Former Blades captain Chase Wouters leads AHL’s Canucks to first ever Calder Cup Championship
Saskatoon, SK – Saskatoon Blades alumnus Chase Wouters captained the American Hockey League’s (AHL) Abbotsford Canucks to their first ever Calder Cup Championship in franchise history.
YOUR ABBOTSFORD CANUCKS ARE THE 2025 CALDER CUP CHAMPIONS! 🏆 pic.twitter.com/h8ZJKInQ4D
— X – Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) June 24, 2025
The Lloydminster, AB native was drafted by the Blades in the first round (15th overall) of the 2015 Western Hockey League (WHL) Prospects Draft. The 25-year-old centre played all 280 career WHL games with the Blades across five seasons, scoring 75 goals and 106 assists for 181 points. Wouters was named Blades captain ahead of the 2018-19 season, leading the Blades to the second best record in the Eastern Conference at 45-15-8-0 for 98 points. The right-handed shot scored a career-high 26 goals in 63 games in 2018-19, adding 22 assists as well. Wouters registered two goals and four assists in ten playoff games that season before being eliminated at the hands of the eventual WHL Champion Prince Albert Raiders.
Following his final WHL season in 2021, Wouters signed his first professional contract with the Canucks in July 2021. In his first pro season, Wouters scored five goals and 13 assists in 60 games. Ahead of the 2022-23 season, Wouters was named the first captain in Canucks’ history and the youngest captain ever in the AHL.
Wouters enjoyed a career-high in goals (10), assists (18), and points (28) in 72 games during the 2024-25 AHL season. The 6-foot centre scored two goals and three assists in Abbotsford’s 24-game run to the championship.
The opening round of the playoffs saw the Canucks face-off against the Tucson Roadrunners in the best-of-three Pacific Division First Round series, defeating the Roadrunners two games to one.
Abbotsford battled former Blades head coach Brennan Sonne and the Coachella Valley Firebirds in Round 2. After splitting the first two games of the series in Palm Desert, the Canucks returned home to the Abbotsford Centre, where they took Game 3 by a score of 3-1 and Game 4 2-0.
The Pacific Division Finals saw Abbotsford take on the Colorado Eagles, a rematch of the 2024 Pacific Division First Round. The Canucks advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time in team history.
Abbotsford held home-ice advantage in the best-of-seven Western Conference Finals against the Texas Stars, winning games 1 and 2 at home, before taking one of three games in Cedar Park, before returning home and capturing Robert W. Clarke trophy as Western Conference Finals champions in Game 6 with a 4-2 victory.
Abbotsford battled the Charlotte Checkers in the finals for the first time in franchise history. After taking Game 1 in double overtime, the Checkers took Game 2, and the Canucks returned home with the series tied 1-1. Abbotsford exploded for six goals in a 6-1 victory in Game 3, before taking a close Game 4 by a score of 3-2. Charlotte escaped Game 5 with a 4-3 victory in overtime. Wouters and crew travelled back to Charlotte for Game 6, where the Canucks captured their first-ever Calder Cup Championship.
