Abbotsford – (Abbotsford Canucks) – Abbotsford Canucks General Manager, Ryan Johnson, announced that the club has signed forwards Ben Berard and Zach Okabe, as well as goaltender Jonathan Lemieux to one-year contract extensions through the 2025-26 AHL season.
Berard, 26, spent the majority of his second full professional campaign with Abbotsford’s ECHL affiliate Kalamazoo Wings in 2024-25. He ranked second on the team in points (40) and ranked tied for the team-lead with 20 goals over just 47 games played. The 6-0, 200-pound winger also skated in four games with Abbotsford, recording two goals and four penalty minutes. The Duncan, British Columbia native was originally acquired by the Canucks as a free agent when he signed a one-year AHL contract on July 31, 2024.
Okabe, 24, spent the entirety of his first professional season with Kalamazoo (ECHL), leading the team with 41 points (19 goals, 22 assists) while skating in all 72 of the club’s regular season games in 2024-25. The 5-9, 180-pound winger netted seven power-play goals, three game-winning goals and one shorthanded goal during his impressive rookie campaign. The Okotoks, Alberta native was originally acquired by the Canucks as an undrafted college free agent out of St. Cloud State University (WCHA) when he signed a one-year AHL contract on August 14, 2024.
Lemieux, 24, established a new ECHL career-high by skating in 40 games during his second professional campaign and second season with Kalamazoo in 2024-25. The 6-1, 194-pound netminder recorded a 14-19-4 record with a .905 save percentage and 3.08 goals-against-average while spending the entirety of the season with the Wings. This will be the third contract awarded by Abbotsford to the Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec native, who was originally acquired by the Canucks as an undrafted college free agent out of Concordia University (OUA) in 2023.
