Abbotsford Canucks Captain Chase Wouters Talks Manny Malhotra, AHL Leadership and Getting to the Next Level as a Leader

Head coach Manny Malhotra returned to the Canucks organization this summer and is excited to see some familiar faces in the coaching, development, and management departments.

However, he didn’t know much about the players, especially the people he would be coaching.

The good news for Malhotra is that he joined the Abbotsford Canucks youth team that had a young captain in the room with Chase Wouters.

The coach and captain clicked quickly, finding common ground in their hockey backgrounds, the level of competitiveness a player should have, and the face-off.

“Chase is very easy to talk to and we have good conversations, not only about the team and hockey but also about non-hockey topics, which have a better relationship than just talking about hockey,” said Malhotra.

“He’s been great in terms of his voice, not just in the room, but the way he plays the game, and the way he competes every shift. He leads by example, and that’s what you want from a captain.”

Wouters is in his third season as captain of the Abbotsford Canucks and has worn the ‘C’ his entire life but there is room for growth. Veterans John Stevens, Phil Di Giuseppe, and Christian Wolanin used their years of professional experience to help Wouters become a better leader.

“Good leadership is everything in a team,” said Wouters. “If you can have a good leadership team, it’s a bottom line result, and that starts with our coaches. They are the best leaders we have. And then it falls on us as old guys like Christian, John, and Phil – they’re a big part of our culture here at Abbotsford and they’re a big part of what it means to be an Abbotsford Canuck and to be a part of this organization. . They show up every day with the right attitude and make that attitude contagious.”

Malhotra heard about the type of leader Wouters was from the organization when he settled in to coach Abbotsford.

“He hasn’t let me down at all, if anything, he’s more than what people have described to me. He is a great person and a great leader,” said Malhotra.

Wouters is the type of player who will grind opponents down, be good at the faceoff dot, contribute on both special teams when called upon, and be willing to stand up for his teammates when the situation calls for it.

Now, in his fourth full season in the AHL after signing with the WHL as an undrafted free agent, Wouters believes he is ready to take his game to the next level and believes Malhotra is the right coach to help take him there.

“I feel like my game is getting better every year,” said Wouters. “I have a great training program at home during the summer, and I had a great opportunity here to take a step forward in my game, be a good teammate, and be a good friend to everyone in the room. And that’s something I’m very proud of, and I feel like it’s getting better and better, and that’s what I want it to be. I’m confident in building on that here with Manny.”

Wouters, Malhotra and the rest of the Abbotsford Canucks are back from their two trips to start the season and are ready to fire up the Abbotsford Center for their home opener on Friday, October 25th.

Game time is 7:00 pm PT and you can get tickets for Friday’s game HERE.