Canucks' Ryan Johnson Faces Growing Call-Up Dilemma as Abbotsford Keeps Winning

The Vancouver Canucks and their farm team in Abbotsford are on very different trajectories so far this season. While the parent club sits dead last in the NHL and is on pace to break new records for futility, the “baby Canucks” are clicking and sit second in the AHL’s Pacific Division with an 8-3-0-1 record. 

That organizational success is great to see for a rebuilding team, but it’s also testing one of new general manager Ryan Johnson’s beliefs. 

Back in training camp, Johnson said he didn’t believe in shuffling players between the NHL and AHL. It marked a stark departure from how things operated under the previous regime led by Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin. 

“I do not believe in the Yo-Yo up-and-down American League/NHL of a young player,” he said in September. “When they get in, they step in; if they’re in the American League, I often see it as there’s one call-up. They kick the door down, there’s one call-up, and they never go back. And for me, there are elite players who never play in the American League, but it's rare. And I think it’s our job to protect those young players and do right by them.”

The Canucks have held strong to that belief so far. They called up forward Jacob Quillan on Oct 30, but have otherwise not promoted anyone else from Abbotsford. The 24-year-old has played in three games and brought a tenacity and effort level that’s hard to ignore, getting into two fights in one night against the Anaheim Ducks. The NHL club isn’t winning games anyway, so bringing in more competition in the form of hungry AHLers is attractive. 

Several guys in Abbotsford have been very impressive to start the season and look like they deserve a shot. Many of them aren’t that young, and getting sent up and down a few times wouldn’t be that bad. 

Potential Callups to Come?

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Kirill Kudryavtsev, 22, has been good, recording six points in seven AHL games. The undersized defenceman has five NHL games under his belt and deserves more. As a sub-six-foot, left-handed blueliner who doesn’t play on the power play, it’ll take a lot for Kudryavtsev to become a full-time NHLer, but his good first pass and savvy IQ make it possible. 

Forward Ty Mueller, 23, leads the team with seven goals and 11 points in just 12 games. He scored his first NHL goal last season and is a versatile forward. 

Riley Patterson and Braeden Cootes, neither yet 21, have both exceeded expectations so far. Their play has given plenty of reason to be optimistic they’ll develop into contributors, although rushing either to the NHL right now seems hasty. 

While it’s good to help top prospects like Cootes develop without moving constantly between levels, why not see what players like Mueller or Kudryavtsev can do at the top level? You might disrupt the chemistry in Abbotsford, but there are no expectations to win in Vancouver right now—it’s the perfect time to experiment and bring in fresh blood. 

These players’ successes contrast with what we’re seeing at the NHL level. 

Arshdeep Bains and Victor Mancini, both guys who spent their fair share of time in Abbotsford, have struggled mightily this season. Mancini is waiver-exempt and could be sent down without issue, while the Canucks would risk losing Bains for nothing if assigned to the AHL, although it feels unlikely any NHL team would claim him. 

Johnson cut his teeth in the AHL, leading Abbotsford to a Calder Cup championship in 2025, and he understands player development. If the Canucks sell off pieces throughout this season as they are expected to, then there should be chances to promote players in the spring. 

The only question is whether Johnson and the rest of the management team will be patient and wait that long. If players like Mueller keep scoring at this pace, it’ll be hard to keep denying them the opportunity.

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