Vancouver Canucks sign Christian Wolanin to two-year contract
The Vancouver Canucks have announced the signing of defenseman Christian Wolanin to a two-year contract. The deal is two-way, meaning he can be sent down to the minors needing having to pass through waivers. The contract carries an AAV of $775,000.
GM Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with D Christian Wolanin on a two-year, two-way contract extension. pic.twitter.com/rIyK7jx6y1
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 23, 2023Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin had the following to say about the Wolanin signing.
“Christian has been a key contributor at both the AHL and NHL level this season,” said Allvin. “He has developed nicely under the watchful eye of our Abbotsford coaching staff and player development team. This has allowed him to step into his current role in the NHL and show that he can help our team get results.”
Wolanin was originally a fourth-round selection of the Ottawa Senators in the 2015 NHL Draft. He was drafted out of the USHL, where he had spent the previous three seasons but began his post-draft career with the University of North Dakota.
In three years at UND, Wolanin scored 22 goals and 72 points in 109 games played. He made his NHL debut as he played 10 games for the Senators in the 2017-18 season and was regarded as one of the team’s best defense prospects.
He reached the peak of his NHL career the following season as the Senators entered the depth of their long rebuild. In 30 games for the Senators he scored four goals and 12 points, in addition to the 31 points in 40 AHL games played with the Belleville Senators.
Wolanin’s development was stunted by a couple of factors. He injured his shoulder causing him to miss most of the 2019-20 season and like many people had his career affected by the onset of COVID-19. The Senators cut ties with him during the 2020-21 season, trading him to the Los Angeles Kings for Mike Amadio.
He bounced around the NHL and AHL over the next couple of years before finding success with the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL. During the 2022-23 season, he scored six goals and 55 points in 49 games with the Vancouver Canucks’ AHL affiliate. He also played 15 games with the big club, scoring three assists.
Wolanin will likely spend most of the next two years in Abbotsford but still has potential at 28 years old to break into the Vancouver Canuck’s lineup.