The Canucks wrapped up the regular season with a record of 5-1 in March and finished the season with a 37-13-4 record. They tied the Whitecourt Wolverines with 78 points, winning the regular season title on a tie-breaker.
“I couldn’t be more proud about our group, our team chemistry goes a long way,” said Captain Bowden Singleton, “Things we do on and off ice paid off in the long run, and no, it wasn’t easy and we still got a job to do. We want to win the AJHL Cup and the Centennial Cup”
The Canucks are eyeing their second straight AJHL championship and look to make an impact at the 2025 Centennial Cup after their semi-final exit last spring in Oakville.
The 2025 Inter Pipeline Cup AJHL Playoffs begin on Friday, March 21, with a round-one matchup against the Camrose Kodiaks.
Player Spotlight – Lukas Renaud & Cruz Chase
This season, the Canucks’ crease was well protected by Lukas Renaud and Cruz Chase, who were among some of the best goaltenders in the league this season.
In his final season of junior hockey, Renaud ranked second in the league with a save percentage (SV%) of 0.924 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.23, posting an impressive record of 24-9-1, while picking up three shutouts.
Renaud joined the team in late September and quickly made his mark picking up his first win and shutout of the season in his first game with the club.
“It’s been a really easy adjustment. You know, the Canucks are a very professional organization, and they accepted me with open arms,” said Renaud, “For me, it was just making myself comfortable with my teammates and knowing that those guys will go to war for me every night.”
Cruz Chase had a great first AJHL season in the backup role with a record of 13-3-0 along with a save percentage (SV%) of 0.910 and a goals-against average (GAA) of 2.38.
“Yeah, it was a big jump, Pretty tough at times but my teammate made it pretty easy for me, and having Renaud as my mentor, definitely helped me make that jump,” said Chase on making his transition to Junior A.
March Recap
March 1st vs Drayton Valley Thunder.
Things got going quickly as Hayden Fechner scored two goals, while Nolan DuPont made it 3-0 just under five minutes into the game. The Thunder responded, narrowing the score to 3-2 as they headed into the second period. Jack Plandowski then scored his 30th goal of the season, making it 4-2. However, the Thunder answered back with a goal in the final five seconds of the period, bringing the score to 4-3. In the third period, Hayden Fechner completed his hat trick, and Simon Bowland scored an empty-net goal, marking his first goal in the AJHL, leading to a 6-3 win for the Canucks.
March 2nd vs Drayton Valley Thunder
After conceding the first goal of the game in the first period, the Canucks rebounded strongly, scoring 10 unanswered goals beginning in the second period. This impressive performance led to a commanding 10-1 victory over the Thunder. Rhett Melnyk, Hayden Fechner, and Jack Plandowski each contributed two goals to the win, while Gavin Schmidt, Luc Trevors, Jayden Joly, and Bowden Singleton each added one goal.
March 8th vs Camrose Kodiaks
Luc Trevors opened the scoring for the Canucks, followed by goals from Matthew Paszkiewicz and Bowden Singleton, giving the team a 3-0 lead after the first period. In the second period, Jayden Joly and Rhys Jamieson each scored their tenth goal of the season, and Rhett Melnyk added another, bringing the score to 6-0. In the third period, Jack Plandowski scored a powerplay goal as Lukas Renaud earned his third shutout of the season, making 20 saves in the 7-0 victory.
March 9th vs Olds Grizzlys
The Canucks firepower continued to shine the Canuucks would cruise out to a 3-0 lead just 2:53 minutes into the game from Jayden Joly, Rhett Melnyk and Rhys Jamieson. The Canucks scored another three in the second period as Hayden Fechner scored his 25th of the season followed by goals from Jamieson, his second of the game, and Nolan DuPont. In the final twenty minutes, Bowden Singleton made it 7-0, but the Grizzlies found a goal to make it 7-1. The Canucks responded when Kenny Sutton scored his first goal of the season. Later, Singleton netted his second goal, while Riley Bracko and Luc Trevours each scored to secure an 11-1 victory!
March 14th at Drumheller Dragons
The Canucks headed to Drumheller for their last road game of the season. Hayden Fechner would put Calgary up 1-0 in the first. In the second the Dragons would tie but Matthew Paszkiewicz would make it 2-1. Later Drumheller would take a tie game into the third period, with David Byrne putting the Canucks up 3-2, 48 seconds into the final frame. Unfortunately, the Dragons would score four unanswered to take this matchup 6-3.
March 14th vs Olds Grizzlys
After a scoreless first period, the Grizzlys took the lead with a goal, making the score 1-0 in the Canucks’ final home game of the season at Ken Bracko Arena. However, the Canucks quickly found their rhythm, scoring four goals, including three consecutive power-play goals. Jack Plandowski netted his league-leading 34th goal of the season, followed by goals from Bowden Singleton, Jayden Joly, and Hayden Fechner. The Grizzlys managed to score again, but the Canucks held a 4-2 lead as they entered the third period.
The Canucks continued their offensive prowess as Fechner and Singleton each scored their second goal of the game. They then netted three more power-play goals from Gavin Schmidt, Nolan DuPont, and Logan Murray, extending their lead to 9-2. As the game neared its final five minutes, Schmidt and DuPont both added another goal, with Rhys Jamieson contributing the final goal in a huge 12-2 victory.
Playoff Preview
The Canucks will host the Camrose Kodiaks, kicking off with games one and two this weekend at Ken Bracko Arena.
This meeting will be the sixth time the Canucks have faced the Kodiaks in the postseason, with the most recent being back in 2012 when the Canucks defeated the Kodiaks three games to one in a best-of-five division quarterfinals.
This season, Calgary finished the regular season with a 4-1-1 record in six games against Camrose.
Regular Season Stats:
Calgary Canucks:
Regular Season: 37-13-4
Powerplay: 23.1% (1st)
Penalty Kill: 89.4% (1st)
Key Players:
Goals: Jack Plandowski – 34G
Assists: Jack Plandowski – 45A
Points: Jack Plandowski – 79P
Goaltending: Lukas Renaud – 24-9-1, 0.924 SV%, 2.23 GAA, 3 SO
Camrose Kodiaks:
Regular Season: 30-16-8
Powerplay: 15.4% (11th)
Penalty Kill: 81.4% (6th)
Key Players:
Goals: Garrett Thom, Sam Lozinski – 20G
Assists: Spencer Masters, Bowen Grycan – 22A
Points: Garrett Thom– 41P
Goaltending: Carter Capton – 16-11-3, 0.913 SV%, 2.88 GAA, 3 SO
Upcoming Home Playoff Games: Kids Cheer Free!
- Game One: Fri, Mar 21st vs. Camrose Kodiaks: 7 PM puck drop – Live DJ’s – Stay Vigilant Productions
- Game Two: Sat, Mar 22nd vs. Camrose Kodiaks: 5 PM puck drop – Saturday Night Live featuring, The Frontiers
- Game Five: Fri., Mar 28th vs. Camrose Kodiaks: 7 PM puck drop*
- Game Seven: Tue, Apr, 1st vs Camrose Kodiaks: 7 PM puck drop*
*If necessary
Kids Cheer Free during all 2025 AJHL Playoff Games at the Max Bell Centre. “Kids” refers to any fan under the age of 18, tickets must be registered online and be accompanied by an Adult or Senior ticket purchase. Maximum 4 free Kids tickets per order.
Mackenzie Grafton
Lead, Marketing Content
Calgary Canucks Junior A Hockey Club
mgrafton@calgarycanucks.ca
