ryan johnson – CanucksBanter

By Andrew Phillip Chernoff | CanucksBanter

August 9, 2023

Abbotsford Canucks announced Tuesday they signed forward Josh Passolt, defencemen Derek Daschke and Michael Joyaux, along with goaltender Jonathan Lemiuex, to 1-year AHL contracts for the 2023-24 season.

Josh Passolt

Passolt, 27, spent the majority of the 2022-23 season with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, ranking third on the team in goals (25) and seventh in points (47) over 69 games.

The 6-0, 190-pound winger was recalled from loan by the Buffalo Sabres’ AHL affiliate Rochester Americans on April 15 before making his AHL debut the next day, in which he scored his first career AHL goal against Cleveland’s Jet Greaves.

Passolt remained with Rochester for the 2023 postseason, skating in five Calder Cup Playoff games and recording one goal.

A native of Hayward, Wisconsin, Passolt spent five seasons with the NCAA’s Western Michigan University (NCHC) and currently ranks tied for second all-time in school history with 166 games played.
Abbotsford Canucks

Derek Daschke

Daschke, 25, completed his fifth and final NCAA season with the University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC) in 2022-23, ranking second among team defencemen in assists (14) and third in points (16) while playing in all of the Bulldogs’ 37 contests.

At the conclusion of his collegiate season, the 6-2, 192-pound defender signed an ECHL contract with the Toledo Walleye, where he recorded seven points (one goal, six assists) over 10 regular season games and two assists over three postseason contests.

The Troy, Michigan native also spent four seasons playing for the NCAA’s Miami University of Ohio (NCHC), where he served as captain during the 2021-22 collegiate campaign while leading his team in assists (24) and points (28).
Abbotsford Canucks

Michael Joyaux

Joyaux, 26, spent the entirety of his first professional campaign with the ECHL’s Newfoundland Growlers in 2022-23, leading team defencemen in goals (nine), assists (32) and points (41) while playing in all 72 regular season games.

The 5-10, 181-pound blueliner was named to the 2022-23 ECHL All-Rookie Team on April 12 before skating in all 16 of Newfoundland’s postseason games, recording seven points (two goals, five assists).

A native of Bloomingdale, Illinois, Joyaux spent four seasons with the NCAA’s Western Michigan University (NCHC), recording 67 points (16 goals, 51 assists) and 64 penalty minutes over 120 collegiate contests.
Abbotsford Canucks

Jonathan Lemiuex

Lemiuex, 22, is signing his first professional contract out of Concordia University (OUA), where he led the league’s goaltenders in goals-against average (1.98) and led rookie goaltenders in wins (16) during the 2022-23 USports regular season.

The 6’1, 185-pound netminder recorded three shutouts and a .933 save percentage for the Stingers this past season and posted a 4-2-0 record with two shutouts during the 2023 OUA Playoffs.

A native of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, Lemieux played five major junior seasons in the QMJHL with Val-d’Or, Saint John and Moncton, earning QMJHL Second Team All-Star honours in 2020-21.
Abbotsford Canucks

Source: Abbotsford Canucks

Chad Nychuk

Abbotsford Canucks General Manager, Ryan Johnson, announced July 22, that the club signed major junior free agent defenceman Chad Nychuk to a one-year AHL contract ahead of the 2022-23 season. Nychuk joins Abbotsford from the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.

Nychuk, 21, completed his overage major junior season with Brandon in 2021-22, leading the league’s defencemen with 21 goals and ranking third among WHL defencemen in points (71) while skating in 64 regular season games. He recorded five assists while skating in all six of his team’s playoff games and was named to the WHL’s East Division Second All-Star Team.

The Rossburn, Manitoba native participated in last week’s Vancouver Canucks Development Camp as an unsigned and undrafted invite. “Chad is a player we watched throughout his junior career,” said Abbotsford GM, Ryan Johnson. “After making a very good impression at development camp in Vancouver, we are excited to have him join our group in Abbotsford this season.”

The 6-1, 194-pound defenceman skated in 206 regular season games during his major junior career, all of which he played for Brandon. Nychuk is currently tied for 11th among all-time Wheat Kings defencemen in assists (108) and 13th among defencemen in goals (33) in franchise history.

Yushiroh Hirano

Abbotsford Canucks General Manager, Ryan Johnson, announced July 19, that the club signed forward Yushiroh Hirano to a one-year, two-way contract ahead of the 2022-23 season.

Hirano, 26, spent the majority of the 2021-22 season with Abbotsford, skating in 30 games for the Canucks after signing a professional try out agreement with the club on January 5. He recorded 12 points (five goals, seven assists) and 18 penalty minutes with Abbotsford before being released on April 12 to represent Japan at the 2022 IIHF Division 1 Group B World Hockey Championships in Tychy, Poland. Hirano led the tournament in goals (six) and points (10) while helping his team place second in the group standings. He originally started the season with the ECHL’s Cincinnati Cyclones, recording 29 points (16 goals, 13 assists) through 25 games before leaving the team to join Abbotsford.

“Yushiroh joined our group last year in a really adverse time and he helped the team in a big way”, stated Ryan Johnson. “We are happy to have him back in Abbotsford for the upcoming season.”

The 6-0, 216-pound winger played his first AHL game in 999 days when he made his Canucks debut on January 7 in Abbotsford’s 4-3 home overtime loss to Bakersfield. He scored his first career AHL goal on January 22 against Franics Marotte in the Canucks’ 5-3 home victory over San Diego, making him the first Japanese-born player to score a goal in AHL history. The goal was scored 10 seconds into the game, which made it the fastest goal to start a game in Abbotsford Canucks franchise history.

A native of Tomakomai, Japan, Hirano became the third Japanese-born player in AHL history when he made his debut for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on 4/14/19, recording an assist in the Penguins’ 5-2 home victory over Binghamton. He currently remains the only forward to play in the American Hockey League who was born in Japan.

Source: Abbotsford Canucks