REIGN PREVIEW 4/19 – Ontario vs. Abbotsford

WHO: Ontario Reign (43-24-3-1) vs. Abbotsford Canucks (43-24-2-2)
WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #72
WHEN: Saturday, April 19 @ 6:00 PM Pacific
WHERE: Toyota Arena – Ontario, CA
HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: KCAL+ / FloHockey – AUDIO: ESPN LA App / Reign Radio – TWITTER: @ShafReign & @OntarioReign

TODAY’S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign meet the Abbotsford Canucks on Saturday night at Toyota Arena, a matchup that will conclude the regular season for both teams and decide the No. 2 position in the Pacific Division.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR: Ontario and Abbotsford have nearly identical records after 71 games, each with 90 points to their name. The Reign are looking to best their point total from 2023-24 when they finished with 91 which was good for third place. A victory for Ontario would also tie the team’s highest win total in franchise history, which was set in their first AHL season when they totaled 44 during 2015-16 along with 93 points. The result of tonight’s action, combined with the other remaining games for teams in the Pacific will decide who the Reign will face in the opening round of the 2025 Calder Cup Playoffs, which begins next week. There are still scenarios in which Ontario could face any of four different clubs in the best-of-3 round, including Bakersfield, Calgary, San Jose or Tucson. In addition to having similar records, the Reign and Canucks are both near each other in multiple statistical categories. Abbotsford scores an average of 3.32 goals per game, while the Reign are at 3.13 on the season. Defensively, the Canucks have allowed 201 total goals, one less than Ontario’s 202. The Reign rank in the league’s top five of both shots on goal per night and shots allowed, posting 31.13 per contest (5th) while allowing an average of just 26.32 (3rd). Abbotsford is seventh-best in both shots on net (30.73) and shots allowed (27.18) per game.

LAST TIME OUT: The Ontario Reign finished off their season series against the rival San Diego Gulls by adding another result in the win column, holding off a late comeback to earn a 2-1 win on Friday night at Toyota Arena. Goaltender Carter George improved to 2-0-0 in his young professional career by making 27 saves, leading Ontario to victory. The win also kept the Reign even for second place with the Abbotsford Canucks and set up a showdown between the two teams on the final day of the regular season Saturday night.

HEAD-TO-HEAD: The Reign won the only previous matchup between the teams this season in Ontario with an 8-4 decision at Toyota Arena on Nov. 6 that included a four-goal first period and featured 12 skaters who produced points in the victory. Samuel Fagemo and Charles Hudon both scored twice, while Jack Studnicka added a goal and an assist and Glenn Gawdin, Angus Booth and Joe Hicketts each had a pair of helpers. But the Canucks responded to hold off the Reign later in the year in their only trip to Abbotsford, winning on consecutive days on January 14 and 15 by three-goal margins of 6-3 and 5-2. 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. The Reign got the last laugh in the postseason, sweeping Abbotsford with three straight wins in the best-of-5 series.

KING GEORGE TAKES THE REIGNS: After posting a shutout in his professional debut last Saturday with 33 saves in San Jose, goaltender Carter George went another 54 minutes without allowing a goal on Friday, stopping 27 shots to help Ontario to a win over San Diego. The Thunder Bay, Ontario native totaled 114 minutes in net without allowing a goal to begin his AHL career and has now stopped 60 of 61 shots he’s faced to record a .984 save percentage from his first two appearances. George, a second round selection by the LA Kings in the 2024 NHL Draft last June, led the Owen Sound Attack to a playoff berth in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) postseason this year before being reassigned to the Reign by the Kings. During the regular seasons and playoffs combined, George played almost 3,000 minutes in the crease for Owen Sound this season, appearing in 47 regular season contests and earning a .909 SV% despite a record of 17-22-6. Another highlight of his year was representing Team Canada at the 2025 World Junior Championship where he went 2-2-0 in four appearances and led all netminders with a 1.76 goals-against average and a .936 SV%.

SCOUTING THE CANUCKS: Abbotsford’s scoring leader this season is Arshdeep Bains who has 42 points in 49 games on 10 goals and 32 assists and has also seen time in the NHL with Vancouver. Veteran Sammy Blais has also reached the 40-point mark, totaling 14 goals and 26 assists in 50 contests. Rookie forward Ty Mueller and Aatu Räty are just behind Blais with 39 points apiece. Mueller has 12 goals and 27 helpers, while Raty holds 17 goals and 22 assists. Danila Klimiovich has a team-high 25 goals, while former Reign defender Christian Wolanin is the highest-scoring man from the blue line with 39 points on four goals and a club-best 35 assists. In goal, Nikita Tolopilo has had the most action in the crease with just shy of 2,000 minutes from 35 appearances and holds a 19-4-2 record with a goals-against average of 2.65 and four shutouts. Artūrs Šilovs has also been excellent when he hasn’t been with Vancouver, posting a record of 14-5-1 from 21 games, a 2.41 goals-against average and a team-best .908 save percentage.

LARRY LIGHTS THE LAMP: Rookie forward Kaleb Lawrence scored for the second straight game on Friday, deflecting a shot by Caleb Jones into the net for his first AHL power play goal. The tally, which came at 13:29 of the second period, held up as the game-winner for Ontario, also the first of the Ottawa native’s career. Lawrence has five tallies and seven points in 24 AHL games with the Reign this season and also posted 16 points on seven goals and nine assists in 27 games for ECHL Greenville. A year ago, the 6-foot-6 center split his time between the OHL’s Ottawa 67’s and London Knights, earning 37 points from 58 regular season games on 20 goals and 17 assists before helping London in the postseason with nine points in eight appearances (5-4=9). Lawrence is in the first season of a three-year entry-level contract with the LA Kings.

HOORAY FOR HUDON: Reign forward Charles Hudon scored his 20th goal of the season on Friday, converting on the team’s first penalty shot opportunity of the year at 10:21 of the second period. The tally gave the team the lead for good and increased Hudon’s point total to 64 for the season, the fifth-highest scoring number in the AHL this year. The Alma, Quebec native’s 44 assists also rank fifth in the league and are six more than his previous single-season career best of 38 which he had as a rookie with the Hamilton Bulldogs during the 2014-15 campaign. Hudon’s point total is also the highest of his eight-year career and the fifth-most for a Reign forward in the team’s AHL history, while his plus-15 rating is just behind his +17 finish in 2022-23 when he was a member of the Colorado Eagles. 21 of Hudon’s points have come via the power play (4-17=21), which also leads all Reign skaters.

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, 2-5 L – Full Recap
Sat., Apr. 19 vs. Abbotsford, 6 p.m.