
Former Victoria Royals standout Matthew Phillips led the Eagles in regular season scoring with 57 points. Jayson Megna spent parts of two seasons with the Vancouver Canucks registering eight points in 59 games between 2016 and 2018. Defenceman Devante Stephens is a White Rock native who played 59 for Abbotsford in the 2021-22 season. And Trent Miner was the Vancouver Giants goalie when that team went to the WHL Final in 2019. Miner has started all four Colorado playoff games and broke through with a pair of NHL appearances for the Avalanche earlier this season.
Show time
The Eagles playoff roster includes three players that logged 10 or more NHL games in Colorado this season. The remarkably named Ivan Ivan played 40 games for the Avalanche scoring five times and adding three assists. Chris Wagner suited up for 28 Avs games while Nikita Prishchepov logged 10 big league games. There are a handful of other Eagles that got the call from the Avalanche: Tye Felhaber, Jason Polin, Jack Ahcan, TJ Tynan, Wyatt Aamodt and Trent Miner.
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