REIGN PREVIEW 1/15 – Ontario at Abbotsford

WHO: Ontario Reign (21-11-0-1) at Abbotsford Canucks (17-15-1-1)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #34
WHEN: Wednesday, January 15 @ 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: After falling 6-3 to Abbotsford in the series opener on Tuesday, the Ontario Reign are aiming to rebound on Wednesday night in an attempt to salvage a split in the two-game series at the Abbotsford Centre.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario has had success in back-to-back situations this season, posting a record of 6-2-0 from their previous eight contests that have come on a second consecutive day. The team’s stellar 10-4-0 record away from home has not included a road sweep either for or against yet during 2024-25. The Reign remain tied for second place in the Pacific Division standings with 43 points alongside Coachella Valley, Colorado and San Jose. Abbotsford is in seventh in the Pacific with 36 points from 34 games. Most recently the Canucks have won their last three games to move back over the .500 mark for the year. Ontario holds the fifth-highest scoring offense in the AHL, averaging 3.45 goals per game, while also posting the third-most shots on goal per contest (32.1). The Reign will be playing in only their eighth game outside California this season, but they have a record of 5-2-0 from their first seven which included four in Henderson and two in Colorado before Tuesday night’s opener in Abbotsford. The Canucks rank sixth in the AHL in both shots on goal (30.9) and shots allowed per game (26.6).

LAST TIME OUT: A three-goal second period gave the Abbotsford Canucks a lead they never relinquished in a 6-3 decision against the Ontario Reign on Tuesday night at the Abbotsford Centre. Ontario’s goals came from Jeff Malott, Glenn Gawdin and Charles Hudon in defeat, as each member of the team’s top forward line found the back of the net. Hudon and Gawdin also added assists, which gave them each multi-point efforts in the loss.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: Prior to Tuesday night, the Reign had won the only matchup between the teams 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, sweeping Abbotsford with three straight wins in the best-of-5 series.

GOOD GAWD-IN: Reign forward Glenn Gawdin a native of Richmond, British Columbia, posted a goal and an assist in his return to his home province Tuesday after recording his team-high fourth three-point game of the year Sunday afternoon with two goals and an assist in a win over Iowa. The attacker leads the team with 35 points this season while appearing in each of the club’s 33 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. Gawdin’s current point total ranks third in the AHL this season and second-highest among active players, just one behind San Jose’s Andrew Poturalski (36). Gawdin’s three game-winning goals already equal the most he’s had during a single season and his 16.9% shooting percentage is the fourth-highest among Ontario skaters. In 361 career AHL games split between three different clubs, Gawdin has totaled 271 points on 98 goals and 173 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 18 points with three goals and 15 assists in 24 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 18 appearances and a 2.69 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.

HOT SHOT HUDON: Forward Charles Hudon has picked up where he left off after missing four games while he represented Canada at the Spengler Cup in Davos Switzerland in the final days of 2024. Since his return, the sharpshooter has scored seven points in five games on two goals and five assists. Hudon has found the back of the net in his last two outings and is now tied for second on the Reign in goal-scoring with Glenn Gawdin. The Alma, Quebec native has multi-point efforts in five of his last seven contests, giving him 29 points in 29 games for Ontario this season along with a plus-six rating and a team-high five game-winning goals, which is tied for the AHL league lead. The former fifth-round selection by Montreal in 2012 is coming off a 2023-24 campaign where he finished with 54 points in 56 outings on 20 goals and 34 assists. Hudon scored 10 of his 20 goals on the power play a season ago and previously led the AHL in power play goals when he totaled 17 as a member of the Colorado Eagles during 2022-23.

BOUNCING BACK: After losses this season, the Reign haven’t been kept down long, going 7-3-0 in games following a defeat. They’ll look to put another in the win column of that situation on Wednesday. Ontario has not lost consecutive games on the road this season, with Tuesday’s contest as the fifth time they’ve fallen away from home. Tonight’s game is the only scheduled back-to-back that Ontario will play against Abbotsford during the 2024-25 year.

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, 3-6 L – Full Recap
Wed., Jan. 15 at Abbotsford, 7 p.m.
Sat., Apr. 19 vs. Abbotsford, 6 p.m.