Vancouver Canucks organization announce the sudden departure of veteran defenseman
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Photo credit: ECHL
The Vancouver Canucks organization has announced the departure of a former NCAA defenseman this week after splitting the 2025-26 season between the AHL & ECHL.
While the Vancouver Canucks and the National Hockey League might be on a break for the 2026 Winter Olympics, both of the team’s minor league affiliates – the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks and ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings – have been quite busy.
“Following are the ECHL transactions for Saturday, February 7, 2026:
WAIVER CLAIMS:
Rapid City:
Blake Christensen, F (from Kalamazoo)”
Fast forward to yesterday and the Abbotsford Canucks have made a big decision regarding one of their defenseman that signed with them as a free agent last summer.
Vancouver Canucks organization announces departure of former NCAA defenseman
In a post on social media on Wednesday, the Abbotsford Canucks announced that they’ve decided to release defenseman Derek Daschke from his contract, making him an unrestricted free agent.
“The following transaction has occurred:
-Abbotsford releases D Derek Daschke from his standard player’s contract.” the Abbotsford Canucks said on X.
Daschke, a native of Troy, Michigan, spent five seasons in the NCAA – four with the University of Miami (Ohio) and one with the University of Minnesota-Duluth – before making the jump to professional hockey at the tail end of the 2022-23 campaign.
The 28-year-old blueliner joined the ECHL’s Kalamazoo Wings for the 2023-24 season, appearing in 72 games, before leaving the club as a free agent and signing with the Utah Grizzlies.
“Abbotsford Canucks General Manager, Ryan Johnson, announced today that the club has signed defencemen Nikolai Knyzhov, Derek Daschke and Jayden Lee, as well as forward Nolan Walker to one-year AHL contracts ahead of the 2025-26 season.” the Abbotsford Canucks said in a press release last summer.
In 13 games with the Abbotsford Canucks this season, Daschke registered one assist and also added eight points (five goals, three assists) in nine games with the Kalamazoo Wings.
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Vancouver Canucks organization announce the sudden departure of veteran defenseman
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