REIGN PREVIEW 1/14 – Ontario at Abbotsford

WHO: Ontario Reign (21-10-0-1) at Abbotsford Canucks (16-15-1-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #33
WHEN: Tuesday, January 14 @ 7:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Abbotsford Centre – Abbotsford, BC
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign are north of the border for their first and only trip of the season to Abbotsford and will face the Canucks in the opener of a two-game series on Tuesday night at the Abbotsford Centre.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: As they prepare for their second matchup of the season against the Canucks, Ontario has accumulated 43 points in the Pacific Division standings and is tied for second place alongside Coachella Valley and San Jose after 32 games played. The Reign’s 0.672 points percentage is the highest mark of the 10 teams in the division. Abbotsford is in seventh in the Pacific with 34 points from 33 games. Most recently the Canucks have won their last two games to move back over the .500 mark for the year. Ontario holds the fourth-highest scoring offense in the AHL, averaging 3.47 goals per game, while also posting the third-most shots on goal per contest (32.3). The Reign will be playing in only their seventh game outside California this season, but they have a record of 5-1-0 from their first six which included four in Henderson and two in Colorado. Abbotsford ranks sixth in the AHL in both shots on goal (31.1) and shots allowed per game (26.6).

LAST TIME OUT: A three-point night from Glenn Gawdin powered the Ontario Reign to a bounce-back win over the Iowa Wild by a score of 5-2 on Sunday afternoon at Toyota Arena. Charles Hudon and Jack Studnicka also netted a goal and an assist for Ontario in the victory, while Caleb Jones produced two helpers in the win from the blueline.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Reign won the only matchup between the teams so far this season with an 8-4 decision at Toyota Arena on Nov. 6, which included a four-goal first period and featured 12 skaters who produced points in the victory. Tyler Madden (1-2=3), Jeff Malott (1-2=3) and Samuel Fagemo (2-1=3) each had three-point efforts, while Charles Hudon scored twice, Jack Studnicka added a goal and an assist and Glenn Gawdin, Angus Booth and Joe Hicketts each had a pair of helpers. Ontario won four of its eight matchups against the Canucks a year ago during the 2023-24 regular season, posting a record of 4-3-0-1 that gave them a slight edge in the series. Overall, Abbotsford outscored the Reign by a 25-20 margin last year and held a 252-234 edge in shots on goal. Ontario got the last laugh in the postseason, however, sweeping Abbotsford with three straight wins in the best-of-5 series. Martin Chromiak led Ontario in scoring during the regular season series with five points on two goals and three assists. Both Samuel Fagemo and Francesco Pinelli each scored three times and totaled four points against Abbotsford in the regular season, as did Tyler Madden (2-2=4) and Charles Hudon (1-3=4).

GOOD GAWD-IN: Reign forward Glenn Gawdin a native of Richmond, British Columbia, returns to his home province tonight after recording his team-high fourth three-point game of the year Sunday afternoon with two goals and an assist. The attacker leads the team with 33 points this season while appearing in each of the club’s 32 games and is on pace for his highest scoring pro season after finishing with a career-best 55 points as a member of San Diego during 2023-24. His point total is fifth in the AHL this season and second-highest among active players behind only San Jose’s Andrew Poturalski. Gawdin’s three game-winning goals already equal the most he’s had during a single season and his 16% shooting percentage is the third-highest among Ontario skaters. In 360 career AHL games split between three different clubs, Gawdin has totaled 269 points on 97 goals and 172 assists.

SCOUTING THE CANUCKS: Abbotsford’s scoring leader this season is rookie forward Ty Mueller, who has 19 points from 32 games with seven goals and 12 assists. Another rookie forward, Jonathan Lekkerimaki was the team’s top threat before a recall to Vancouver after 21 games and 17 points on 12 goals and five helpers. Nils Åman has also produced 17 points with three goals and 14 assists in 23 contests which is already a career-high for the third-year forward who was originally a 2020 sixth-round selection of the Colorado Avalanche. Kirill Kudryavtsev leads all Abbotsford defenders with 16 points on two goals and 14 assists. In goal, Nikita Tolopilo has been a constant, with a team-high 17 appearances and a 2.67 goals-against average, while Artūrs Šilovs began the year in Vancouver after leading the Canucks on a playoff run last spring and has a 3-3-0 record in six contests with Abbotsford along with a 2.37 GAA.

MILLAR MAKES IT HAPPEN: Rookie defenseman Jack Millar has been a bright spot for the team on the blueline this season, appearing in 27 of the team’s 32 games and recording a team-high plus-14 rating. That number is seventh-highest among all active AHL skaters and the right-shot defender has played in less games than anyone above him on the list. Millar has been in Ontario’s lineup in each of the team’s last 21 games dating back to Nov. 15 after starting the campaign by appearing in just six of the first 11 contests. A native of Westminster, Colorado, Millar signed with Ontario after finishing his collegiate career at Colorado College where he appeared in 134 games over four seasons and made his AHL debut on Apr. 21 of last season in his home state against the Eagles in Loveland.

HOT OUT OF THE GATE: Ontario has been almost unbeatable when they’ve scored first this season, compiling a record of 12-0-0-1 after netting the opening goal of the game during 2024-25. The Reign have secured a 25 of a possible 26 points after scoring first, a 0.958 points percentage. In the 19 games in which they allowed an opening strike, Ontario has been able to successfully come from behind to win during nine of them. The Reign are 8-2-0-1 when leading after 20 minutes this season and 9-2-0-0 from the nine games they’ve been even with their opponent at the end of the first period.

Reign Check Gameday Forecast

2024-25 Head-to-Head Schedule vs. Abbotsford:
Wed., Nov. 6 vs. Abbotsford, 8-4 W – Full Recap
Tue., Jan. 14 at Abbotsford, 7 p.m.
Wed., Jan. 15 at Abbotsford, 7 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 19 vs. Abbotsford, 6 p.m.