Abbotsford Canucks training camp emphasizes familiar system and rules away from the puck

The Story

Training camp is underway for the Abbotsford Canucks, and head coach Ryan Papaioannou said the group’s immediate priority is ensuring players understand the structure they will be expected to follow, especially their rules away from the puck as the preseason approaches.

Papaioannou said many of the players will recognize the core of the plan because the same organizational messaging has been delivered previously at the Prospects Showcase and at Vancouver Canucks training camp in Penticton. He also noted that the coaching staff has had a chance to observe players on professional tryouts and from the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings during Abbotsford’s camp, which he described as part of building continuity for the season.

Through the next couple of days and into the preseason, Papaioannou said the emphasis is on making sure the team is “set” once it begins to build more individualized elements. He connected that approach to what Vancouver Canucks head coach Manny Malhotra has already implemented, with Papaioannou framing the early work as both consistent and adaptable—starting with a foundation before the staff begins putting its own “spin” on additional details.

Papaioannou described the relationship between Vancouver and Abbotsford as a key part of the new coaching staff’s preparation. He said the two coaching groups worked together before the Prospects Showcase to align on the system’s structure, and that the shared process included presenting at rookie camp and then hearing Malhotra present again at NHL camp.

Following secondary roster cuts in Vancouver, Abbotsford’s camp group has grown, which Papaioannou said has allowed the staff to get into more demanding sessions and begin seeing the roster take shape. He also said he intends to rely on a clear coaching structure in which assistant coaches lead the early days of camp with a focus on skill work and building relationships with players.

Papaioannou will lean on assistant coaches Harry Mahesh and Mark O’Leary, goaltending coach Justin Pogge and video coach Lucas Bourdon for their areas of specialty. Mahesh is set to focus on offence, running lines and the power play, while O’Leary’s responsibilities include the defence and penalty kill. Pogge will work directly with the goaltenders, and Bourdon will support the staff with video preparation.

Beyond those defined roles, Papaioannou said the staff’s value comes from how each coach complements the others’ strengths. He pointed to Mahesh and Pogge having established relationships with players, O’Leary bringing head coaching experience and an interest in connecting defensive work to offensive support, and Bourdon improving day-to-day efficiency through his approach to video work.

Mahesh said the transition has meant both replacing personnel and integrating experienced replacements. He emphasized that the staff includes coaches with prior success across multiple competitive levels and suggested that the continuity in communication across the organization helps the team move quickly once players begin to synchronize with the system’s expectations.

While Abbotsford builds for the season, Mahesh also highlighted the importance of keeping teaching consistent across the organization. He said the Abbotsford and Kalamazoo coaching staffs were in Penticton for Vancouver’s training camp, and that the shared time strengthens everyone’s ability to teach the club’s values and prepare players.

Mahesh said the Kalamazoo Wings staff is also helping at Abbotsford’s camp, describing the arrangement as an opportunity for the ECHL coaching staff to view players they could potentially work with in the future. He said having all three groups involved on the ice in a connected way provides mutual benefit, including a more unified approach to coaching and player evaluation.

As the camp progresses, Mahesh said he expects to take on additional game-day responsibilities, particularly running lines and working toward his own adjustments on the power play. He also tied those responsibilities to a longer AHL camp schedule, following what he described as a shortened NHL camp, giving the Abbotsford staff more time to stress crisp, detailed habits both with and without the puck.

Mahesh’s emphasis on in-season habits included finishing plays at the net, holding defensive or positional areas as assigned, and avoiding what he described as “summer hockey”—staying engaged inside the rink’s structure rather than operating on the edges. He also framed the message as ensuring every practice rep has a purpose, including getting to scoring areas like the corners and driving through in front of the net.

For O’Leary, the Abbotsford opportunity is described as both a professional step and a return to a competitive environment he has followed for years. He said he spent 14 seasons with the Moose Jaw Warriors in the WHL, including seven years as an assistant coach and seven as head coach, before taking the Abbotsford job to work with general manager Richard Seeley and Papaioannou.

O’Leary said he has settled in Vancouver while integrating into Abbotsford’s day-to-day culture, adding that stories he heard about the American League club align with what he has observed so far. He pointed to what he described as tight communication within the staff and a culture that supports both players and coaches.

O’Leary said his approach on defence focuses on early possession and setting players up to make the next play, while the group is expected to defend with purpose. He also said the coaching staff wants the emphasis to be on competing as teammates first, with the defensive objective directly connected to regaining the puck and transitioning into offence.

Papaioannou added that his coaching group is also spending time discussing different concepts across all three zones. He characterized O’Leary’s and others’ hockey intelligence as a resource for daily work and said he expects continuing conversations about systems to shape the team as the season develops.

With regular-season timing approaching, Papaioannou’s central message at Abbotsford’s camp is that players need to internalize the organizational structure first. He said that foundation—anchored in the same rules and principles used elsewhere in the Canucks organization—will help the staff guide habits on the ice as the team moves from early camp structure into a more customized preseason and game preparation.