Canucks back in AJHL final following 25-year absence
For a quarter century, the Calgary Canucks have been held off the AJHL Final scoresheet.
No appearances since their 1999 title take, creating plenty of angst during 25 years at Max Bell Centre.
But come this weekend, the city's junior A franchise is back in the big dance, aiming to put behind so many years of frustration in the Alberta Junior Hockey League.
“Feels pretty good,” said Canucks star Bowden Singleton. “It's been 25 years since we've been in the final. Eager group in the dressing room. We're looking forward to playing.
“We have one goal, and our goal is to win everything.”
That goal begins Friday with Game 1 of the AJHL best-of-seven final against the host Whitecourt Wolverines at JDA Place (7 p.m.).
The Canucks advanced to the championship after a 4-2 quarterfinal win over the Grande Prairie Storm and 4-1 semifinal drop of the Drumheller Dragons.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines — a defensively sound and opportunistic squad — ousted the Camrose Kodiaks and the Canmore Eagles in Rounds 1 and 2, respectively, to reach this finale.
Of course, these playoffs come under the dark cloud of a tumultuous season that saw five of the league's bigger franchises exit the AJHL for the BCJHL in February.
What was a 16-team circuit became an 11-club loop virtually overnight, leaving many to ask whether the 2024 AJHL champion might be listed with an asterisk beside its name.
“I don't feel like that at all,” said 19-year-old forward Riley Bracko. “Those five teams wanted to leave. They can leave and we can be champions.”
“We had belief before those teams left that we could win this thing,” added Singleton. “Then I would say our belief went through the roof when we saw those teams leave. But at the end of the day, it just comes down to us believing in one another.”
That's rarely been the case in the last two decades-plus with the Canucks.
Any sort of playoff success has been hard to come by. But under general manager/head coach Brad Moran, now in his fifth year with the club, the future looks bright.
“He started the whole culture change,” said second-year sniper Singleton. “He sat down with me and the captain group in the summer and said, `We need to change this.' We had goals in mind and we've been making it fun to come to the rink. Everybody has a voice in the room, no matter if it's your fifth year or your first year in the league.
“You can even see from last year coming to the rink that it's not so divided. We're one unit, not groups. That's why we're having success.”
Of course, it's helped that the Brooks Bandits, Okotoks Oilers, Blackfalds Bulldogs, Spruce Grove Saints and Sherwood Park Crusaders all took their game to the independent B.C. league.
The defending three-time national and provincial king Bandits and the Saints have combined to win the last 12 AJHL titles.
“It is what it is,” Moran said. “I look back at our record against the teams that left, and we were a .500 team. So for me, that's where we want to be against good teams.
“Right now, we're here and we're enjoying the ride. If you're not here to take part in it, that's not really our concern.”
The Canucks' feet are, indeed, in the door now. Slamming it shut on the Wolverines is now the next step for that elusive return to champions status.
“When we've struggled, we haven't scored goals,” Moran said. “So when we can get to three or four goals, which can be tough in the playoffs, we can take the pressure off if we make mistakes. We've had timely scoring in the playoffs, which has been key. And we've stepped up in overtime, where we've absolutely carried the play in all three games.”