Vancouver, B.C.– Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Vasily Podkolzin on a two-year contract.
“We are happy with how hard Vasily has worked on his game to try and become a more consistent player,” said Allvin. “While there is still room for him to grow, starting the year in Abbotsford and working his way back up to Vancouver shows the type of commitment and dedication we want in all our players. Our group looks to forward to helping Vasily continue to improve and get better.”
Podkolzin, 22, split the 2023.24 season between Vancouver and Abbotsford (AHL), recording two points (0-2-2) and six penalty minutes in 18 games at the NHL level and 28 points (15-13-28) and 15 penalty minutes in 44 AHL games.
The 6’1”, 190-pound winger has appeared in 136 career NHL games, all with Vancouver, accumulating 35 points (18-17-35) and 41 penalty minutes. In 72 career AHL games, all spent with Abbotsford, Podkolzin has recorded 46 points (22-24-46) and 27 penalty minutes. He has also appeared in two Calder Cup playoff games with the Canucks, notching a goal and an assist (1-1-2).
Prior to his North American career, Podkolzin appeared in 68 regular season games over three seasons with SKA St. Petersburg of the Kontinental Hockey League, registering 19 points (7-12-19) and 22 penalty minutes to go along with 14 points (7-7-14) and 6 penalty minutes in 20 playoff games.
A native of Moscow, Russia, Podkolzin has represented his country at three consecutive IIHF World Junior Championships (2019-2021), recording 12 points (3-9-12) in 21 games and capturing two medals (2019 bronze, 2020 silver). He has also served as team captain for Russia on multiple occasions, including the 2021 World Junior Championship and the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where he led the tournament in scoring with 11 points (8-3-11) in 5 games enroute to a bronze medal.
Podkolzin was originally selected by Vancouver in the first round, 10th overall, in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.
