Abbotsford Canucks Hire Ryan Papaioannou as New Head Coach
Papaioannou led Brooks to four championships in 14 years and guided Wheeling to a conference finals berth in his first pro season.
- On Friday, the Abbotsford Canucks named Ryan Papaioannou as their fourth head coach, welcoming the 45-year-old to lead the organization.
- After Jussi Ahokas turned down the role over compensation, the Canucks circled back to Papaioannou, whom reporter Patrick Johnston said rejected the position because the AHL offer was "substantially less" than his OHL salary.
- During 14 years with the Brooks Bandits, the 45-year-old captured AJHL championships in 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2022 and 2023, developing Norris Trophy winner Cale Makar and Canucks prospect Aiden Celebrini.
- Last season with the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers, Papaioannou guided the team to a 46-20-6 record and Conference Finals before losing to Florida Everblades; general manager Richard Seeley praised his "technical and tactical preparation."
- Papaioannou will make his Abbotsford debut on Oct. 2 against the Calgary Wranglers in Alberta, with his home debut on Oct. 17 against Coachella Valley Firebirds, completing the Canucks' offseason.
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7 Articles
The Province
Vancouver SunCanucks: Ryan Papaioannou named head coach of Abbotsford, taking over from Manny Malhotra
Papaioannou, 41, coached in the ECHL last season with the Wheeling Nailers and prior to that he spent 16 seasons with the Alberta Junior A powerhouse Brooks Bandits
Vancouver Canucks hire new AHL head coach to replace Malhotra
The Vancouver Canucks search for an AHL bench boss came with a bit of drama, but it looks like they’ve found their guy. Shortly after it was reported that the Canucks AHL head coaching job offer was rejected by Jussi Ahokas, the club announced on Friday that they had hired Ryan Papaioannou as the newest bench boss in Abbotsford. Papaioannou was linked to the Canucks last month by CHEK’s Rick Dhaliwal. And on Thursday, after Ahokas reportedly tur…
Abbotsford Canucks hire Ryan Papaioannou as new head coach
The Abbotsford Canucks have hired Ryan Papaioannou as the fourth head coach in franchise history. The AHL club made the announcement on Friday (July 17) afternoon. A new chapter begins! Welcome Ryan Papaioannou as the new Head Coach of the Abbotsford Canucks! #ProudlyAbbotsford pic.twitter.com/JyyaexJYJP — Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) July 17, 2026 The 42-year-old spent last season as the head coach of the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers and guid…
Papaioannou named head coach of Canucks
Ryan Papaioannou has been hired as the new head coach of the Abbotsford Canucks. Papaioannou replaces Manny Malhotra, who was named head coach in Vancouver on June 2. Papaioannou, 42, completed his first season coaching in the professional ranks in 2025-26, leading the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers to a division title and a trip to the conference finals. Before joining Wheeling, Papaioannou served as head coach and general manager of the Junior “A” Brooks Bandits for 16 seasons in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and the British Columbia Hockey League. Under his leadership, the Bandits won eight league championships and four national championships. The Calgary native posted a record of 907-217-48 with Brooks, earning at least 50 wins in a season six times, and was named coach of the year on three occasions.
Canucks Hire Ryan Papaioannou As AHL Head Coach
With Manny Malhotra moving up from AHL Abbotsford to take over as head coach of the Canucks, Vancouver needed to fill that same vacancy on their farm team. They’ve now done so as the team announced that Ryan Papaioannou has been appointed as the fourth head coach in the team’s six-year history. Canucks assistant GM Richard Seeley, who also holds the GM title for Abbotsford, released the following statement: We are very excited to welcome Ryan t…
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