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Christian Wolanin

Snapshots: Wolanin, Dawes, Svechnikov

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The AHL continues its award week by handing out the Eddie Shore Award to Christian Wolanin, the league’s most outstanding defenseman for 2022-23. The Abbotsford Canucks defender scored six goals and 55 points in 49 games.

Wolanin, 28, has been on the fringe of the NHL for years, moving up and down but rarely seeing any extended action at the highest level. Since debuting in the 2017-18 season, he has appeared in 86 career NHL games, recording 23 points.

  • It’s been years since Nigel Dawes was a regular in the NHL, so fans in North America may not know about his overseas exploits. The 38-year-old finally called it a career today, after spending the last 12 years playing in the KHL and DEL. One of the most prolific offensive players in KHL history, he scored 84 points in 212 NHL games before leaving for international opportunities in 2011.
  • While he won’t be able to help the Carolina Hurricanes this postseason, Andrei Svechnikov hopes to be ready for training camp. Svechnikov tore his ACL and underwent surgery on March 16, and was given a six to nine-month recovery timeline. The talented forward is well into his rehab, working out every day in preparation for his return in 2023-24. Even though he can’t help them on the ice, Svechnikov is still part of the team, winding the siren to excite the home crowd before last night’s game.

West Notes: Thompson, Kurashev, Canucks

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Despite a big win for the Vegas Golden Knights against a divisional rival last night, there was a concerning setback near the end of the game. Goalie Logan Thompson, who was making his first appearance in 18 games after being sidelined with a left leg injury, left the team’s 3-2 win against the Calgary Fames with a lower-body injury.

Thompson left the game with less than 10 minutes remaining after making 37 saves on 39 shots. He was replaced by Jonathan Quick, who stopped all five shots he faced, helping the Golden Knights extend their lead atop the Western Conference. The team has not yet issued an update on Thompson’s status, but it’s something to watch out for in the coming days as the Pacific Division leaders approach the playoffs without the full health of their starter. It’s worth noting that in Thompson’s absence, Quick has been much-improved since joining the Golden Knights, posting a 5-1-0 record and a .908 save percentage.

More updates from the Western Conference on Friday:

Vancouver Canucks Extend Christian Wolanin

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The Vancouver Canucks have signed defenseman Christian Wolanin to a two-year, two-way contract extension, according to a team announcement. Per CapFriendly, the contract is worth a league minimum of $775,000 per season, with a $500,000 salary in the minors.

The deal, announced Thursday, will keep Wolanin with the Canucks through the 2024-25 season. The 28-year-old defenseman was acquired by Vancouver in free agency last July, signing a one-year contract.

Wolanin has played in 15 games for the Canucks this season, recording three assists. While he’s spent the majority of the campaign with the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, Wolanin has remained on the NHL roster since Vancouver recalled him on February 18, save for a paper transaction back to Abbotsford on trade deadline day to make him eligible to suit up in the Calder Cup Playoffs.

“Christian has been a key contributor at both the AHL and NHL level this season,” Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said in a statement. “He has developed nicely under the watchful eye of our Abbotsford coaching staff and player development team. This has allowed him to step into his current role in the NHL and show that he can help our team get results.”

Wolanin was originally selected by the Ottawa Senators in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Draft. He has appeared in a total of 85 NHL games, posting six goals and 17 assists.

After largely splitting time between the NHL and AHL over the past five seasons, Wolanin found some stability in Abbotsford to begin the year. He did not disappoint, as Wolanin is amidst the best campaign of his professional career. In 49 games with Abbotsford, where he’s sure to return for the postseason, Wolanin registered an assist per game and added six goals for 55 points, accompanied by a +12 rating.

Snapshots: Brossoit, Fines, Annunen

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The Vegas Golden Knights have placed Laurent Brossoit on injured reserve, meaning he is out for at least the next week. The 29-year-old goaltender only just returned a week ago, and flashed one of the best saves of the year on Saturday against the Dallas Stars.

An injury to Brossoit is certainly not what the Golden Knights need right now, but they at least don’t have a back-to-back situation for the next little while. Logan Thompson can carry the load, with Michael Hutchinson up serving as his backup.

  • The Department of Player Safety handed out a pair of fines from the Vancouver-Dallas game last night. First is a $5,000 penalty to Colin Miller for elbowing, and second is a $2,027.03 fine to Christian Wolanin for slashing. The fines are based on player salary, and are each the maximum allowable under the CBA.
  • The Colorado Avalanche have recalled Justus Annunen again, as they prepare for a back-to-back this weekend against Dallas and Seattle. The 22-year-old netminder has appeared just once this season, stopping 19 of 20 shots to secure a victory over the St. Louis Blues earlier this month.

Canucks Recall Christian Wolanin, Place Travis Dermott On IR

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The Canucks have made a pair of roster moves in advance of their tonight against Philadelphia, announcing (Twitter link) that they’ve recalled defenseman Christian Wolanin from AHL Abbotsford while placing defenseman Travis Dermott on injured reserve with an undisclosed injury.

Wolanin is up for only the second time this season with the first stint lasting less than 48 hours.  The 27-year-old has found another gear offensively in the minors this season, recording an impressive 55 points in 49 games.  That’s good for a tie for fourth overall in AHL scoring while he leads all blueliners by 10 points at a minimum.  Prior to this season, the most points that Wolanin had in the minors in a single season was 31.  He has 70 games of NHL experience under his belt with three different teams and has seen NHL action in each of the last five years.

Dermott, meanwhile, has had a tough season, missing more than 30 games with a concussion and now he’s on the shelf again having last played on January 25th.  When healthy, the 26-year-old has been limited to just 11 games where he has only a single goal while averaging 13:45 per game, a career low.  He’s in the final season of a two-year, $3MM contract and is owed a qualifying offer of $1.75MM this summer.  With his struggles and Vancouver’s cap situation, he looks like a potential non-tender candidate this summer.

2023 AHL All-Star Rosters Announced

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While the focus of many hockey fans is on the upcoming NHL All-Star festivities, the AHL is set to hold its own event to honor the league’s best players. Today, they announced the rosters for the 2023 AHL All-Star Classic, which will be held in Laval, Quebec on February 5-6. Todd Nelson (Hershey), Greg Moore (Toronto), Neil Graham (Texas), and Mitch Love (Calgary) will be the four head coaches.

The rosters are as follows:

Atlantic Division

F Will Cuylle, Hartford Wolf Pack
F Tyson Foerster, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
F Ethen Frank, Hershey Bears
F Matthew Highmore, Springfield Thunderbirds
F Vinni Lettieri, Providence Bruins
F Riley Nash, Charlotte Checkers
F Mike Vecchione, Hershey Bears

D Samuel Bolduc, Bridgeport Islanders
D Xavier Ouellet, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins
D Cam York, Lehigh Valley Phantoms

G Brandon Bussi, Providence Bruins
G Joel Hofer, Springfield Thunderbirds

North Division 

F Alex Barré-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch
F Brandon Biro, Rochester Americans
F Gabriel Dumont, Syracuse Crunch
F Anthony Richard, Laval Rocket
F Logan Shaw, Toronto Marlies
F Egor Sokolov, Belleville Senators

D Justin Barron, Laval Rocket
D Noel Hoefenmayer, Toronto Marlies
D David Jiricek, Cleveland Monsters
D Darren Raddysh, Syracuse Crunch

G Nico Daws, Utica Comets
G Joseph Woll, Toronto Marlies

Central Division 

F Riley Barber, Texas Stars
F David Gust, Rockford IceHogs
F Tommy Novak, Milwaukee Admirals
F Lukas Reichel, Rockford IceHogs
F Brett Seney, Rockford IceHogs
F Sammy Walker, Iowa Wild

D Declan Chisholm, Manitoba Moose
D Thomas Harley, Texas Stars
D Max Lajoie, Chicago Wolves
D Brian Lashoff, Grand Rapids Griffins

G Yaroslav Askarov, Milwaukee Admirals
G Jesper Wallstedt, Iowa Wild

Pacific Division

F Thomas Bordeleau, San Jose Barracuda
F Michael Carcone, Tucson Roadrunners
F Seth Griffith, Bakersfield Condors
F Matthew Phillips, Calgary Wranglers
F Andrew Poturalski, Coachella Valley Firebirds
F T.J. Tynan, Ontario Reign

D Ryker Evans, Coachella Valley Firebirds
D Brad Hunt, Colorado Eagles
D Daniil Miromanov, Henderson Silver Knights
D Christian Wolanin, Abbotsford Canucks

G Lukas Dostal, San Diego Gulls
G Dustin Wolf, Calgary Wranglers

Vancouver Canucks Recall Christian Wolanin, Move Thatcher Demko To IR

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Dec 6: It turns out Wolanin was just an extra body for last night’s game. He did not suit up in Vancouver’s insane come-from-behind win against the Montreal Canadiens, and the team returned him to AHL Abbotsford on Tuesday.

Dec 5: The Vancouver Canucks have moved goalie Thatcher Demko to injured reserve, freeing up a roster spot to recall defenseman Christian Wolanin from the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, according to a team announcement Monday night.

Three days ago, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that Demko would be sidelined for six weeks with an injury and that Vancouver avoided a “worst-case scenario.” Although they did recall Collin Delia at the time, they did not have to make a corresponding transaction to do so.

Wolanin, 27, has yet to suit up for the Canucks this season. A veteran of 70 NHL games, he signed a one-year contract in Vancouver in July.

While none of the Canucks regular defensemen are hurt, Wolanin earns a call-up based on performance. His 24 points in 20 games are second in scoring among AHL defensemen, only behind Darren Raddysh’s 26 in 19. He’s eighth in league scoring among all skaters.

A fourth-round pick of the Ottawa Senators in 2015, Wolanin is on his fourth NHL organization after spending time with the Kings and Sabres (for one game) over the past three seasons.

Vancouver Canucks Sign Christian Wolanin

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Per CapFriendly, the Vancouver Canucks have signed unrestricted free agent defenseman Christian Wolanin to a one-year, two-way deal paying him $750K in the NHL and $350K in the AHL.

Wolanin, 27, has 70 games of NHL experience between Ottawa, Buffalo, and Los Angeles. While it looked like Wolanin had legitimate NHL upside a few seasons ago with a 12-point year in 2018-19 in just 30 games at 23 years old, those days are behind him. A good option for a seventh defenseman, Wolanin adds to the pool of defensive depth Vancouver has built.

He’ll be competing with players like Kyle Burroughs, young Jack Rathbone, Noah Juulsen, and Wyatt Kalynuk to make the Canucks come training camp in September. If he doesn’t make the squad, he’s a risk to get claimed on waivers if the injury bug strikes other teams on defense.

Kings Place Alex Edler On Injured Reserve

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The Los Angeles Kings were hoping to take a step forward this season in their pursuit of a postseason return. A key move made this summer to help achieve that goal was the signing of veteran defenseman Alex Edler. The career Vancouver Canuck only signed a one-year deal, but his two-way ability and veteran presence was expected to be a major addition both on and off the ice in L.A. To this point, Edler has been even more important than anticipated. With star Drew Doughty having missed time due to injury and Sean Walker out for the season with an injury of his own, Edler has been relied upon as one of the few constant contributors of experience and scoring on the Kings blue line.

That is, until now. The Kings have announced that Edler has been placed on injured reserve following an awkward collision into the boards on Saturday night forced him from the game. Edler received a check from Minnesota Wild forward Brandon Duhaime in the first period and lost his balance, falling against the boards in his own zone. Edler’s left ankle appeared to give way as he fell and as Edler was being helped from the ice, he was unable to put any weight on his left leg. To this point, the team has only described the situation as a lower-body injury.

With Edler out, the Kings are losing their defensive scoring leader who has 11 points in 26 games. Edler also leads the team in plus/minus and is second in blocked shots and hits; the reliable defender has played no small role in L.A. this season. Christian Wolanin has been recalled to replace Edler’s roster spot, but it is Olli Maatta that is likely to draw into the lineup first. More pressure will also be placed on Matt Roy, who is enjoying the best season of his career, and rookies Michael Anderson and Tobias Bjornfot, who have excelled thus far despite adversity. The Kings’ season is not quite living up to the expectations they had imagined this season, as they currently sit sixth in the Pacific Division, but their points percentage has improved since last season and the team has a chance to stay in the playoff mix if they can survive another significant defensive absence. The team has not issued any update on the severity of Edler’s injury or any timeline on a return, but the hope is certainly that they will not be without their major free agent addition for too long.

Christian Wolanin Claimed By Los Angeles Kings

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The Los Angeles Kings have claimed Christian Wolanin of waivers. Given that the team has immediately assigned him to the minor leagues, they were the only team to put in a claim. The Buffalo Sabres, who claimed Wolanin earlier this year, will lose him after putting him in the lineup just once.

This likely isn’t what Wolanin was expecting when he signed a one-year, two-way contract with the Kings in July, one that came with a very healthy minor league guarantee of $400K. Instead of playing for the Ontario Reign so far though, he’s been in the NHL all year acting as a practice option. He has suited up for just a single game, that one in Buffalo, and it occurred back on November 8. He’ll now have to head to the minors and hope he can get back up to game speed quickly, if he wants to contribute at all for Los Angeles down the road.

The Kings do have defensive injuries, even though they got Drew Doughty back last night. Adding some experienced depth like Wolanin is important, especially now that they can hide him in the minors until needed. It’s been a long time since he even played regularly there, with only 12 AHL games since the end of the 2018-19 season.

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