The simmering rival between the Abbotsford Canucks and the Tucson Roadrunners is set to reach a boiling point as the clubs open the first round of the AHL playoffs inside the Abbotsford Centre on Wednesday (April 23).
The Canucks and Roadrunners have had physical games for years, but perhaps the ugliest incident occurred earlier on Oct. 29, 2024 when Roadrunners defenceman Montana Onyebuchi obliterated Abbotsford's Mark Friedman with an illegal check to the head.
Friedman got ROCKED with a headshot by Onyebuchi. Yikes
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Onyebuchi received a match penalty and Friedman was carried out in a stretcher. He was hospitalized and did suffer a concussion from the hit. Friedman missed almost a month due to the injury. The AHL chose not suspend Onyebuchi and the two teams met again on Oct. 30 with predictable results.
Abbotsford's Dino Kambeitz fought Onyebuchi and both players received a game misconduct for fighting at puck drop.
Kambeitz drops the gloves with Onyebuchi
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More fists flew when the teams met in Tucson on Feb. 22. Abbotsford's Joe Artnsen and Chase Wouters both tangled with Roadrunners players in the first period and then Danila Klimovich dropped the gloves with Tucson's Maveric Lamoureux on Feb. 23.
But what really matters is the scoreboard and the Roadrunners did hold the advantage, winning five of eight meetings against the Canucks this season. Tucson also won three of four games inside the AC in 2024-25.
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Here's how the Tucson Roadrunners and the Abbotsford Canucks stacked up in the regular season.
Abbotsford enters the series as the number two seed in the Pacific Division and with a record of 16-1-0-1 in the last 18 games of the season. Tucson finished seventh and closed out the final 18 games at 8-9-1-0.
Jonathon Schaffer, the voice of the Roadrunners, said that it's a match-up he wanted to see and that he expects a lot of physicality.
"I think we match up pretty well with Abbotsford," he said. "We won the season series with them and we've had some success against Abbotsford. I know how good Abbotsford was heading into the playoffs, but I think it's fun when you're the last team getting in. No one expects you to win and I think that's potentially going to help the Roadrunners out."
Schaffer explained that Tucson's season hit a big bump with an eight-game losing streak that stretched from Jan. 14 to Feb. 7 鈥� included in that slide were two losses to Abbotsford in Tucson on Jan. 24 and 25. He stated that injuries hit the team hard during that time period, but things began to turn after the all-star break.
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According to Schaffer, the games between Abbotsford and Tucson are always close and he expects that to continue in the playoffs.
"I just remember all the games these two teams have had as tight and very physical games," he said. "I hate to say the word, but this series could be a bloodbath. These two teams are really going to show the physicality. That first game this season [Onyebuchi hit on Friedman] was insane and any playoff game should be even more physical."
The Roadrunners are led offensively by former Edmonton Oilers first round pick Kailer Yamamoto, who led the team with 56 points in 54 games this season. Cameron Hebig scored a team-high 26 goals and Andrew Agozzino added 43 points in 55 games. Schaffer said Yamomoto producing is crucial for the Roadrunners to have success.
"He is a game changer," he said, noting that Yamomoto played up with Utah this season. "He went on waivers earlier this season so it's been kind of a rough situation for him, but he's taken advantage of his opportunity here in Tucson and he's shown that he's still an elite player."
Playoffs are a different beast. It's the thrill of the unknown.
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Schaffer said that Hebig led the Roadrunners in points against Abbotsford and should also be an offensive threat. Hunter Drew is another forward who excelled against Abbotsford with four goals. Drew was a player Schaffer chose as a darkhorse player to watch out for in the series.
Drew is also a part of the "Juggernaut Line", which also includes Travis Barron and Curtis Douglas. All three players are over 6-1 and 205 pounds, with the giant Douglas coming in at 6-9 and 242 pounds.
"They have been formidable and that line really sets the tone," Schaffer said. "They cause turnovers and finish their checks. There's no doubt in my mind that line will be together for the series.
One player who won't be in the Roadrunners lineup is forward Josh Doan, who was not papered down for the playoffs. Doan has traditionally been a Canucks killer in the past and had four points in four games against Abbotsford this season.
Matthew Villalta is likely to be the game one starter in goal for the Roadrunners and he has had success against the Canucks this season. He posted a 2-2 record against Abbotsford in 2024-25 and his two wins saw him stop 68 shots.
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"A goaltender can steal the series especially when it's a best-of-three and if Villalta finds his game in the playoffs we can win any game in my opinion," he said.
However, Abbotsford enters the series a much different team than what the Roadrunners faced earlier this season. Losing players to call-ups will also not be an issue for the Canucks, with parent club Vancouver out of the playoffs.
Abbotsford features a balanced and deep group of forwards, with 11 different players scoring 10 or more goals this season. The Canucks also welcome back top players like Linus Karlsson, Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Aatu Raty and Max Sasson 鈥� who all spent significant time over the past month in the NHL. Arshdeep Bains led the Canucks in scoring with 43 points and Danila Klimovich had a team-high 25 goals.
The defence features a mix of established veterans like Christian Wolanin and rookie Kirill Kudryavtsev. The back end has been a strength for the Canucks all season long and they enter the playoffs with a stacked group of rearguards.
The men in the crease for Abbotsford consist of Nikita Tolopilo, Arturs Silovs and Jiri Patera. It's not yet known who will be the game one starter, but Silovs did leave his last start on April 18 with some sort of injury. Tolopilo returns to the team after recording his first career NHL win earlier this month.
Special teams should also be a factor in the series and Tucson's power play finished ninth in the league at 19.6 per cent. Abbotsford ranked 16th and operated at 18.3 per cent during the regular season. Abbotsford's penalty kill was slightly better than Tucson's, with the Canucks killing 82.4 per cent on the season (17th in the AHL) and the Roadrunners at 81 per cent (19th in the AHL).
Abbotsford made AHL history by not allowing a single shorthanded goal this season and the team's power play at home was better and finished 12th in the AHL at 19.7 per cent. Tucson's struggled to kill penalties on the road and finished the season at 78.3 per cent (24th in the AHL) away from home.
The Canucks hosted a best-of-three series against the Bakersfield Condors in 2023 and earned a 2-0 sweep. This marks the second time the team has had home ice advantage in round one. Last season saw the Canucks eliminate the Colorado Eagles 2-1 in round one, while the Roadrunners were swept 2-0 by the Calgary Wranglers in Tucson.
This series is the first time the Canucks and Roadrunners franchises have met in the postseason.
Schaffer said personally that he is looking forward to making his AHL playoff debut in the booth on Wednesday.
"I'm just excited for the crowd," he said, noting last year he served as the Roadrunners coordinator of communications and broadcasting and wasn't in the booth. "You can't beat a playoff crowd and I'm excited for this series and to be in Canada for it."
Game two is set for Thursday (April 24) at 7 p.m. and game three, if necessary, goes Saturday (April 26) at 7 p.m.
