Sit down with Abbotsford Canucks captain Chase Wouters

Credit: @abbycanucks/x

On May 13, 2025 Girls at the Games sat down with Abbotsford Canucks captain Chase Wouters, to discuss their historic playoff run before the start their best of 5 series against the Colorado Eagles.

Jaslyne:

All right, we'll  jump right in.  As the captain, what has it meant to you to personally wear the C and lead this group throughout the season?

Chase:

Yeah, it's a huge honor. There’s still obviously a lot of responsibility, but some might take a lot of pride in and yeah, it's good. We have a great group of guys, great, great, bunch of people in that room that makes it, makes my job easier, and makes coming to the rink every day awesome.

Jaslyne:

Looking back at the regular season, how would you describe the team's journey and growth this year to this point?

Chase:

Yeah,  it's been a long, fun year. I mean,  from the start of the year, new staff, and a lot of new faces in the room. And we really came together. Came together with the group, came together with the staff, and it's, you know, it's been fun. We keep building every day. And that's something we talked about, is getting better every day. So we keep doing that here, and do it here come this weekend.

Jaslyne:

Now heading into the division finals. How would you describe the atmosphere and the mindset in the room, right now?

Chase: 

Yeah, we're focused. We're, you know, we're prepared, we're, you know,  all of our focus is on hockey right now. And that's, you know, that's big for for a group this time of years, to be dialed in and be focused on the task at hand, and not to  overthink, just take everything day by day, take it game by game, and whether what the first game is, you know, whether we play well or it doesn't go well, we reset, we come back to work, and that's  been our mindset all year, and we're gonna put everything into the first game.

Jaslyne: 

Is there any excitement about the fact this is the farthest you guys have gotten? Like  for you guys that have been a part of the team since  day one, is there any extra excitement? 

Chase: 

Yeah for sure. I mean,  you dream about playing this time of the year, and you dream about, you know, these moments and these memories with your teammates. And yeah, like you said, for the guys that have kind of been here every year we went, we've had exits in the first two rounds every year, so it's nice to get to the third round here. And  have a chance to play for the division.

Jaslyne:

Is there any advice you're giving to the younger guys who are new to the team this year?

Chase: 

I think, just enjoy the moment, enjoy the process. It's like I said, it's the best time of the year, and the guys in that room understand that and understand the task that we have ahead of us. And you know, Colorado has a great team. It's gonna be a fun series. And it's, yeah, I guess, to the younger guys, just to, you know, enjoy it. Enjoy coming to the rink every day, and not every time, not every year you get a chance to play for your division. 

Jaslyne: 

Speaking of Colorado, and not taking anything for granted, but your regular season record was pretty good. Is there anything that you guys are specifically focusing on since, you know about the style of play that Colorado has?

Chase: 

Yeah, we played them lots over the last couple years, and kind of every year I've been here. But you know, whatever happens in regular season doesn't matter. It's, you know,  about this weekend. They're a great team. They're fast.  They play with a lot of skill up and down the ice. And we're excited for the challenge. And it's gonna be a fun series. Fun, intense hockey.

Jaslyne: 

Yeah, are you gonna try to do a repeat and score the winning goal? 

Chase: 

Laughs - Maybe - someone, someone will get it right, that'll be exciting. 

Jaslyne: 

With the first two games being here at home, is there anything that you want to say to the fans? 

Chase: 

Yeah. I mean, you guys been awesome all year. Especially the last couple weeks, have been pretty awesome. Just being at the games, it's loud. You almost get a boost, goose bumps going on. So it's, it's really fun, it's exciting. And we, yeah, we can't wait to see everyone here, here, this weekend.

Game 1 and 2 of round 3 will be played at Abbotsford Centre on May 16 and 18, 2025. The series will then move to Colorado were they will finish the best of 5 series.