On Wednesday, Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced that forward Arshdeep Bains has been assigned to the AHL Abbotsford.

And per Donnie & Dhali’s Rick Dhaliwal, Bains will suit up for Abbotsford tonight as they host the Laval Rocket.

Bains began the season in Vancouver, playing a role on the team’s top six before falling to the fourth line. In December, he was placed on waivers and cleared to join the team in Abbotsford. Earlier this month, he was called back up to Vancouver when forward Marco Rossi was placed on injured reserve.

So far this season, Bains has played a career-high 28 NHL games, with a goal and four assists to show for it, averaging 9:12 time on ice per night. In only five games in Abbotsford this season, Bains has three goals and three assists. Last weekend, in a shutout loss to the Edmonton Oilers, Bains led all Vancouver skaters in xGF% at 88.85%, but was unable to capitalize on his opportunities.

The 25-year-old Surrey native originally signed an entry-level contract with the Canucks in March 2022, undrafted out of the WHL. He played a big part in Abbotsford’s Calder Cup win last season, scoring seven goals and tallying 24 points in 24 playoff games.

Bains returns to an Abbotsford Canucks team that currently sits last in the AHL’s Pacific Division, 11 points out of a playoff spot with a 12-22-3-3 record. Tonight will be the second half of a back-to-back series with the Laval Rocket.

In yesterday’s game, the Canucks and Rocket traded chances back and forth until a Victor Mancini turnover in the dying seconds of the game to Florian Xhejak, Arber’s brother, at the net front sealed Abbotsford’s fate. Chase Wouters, Danila Klimovich and Jonathan Lekkerimäki were Abbotsford’s goal scorers on the night. They will host Laval again tonight at the freshly named Rogers Forum.