How did the Abbotsford Canucks put a euphoric exclamation point on a sensational and historic Calder Cup championship season?

Preparation, perspiration, persistency and belief in a rookie head coach were vital components.

Abbotsford became the first AHL affiliate of the Vancouver Canucks to claim the league championship Monday by rallying from a 2-0 deficit in the first period for a 3-2 victory over the Charlotte Checkers in the hot and steamy Bojangles Coliseum. The soft, sloppy and rutted ice was as much of a challenge as prevailing in six games of the best-of-seven series.

And true to Abbotsford’s pedigree, they gutted another one out when it mattered the most.

Grizzled veteran Sammy Blais and the mercurial Danila Klimovich drew the Canucks even and then AHL leading scorer Linus Karlsson delivered the dagger in the second period. He was left open on the back door and covered a perfect cross-ice feed from linemate Arshdeep Bains at 17:19.

And Arturs Silovs did what he has done so often in the post-season. He turned aside 28 shots and was named playoff most valuable player.

The 2015 Utica Comets, under the guidance of Travis Green, advanced to the Calder Cup Finals but ran out of gas in an exhausting post-season run. They played 12 one-goal games and six overtimes, include a four-OT slog to get to the championship series, but lost in five games to the powerhouse Manchesters Monarchs.

In 2025, the journey proved the adventure for Abbotsford.

Manny Malhotra, 45, got his first shot at running a pro bench after being an assistant with the Toronto Maple Leafs for four seasons and three with Vancouver. His seamless transition became a talking point for NHL teams pondering coaching vacancies.

Selling the vision and getting the buy-in can be harder in a league where players are either on the right development path, on the cusp of making it to ‘The Show’, or close to seeing their careers coming to a close. And that’s where the well-respected Malhotra made a difference.

It was about resilience and resolve.

“That’s been the makeup of our group the whole playoffs,” said Malhotra. “When we decide to play like ourselves and advance the play on the forecheck, it works.

“We’re not a storybook team. We grind. We work for what we get.”

It wasn’t easy. It never is. The Canucks were 14-15-1-1 in January before a club record 13-game win streak and finishing the regular season on a 16-1-1 run.

“The formula is there for success,” Abbotsford general manager Ryan Johnson told Postmedia. “The process is right and a transferable way of playing in the NHL. It’s very much a pack mentality and they play for each other.

“Nobody wants to be (in the AHL). It’s using our resources to get them to the NHL.”

Playing the long development got the organization to a better place. There are 10 players who could step into the big team’s lineup next season and not look out of place. That’s coaching and commitment. Five new guys doing a first-rate job in a new environment was impressive.

“I have to give Manny a lot of credit,” added Johnson. “He has playing and coaching experience at the NHL level, but the AHL is a different animal. He has adapted very quickly. One of the biggest challenges when you have inconsistency is consistency.”

Green had Malhotra as an assistant for three seasons in Vancouver and knew he had the potential and dedication to run his own bench one day.

“Manny is obviously doing a hell of a job,” Green told Postmedia. “He doesn’t need any advice from me. The AHL is not always an easy place to coach. You’ve got injuries, call-ups, and some teams are just based on playing young guys.

“And, sometimes, your hands get tied a little bit, but for me, it was the greatest place to learn.”

It was the same story for the players in Abbotsford.

Winger Linus Karlsson, 25, was challenged by Malhotra to become more of a leader in his third season. He responded with 23 goals in 32 regular-season games and led playoff scoring with 26 points (14-12) in 24 games to take another step to becoming an NHL mainstay with the Canucks. He’s not waiver exempt next season.

“He (Malhotra) pushed me more and that’s helping my game,” said Karlsson. “Make sure I’m on guys, set screens, be around the net and be good defensively.”

Goaltender Arturs Silovs, 24, started slow this NHL the season, gathered his game in the AHL, and finished fast to fall one short of the league record for post-season shutouts at six. His playoff numbers were spectacular and not being waiver exempt next season could create a crowded NHL crease.

Forwards Arshdeep Bains, 24, and Max Sasson, 24, found another level of productivity when it mattered most, which was not lost on the parent Canucks. Bains had 24 points (5-19) in 24 games and Sasson 14 points (5-9) in the same amount of games.

They are restricted free agents with arbitration rights and Bains is no longer waiver exempt.

Irritating and invigorating veteran grinder Sammy Blais, 29, who turned a failed NHL professional training-camp tryout with the Canucks into a turn of playoff force, led the post-season with 77 penalty minutes and put up 19 points (6-13) in 23 games.

Above all, it was the sum of the parts that got Abbotsford to this memorable place.

The leadership of captain Chase Wouters, 25, the fast maturation of centre Ty Mueller, 22, along with defencemen Victor Mancini, 23, and Kirill Kudryavtsev, 21, were pieces that fit the playoff puzzle.