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Riley Patterson scores in debut weekend as Abbotsford Canucks sweep Wranglers
Forward Riley Patterson leans over the bench during the Vancouver Canucks' 2-0 win over the Edmonton Oilers at the 2024 Young Stars Classic from Penticton, BC
Photo credit: © Tav Morisson-CanucksArmy
Dave Hall
Apr 12, 2026, 14:10 EDT
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You want small wins?
How about taking over the Calgary Wranglers in the standings?
With back-to-back victories, the Abbotsford Canucks improved to 8-2-1-1 against their Pacific Division rivals this season, collecting four crucial points to leapfrog Calgary by two. After spending months lying at the bottom of the division, Abbotsford has officially climbed out — now sitting 30th overall in the league.
The biggest storyline of the weekend was the debut of 2024 fourth-round pick Riley Patterson. Fresh off a career year in the OHL, Patterson wasn’t eased into the lineup.
Head coach Manny Malhotra placed him directly into a top-six role, centring Bennett Schimek and Arshdeep Bains. The trio was also deployed on the team’s top power play unit, a clear vote of confidence in his youth.
Aside from a shaky opening period in his debut, Patterson quickly settled in. He showed strong chemistry with his linemates and produced multiple points in his first statement weekend.

Game One

The Canucks came out engaged early, recording six shots in the opening ten minutes. Despite generating pressure and testing the goaltender Arsenii Sergeev, it was Calgary who opened the scoring.
Wranglers captain Clark Bishop, skating in his 500th AHL game, gave the home side a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.
Patterson’s first period reflected the nerves you might expect. A turnover and a minus on the opening goal highlighted a slow start, but his adjustment came quickly as the remaining 40 minutes were much improved, with him clearly easing into his new environment.
It took less than five minutes into the second period for Abbotsford to respond. Off a broken play, Sawyer Mynio found Bennett Schimek in the slot, and the rookie forward made no mistake, wiring home his fourth AHL goal. Although he won’t get credit, Patterson provided a strong net-front presence on the play.
Calgary responded with two goals to regain control, but Abbotsford continued to push.
Danila Klimovich cut the deficit to one by driving the net and finishing a rebound off a Jimmy Schuldt point shot. However, the see-saw battle continued, as David Silye restored Calgary’s two-goal cushion late in the period.
Down 4-2 entering the third, the Canucks took over.
Ben Berard sparked the comeback early, finishing a slick backhand-to-forehand move after taking a feed from Nils Åman. With momentum building, Abbotsford continued to pour on pressure.
Klimovich struck again with under three minutes remaining, burying a backdoor pass from Schuldt to make it 4-4. The goal marked his 69th career AHL tally, putting him one shy of Linus Karlsson’s franchise record.
And what would a 2025-26 Abby Canucks win be if it weren’t for a little luck going their way?
With time winding down, Berard fired a routine shot that Sergeev attempted to stop. In doing so, he lost his skate blade and fell out of position. The puck stayed in the zone, and Berard quickly recognized the opportunity, pulling the puck into a toe drag and snapping it into a wide-open net.
Despite the netminder’s clear displeasure, the goal stood to complete the comeback and seal a 5-4 win.
Ty Young made 24 saves to earn his first victory against Calgary this season.
Final shots: ABB 42, CGY 28
Final score: ABB 5, CGY 4

Game Two

With Jiri Patera briefly up with the NHL club, Ty Young got the nod for a second straight night.
This time, he got some early help with Abbotsford striking first. And it came from their newest addition.
Riley Patterson forced a turnover after an initial missed pass, stayed with the play, and worked a give-and-go with Arshdeep Bains before snapping a shot cleanly past Connor Murphy for his first professional goal.
On the same play, Bains recorded his 109th career assist, tying Christian Wolanin for the franchise record.
Moments later, on the power play, Patterson again made an impact. Showing patience, he drew defenders toward him before sliding the puck to Schimek in the slot. While the initial shot was stopped, Bains cleaned up the rebound on the doorstep for his 11th goal of the season.
In just his second pro game, Patterson had already recorded his first goal and a multi-point performance.
The Canucks carried that momentum into the third, where Dino Kambeitz added insurance with a perfectly placed shot into the top corner.
Schimek later iced the game with an empty-net goal, capping off another multi-point performance — his third in the last four games. Since joining Abbotsford, he now co-leads the team with 10 points (four goals, six assists).
Young closed the door from there, stopping all 24 shots he faced to secure his second career shutout and complete the weekend sweep.
Patterson finished with a goal, an assist, two shots, and first-star honours.
Final shots: ABB 20, CGY 24
Final score: ABB 4, CGY 0

What’s next?

The Canucks wrap up their season with a California road trip, facing the Ontario Reign and Coachella Valley Firebirds in a pair of single games.
They begin Saturday night against Ontario, with puck drop set for 6:00 p.m. PT at Toyota Arena.

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