The 2021-22 AHL season did not start so hot for the AHL Nucks Harvest…
AHLNucksHarvest gameday recap delay reasons:
1. Spent first 15 minutes trying to read player numbers on first clipped play
2. Just doordash’d dinner to @QuadreIli’s house by accident and have to go pick it up
😂😂😂😂
2021-22 AHL season off to a great start!— Cody Severtson (@CodySevertson) October 17, 2021
Like the Abbotsford Canucks, hopefully, I too have shaken off the cobwebs in game one and have a performance-rebound tonight.
The Opposition
Tonight the Abby Canucks take on the very young and dynamic Ontario Reign. AHL affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings and the current team of former Canucks prospect Tyler Madden.
Madden, of course, was traded to the Kings organization alongside a second-round draft pick in exchange for Tyler Toffoli.
We do not speak of what happened afterwards.
The Ontario Reign started their season with a bang when they torched the San Diego Gulls five to two.
STARTING ROSTER
Here's how we line up tonight in Ontario against the Reign!
➡️ Arturs Silovs will make his first start of the season and his Abbotsford Canucks debut.
➡️ Adam Brubacher will suit up with the Abbotsford Canucks for the first time.
Watch for free on https://t.co/APpnsxY6Yr pic.twitter.com/X95SHAjGAI
— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) October 17, 2021
Healthy scratches: Ethan Keppen, Tristan Neilsen, Alex Kannok Leipert, Cameron Schilling, Spencer Martin
IR: Guillaume Brisebois
Artūrs Šilovs makes his Abbotsford Canucks debut as the starter. Somewhere in north Burnaby, David Quadrelli has shed a single tear of pride.
Don’t feel like reading? Click here for spoilers!!
GAME 2:
1st period:
- Shoutout to the Ontario Reign’s broadcast quality! Love being able to read player nameplates!
- Two Reign players fumble possession in the neutral zone, allowing Sheldon Rempal (#56) to pick up the loose puck and deke past the Ontario defence for a shot on goal.
- John Stevens (#16) throws a weak backhand pass into the d-zone that lands right on the stick of Ontario’sMartin Frk. Frk dishes off to Tyler Madden, who gets hooked by Stevens on the recovery attempt.
- Canucks to the PK under two minutes into the game
PK1: Woo, Sautner, Di Giuseppe, Lockwood
- Ashton Sautner (#6) clears the d-zone, and Will Lockwood (#10) races onto the puck for a shorthanded drive on goal
- Canucks PK holding the Reign to the neutral zone through the opening minute of Ontario’spowerplay
PK2: Bailey, Bowey, Juulsen, Dries
- Jett Woo (#22) gets stick position on Tyler Madden and prevents his one-timer from the slot
- Ontario pressuring late in the powerplay with shot attempts
- There were some dicey scrambles around Šilovs crease as the Stevens penalty expires
- Huge accidental collision in the neutral zone between Vinny Arseneau (#18) and Ontario’s Jacob Doty
- Madison Bowey’s (#4) pass through the neutral zone gets picked off by the Reign and quickly leads to several shot attempts from Ontario
- Sheldon Dries (#15) with a one-timer on Ingham
- Vinny Arseneau (#18) gives Karel Plasek (#62) a boost on the backcheck. Noah Juulsen (#47) dispossesses the attacking forward, but the puck bounces dangerously into Šilovs’ crease.
- Ontario is punishing Abbotsford off of the rush. Marvelling at how quickly the Reign turn zone entries into two-or-three shot attempts in seconds
- Will Lockwood (#10) quickly enters the zone and drops for Carson Focht (#19), who rips a shot off the right goalpost
- Focht gets dinged for slashing on Helge Grans while chasing down a Phil Di Giuseppe dump-in
- Canucks to their second PK of the game
PK1: Juulsen, Bowey, Di Giuseppe, Stevens
PK2: Woo, Sautner, Lockwood, Dries
- Canucks PK clears the zone and holds Ontario to the neutral zone for the remainder of the powerplay.
- T.J. Tynan forces a turnover from Adam Brubacher (#2), but fortunately, Sheldon Dries (#15) recovers with a speedy chip and chase into the offensive zone
- Ontario’sAdam Johnson weaves around John Stevens (#16) and into the Canucks d-zone for a shot on goal a bit too easily for my liking
- Ashton Sautner (#6) with a giveaway. The Reign’s speed and dynamic movement are giving the Canucks fits inside the d-zone.
- Šilovs comes up huge with a glove save on Tyler Madden off a cross-ice pass from T.J. Tynan.
- Focht (#19) tips a Bowey (#4) shot over the crossbar
- Jarid Lukosevicius (#14) sends a shot off of Ingham’s blocker that rebounds out to John Stevens (#16). Stevens, however, can’t get any mustard on his shot attempt
- Justin Bailey (#95) capitalizes on fumbled possession by the Reign defence behind the net of Jacob Ingham and sets up Sheldon Dries (#15) for a one-timer. Bowey and Bailey then goof on a handoff on the left half-wall.
- Canucks finish the period stronger than they started, but they’re looking significantly less dangerous than their young opponents
- Šilovs looking quite strong
- Woo looking strong
- Focht with a couple of good looks
2nd period:
- Austin Wagner takes a holding penalty while forechecking, and the Canucks take their sweet time setting up a breakout on the delayed penalty
PP1: Bailey, Di Giuseppe, Dries, Rempal, Woo
- Samuel Fagemo forces the Canucks out of the offensive zone immediately after the faceoff
- Di Giuseppe with a shot on Ingham that gets steered aside
- Play stops due to Ingham’shelmet coming off, and the game resets at center-ice
PP2: Focht, Stevens, Klimovich, Arseneau, Bowey
- Focht leads the zone entry and shows off some crisp hands before zipping the puck over the net
- GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 1-0 Canucks: Danila Klimovich (#46) picks up his second goal in as many games with this laser from the right circle over the right pad of Ingham.
- Chase Wouters (#21) with a nice cross-ice feed to Bailey (#95). Plasek (#62) hounds Martin Frk on the Canucks retreat from the offensive zone.
- Canucks are looking more awake after Klimovich’s goal but still struggling to keep pace with Ontario’s speed.
- Wouters (#21) enters the zone for Abbotsford then drops off for an Arseneau (#18) shot on Ingham
- GOAL – ONTARIO – 1-1 TIE: Ontario ties things up at one apiece following a great goal from Alex Turcotte, his first of the season. Ashton Sautner (#6) attempts to take away space from T.J. Tynan, but he slips a pass to Turcotte, who puts himself a full stride ahead of his check, Jett Woo (#22).
- Ontario finding shooting lanes through their rapid puck movement
- Noah Juulsen (#47) with a sliding block on a shot from Tyler Madden
- Danila Klimovich (#46) leads the zone entry and tucks to evade the Reign defender. Klimovich rips a shot, then picks up the loose puck and goes between his legs for a follow-up chance.
- Di Giuseppe (#34) misses PPlasek’s(#62) breakout pass, giving Austin Wagner a free shot attempt on Šilovs.
- GOAL – ABBOTSFORD – 2-1 Canucks: Phil Di Giuseppe (#34) scores his first as an Abbotsford Canuck. PDG displays some great patience after entering the zone before slipping a floating wrister through Jacob Ingham’sfive-hole. Vinny Arseneau with his second primary assist of the game!
- Sneaky behind the back tip on goal by T.J Tynan
- Canucks are just getting clowned in the d-zone at 5v5 by the Reign’spuck movement.
- Above is not a powerplay.
- Jett Woo chases down Alex Turcotte at the Canucks blue line but loses an edge and trips him on the entry.
- Canucks to their third penalty kill
PK1: Sautner, Di Giuseppe, Stevens, Stephens
- PK1 ties up the puck along their end boards then clear the zone for a full change
PK2: Dries, Bowey, Bailey, Sautner (stayed on)
- GOAL – ONTARIO – 2-2 Tie: The stanchion picks up its first primary assist of the game after a Kale Clague dump-in ricochets off the end boards and out to Brayden Burke, who scores his first of the season.
- Brayden Burke is buzzing as he makes a diving backhand pass to T.J. Tynan on Šilovs’ doorstep.
- Karel Plasek (#62) sets up Chase Wouters (#21) for a shot on goal, then follows up for a shot attempt of his own!
- Sheldon Dries (#15) nearly regains the lead for Abbotsford after a centering pass rebounds off a skate and dangerously into Jacob Ingham’s pads!
- Ontario’s Brett Sutter puts the moves on Jett Woo during a 1-on-1 rush. Šilovs providing more heroics for Abbotsford.
- Canucks are turning it on in the final five minutes of the period as they finally set up a significant cycle in the offensive zone.
- Adam Johnson is sent into the Canucks d-zone with plenty of time to find a dangerous shooting lane.
- I spoke too soon. Ontario back on their offensive-zone dominance shit
- Personally, if I was Jarid Lukosevicius (#14) behind the Reign’s net, I’d have passed to the wide-open Danil Klimovich (#46) on the doorstep, instead of the wraparound attempt.
- Šilovs with a late save on Cameron Gaunce.
- Canucks down in shots on goal 22 to 18 after forty minutes
3rd period:
- Tyler Madden narrowly avoids taking a shoulder bump from Vinny Arseneau
- The kid’s hands are unreal, but I would love to see Danila Klimovich (#46) engage a bit more while forechecking in the offensive zone.
- Adam Johnson races down the left wing, around Vinny Arseneau (#18) and through the defence, for a backhander that gets stopped by Šilovs.
- Lukosevicius (#14) enters the offensive zone for Abbotsford and drops off for John Stevens (#16), whose shot goes off the iron and out of play.
- Justin Bailey with back-to-back setups for Jett Woo and Madison Bowey on the blue line, but neither can get their shot through traffic.
- Arseneau (#18) lays a heavy hit on Sean Durzi inside the offensive zone
- Šilovs makes a lightning-fast shoulder save on a shot from Martin Frk
- Arseneau (#18) lays another heavy check and, in the process, forces the Reign into icing the puck.
- Austin Wagner outraces Madison Bowey (#4) to a loose puck inside the Canucks d-zone. Carson Focht (#19) hugs the middle and steals away a centering pass to regain possession for Abbotsford.
- T.J. Tynan sets up Tyler Madden for another one-timer, and Arturs Šilovs again makes the save.
- Phil Di Giuseppe (#34), with a very nonchalant one-handed drive on goal
- Šilovs with a clutch blocker save on Austin Wagner, who finds himself deep behind the Canucks defence for a scoring chance
- Will Lockwood hasn’t taken a shift in quite some time. He might have left the game with an injury concern
- Trent Cull throws out a line of Phil Di Giuseppe, Carson Focht, and Vinny Arseneau for an offensive zone faceoff. The AHL Nucks Harvest approves
- Šilovs with an uncharacteristic misplay behind the net, diving on the loose puck to stop play!
- Justin Bailey draws a tripping penalty at the Reign’s blue line. Canucks to the powerplay with less than three minutes remaining in the third!
PP2: Focht, Stevens, Arseneau, Klimovich, Bowey
- Ontario clears the zone after fifteen seconds of puck jostling along the half-wall
- Klimovich (#46), with time and space, rips a laser beam in and out of Ingham’s glove.
PP1: Woo, Bailey, Di Giuseppe, Dries, Rempal
- PP1 generates nothing
- With thirty seconds left in the period, Alex Turcotte rips a shot that gets tipped out of the zone by John Stevens.
- Canucks hold off the Reign’s late surge and close the shot gap, 31 to 29
Overtime
- Dries, Bailey, Bowey start for Abbotsford
- Frk, Tynan, Moverare running circles around Abbotsford inside the Canucks d-zone
- Madison Bowey takes a slashing penalty on Adam Johnson, and the Canucks head to the 4v3
PK1: Stevens, Di Giuseppe, Sautner
- Di Giuseppe with a great PK shift, holding the puck in the neutral zone to kill time.
- Šilovs save on Frk, late on the Reign powerplay
- Canucks successfully kill off the Bowey penalty
- Šilovs with a post-to-post save on Samuel Fagemo that will make David Quadrelli shed a tear. After the save, Fagemo breaks his stick in frustration!
- Justin Bailey attempts a late rush for Abbotsford, but nothing comes of it
- Time winds down, and this one heads to the shootout
Shootout
- Tyler Madden – SAVED by Šilovs with the poke-check
- Danila Klimovich – SAVED by Ingham
- Samuel Fagemo loses control on the approach – MISS
- Justin Bailey loses control on the approach – MISS
- Alex Turcotte – SAVED by Šilovs
- John Stevens misses on the backhand
- Martin Frk – SAVED by Šilovs with the glove!
- Phil Di Giuseppe – SCORES – Canucks win!
RESULT:
Abbotsford Canucks def. Ontario Reign 3-2 via the shootout
SCORESHEET:
GAME THOUGHTS:
- At times, this game was quite painful to watch. The Abbotsford Canucks had no answer for the Ontario Reign’s speed. D-zone coverage was all over the map as Canucks skaters desperately tried to keep pace with the dynamic movement of Ontario’s cycling. Through two games, I see much more of the 2019-20 Utica Comets in this club than I did with the 2020-21 Utica Comets club. This squad’s run and gun style haven’t quite clicked for them yet. Chemistry isn’t quite there yet in their forward groups. The defence does not have the speed to match a team like Ontario. Fortunately, they only play the Reign another *checks notes* seven times this season.
- Artūrs Šilovs is the sole reason behind Abbotsford’s first victory as a franchise. He looked crisp all night. Great reads, good pick-ups. He had zero chance on that Brayden Burke goal. No one on the Canucks knew where that puck went except Burke. Sharp in the shootout, he had Tyler Madden’snumber all game. Impressive performance from the 20-year-old.
- Danila Klimovich remains a goal-per-game player in the AHL. I still want to see him engage more in these 1-on-1 battles in open ice, but he’s young, so I’m fine with that side of his game slowly coming along. Footspeed can probably use some work too. The first three steps aren’t quite there, but after generating some momentum, his straightaway speed is above average.
- I’ve liked what I’ve seen from Jarid Lukosevicius this weekend. Great work ethic, strong skating, and pretty quick with zone entries. I think if he sets up Klimovich for that one-timer, this game ends before overtime. Tied with Sheldon Dries for the team lead in shots on goal tonight with four total.
- This is Vincent Arseneau’s fifth season in the Canucks AHL system. His work ethic earned him a top-six look with Carson Focht and Phil Di Giuseppe tonight. In back-to-back games, he’s been a staple on the Canucks second powerplay unit. He possesses a pretty solid shot, finishes every check, and while his defensive game is lacking, he makes up for it with a powerful forechecking presence. He finished the night with two assists, which might be a first in his AHL career! Good for him!
- The entire Canucks defence struggled mightily with the Reign’s speed. Here are some quick notes on each:
- Adam Brubacher played a quiet game, but his lack of footspeed was notable in the d-zone.
- Madison Bowey had some questionable puck decisions tonight and got beat several times by Austin Wagner down the wings.
- Ashton Sautner played well, but he and Woo got torched on several long shifts inside the d-zone.
- Jett Woo, see above.
- Devante Stephens, quiet and played well on the Canucks PK and at 5v5.
- Noah Juulsen’s pivoting looked a little rough around the net, but he was solid for the Canucks tonight. He adequately fills the void of “shot-blocking guy with zero regard for the safety of his body.”
- Karel Plasek was playing with speed tonight and had some quality looks inside the offensive zone.
Cody’s Three Stars
- Artūrs Šilovs
- Phil Di Giuseppe
- Vincent Arseneau
Next Up on the Docket
The Abbotsford Canucks return this Tuesday for the rematch against the Ontario Reign before a four-game homestand starting on the 22nd!
Plugs
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter for your daily dose of memes, sarcasm, stats, and gameday clips from the Vancouver and Abbotsford Canucks!
You can also catch me on Podcast format with Lachlan Irvine over at the Creasecast! Please give us a follow on your go-to podcast platform and rate, like and subscribe to help us out!
And if you’re more of a visual person! You can check out the Creasecast Youtube channel, where we upload all of our podcasts in video form!
