Abbotsford’s Renegades of Funk

It’s interesting that two of the Canucks’ recent signings [Yankee Canuck, Nucks Misconduct] both have strong connections to Abbotsford. For those who don’t know the Lower Mainland well, Abbotsford is a suburban city about an hour’s drive from downtown Vancouver (depending on the traffic). It boasts a very nice arena and will become the home of the Calgary Flames’ AHL affiliate this year, the Abbotsford Heat (coached by one Jim Playfair, as James Mirtle relates). In less savoury news, Abbotsford also had Canada’s highest murder rate last year [Jeff Nagel, Black Press via The Aldergrove Star]. Still, it’s quite the hockey town, as new Canucks Mike Funk and Kellan Tochkin demonstrate.

Funk looks like an excellent pickup. He was a second-round draft pick [Yankee Canuck, Nucks Misconduct] in 2004, but never was really able to crack the NHL for long in the Buffalo organization. He reportedly is a strong skater and a skilled passer, both qualities that are sometimes absent from the Vancouver defence these days. He was born in Abbotsford, so he has strong local connections, and he put up some impressive stats at the WHL level with the Portland Winter Hawks. It’s not clear whether he’ll start the season in Vancouver or Manitoba, but either could work well; the Canucks always seem to run into injury problems on defence, and Funk perhaps could provide some depth. He’s only 22, so there’s still plenty of time for him to turn into a solid NHL player. He’s got great size, too; he’s 6′4 and 199 pounds.

Tochkin is another Abbotsford product with a fair bit of potential. He’s a right winger and had brief stints in junior hockey with the WHL’s Everett Silvertips and the BCHL’s Langley Chiefs, but never played a full season until last year, when he racked up 20 goals and 54 assists in 72 WHL games with the Silvertips. As anyone who watches the defence-focused WHL knows, those aren’t bad scoring totals at all. Tochkin’s perhaps a bit on the small side (5′9, 170 pounds), but he’s got a fair bit of offensive talent. He went undrafted this year, so the Canucks were able to sign him to an entry-level deal. He’s only 19, so he’s got plenty of development to do and will likely start the year in Manitoba, but he could be a useful player down the road.

It’s not clear if the local connection played a role in these signings, but it certainly can’t have hurt. Recruiting local prospects can be a very positive thing; for one, it allows your scouts to get opinions on them from their old hockey coaches and opponents. More importantly, it provides extra motivation for the prospects to do well in front of their hometown family and friends. These connections can be a useful bargaining chip in contract talks as well down the road. There are plenty of good players who have come up through hockey programs in the Lower Mainland, and it’s nice to see some of them getting a shot in the Canucks’ organization.

(By the way, here’s Funk’s official theme song if he ever makes the team. To be played whenever the opportunity arises).

Tags: Abbotsford Heat, AHL, defencemen, forwards, free agents, James Mirtle, Kellan Tochkin, Manitoba Moose, Mike Funk, Nucks Misconduct, prospects, WHL