The Canucks’ next three-game road trip now includes Jack Rathbone. In six NHL outings this season, he has one point. He hasn’t played at the highest level since November. He scored his second NHL goal in his first game after being brought up from the NHL.

Rathbone acknowledged that the early-season stretch, particularly those three weeks in November when he did nothing but watch games, was really difficult. It’s a bit of a stroke of luck that he’s back in the NHL at all; he was only called up after a number of injuries to the Canucks’ NHL defense, including those of guys brought up from Abbotsford before him.

“You get thrilled every time you get the call. The arrival of the subsequent one is always unpredictable. I’ve been working really hard. It was a lot of fun, and the coaching staff and players down there deserve credit for that. And I believe that’s given me a little room to develop,” he remarked.

He’s determined to use it to his advantage. Rathbone has benefited from the culture that has grown in Abbotsford thanks to the players’ motivation and the guidance of head coach Jeremy Colliton.