Wouters Named First Captain in Abbotsford Canucks Franchise History
October 13, 2022 – American Hockey League (AHL) – Abbotsford Canucks News Release
Abbotsford, B.C. – Abbotsford Canucks General Manager, Ryan Johnson, named Chase Wouters as the first captain in franchise history during a team meeting this morning in Ontario, California.
Johnson addressed the entire team and staff with the announcement: “As a staff we’ve agreed on the fact that this young man will have the ability to help us when times get tough, but also when times are good, he’s got the humility to keep us grounded. I am happy and honoured to announce that the first captain in the history of the Abbotsford Canucks is Chase Wouters.”
Wouters, 22, spent the entirety of his first professional season with Abbotsford, ranking second among the teams’ rookies in assists (13) and games played (60), while ranking tied for second with 18 points and leading the team’s rookies with 62 penalty minutes. Wouters also ranked eighth among all AHL players in plus-minus rating (+16).
Wouters stated that the captaincy “is a huge honour, it’s something that I take a lot of pride in. There’s a lot of guys in that room that are going to make up a leadership group that’s going to be able to help our team get to where we want to get to.”
The Lloydminster, Alberta native served as captain of the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades for three seasons from 2018-2020. Having been named captain of the Blades at the age of 18, Wouters remains the longest-serving captain in franchise history, and had his jersey number (44) retired by the team following his departure to Abbotsford.
Abbotsford Head Coach Jeremy Colliton touched on the fact that he will have a support system of many other leaders who make up the team’s roster. “Leadership is what you do every day, and Chase is an everyday leader,” said Colliton. “The qualities that we want our team to have, he has.”
Wouters became the first player to sign a contract in Abbotsford Canucks history when he signed a one-year AHL deal on July 22, 2021, and recently signed a two-year extension with the club. Having signed the extension this past summer as a pending unrestricted free agent, Wouters attested his decision to continue playing in Abbotsford to the city and its fanbase. “The city has been amazing. The fans and the people and the community around the Abbotsford Canucks is amazing, and it’s an honour to be playing here.”
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