Vancouver Canucks call up forward Vasily Podkolzin and defenseman Matt Irwin from AHL

A couple of players are getting called back up to the NHL.

On Saturday night, Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin announced that the team is calling up forward Vasily Podkolzin and defenseman Matt Irwin from their American Hockey League affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.

This is the first time Podkolzin has been recalled by Vancouver this season. The 22-year-old is a talented winger that has good hands, but is capable of using his aggressiveness to drive to the net. The Russian-born prospect played 39 games with Vancouver last season, scoring four goals and three assists. In 118 career NHL appearances, Podkolzin has notched 18 goals and 15 assists.

With Abbotsford this season, the 2019 10th overall pick has posted 15 goals and 13 assists, good for sixth on the team in scoring.

Podkolzin is in the final year of his entry-level contract, with a cap hit of $925,000, and is set to be a restricted free agent at the end of this season. Some have speculated that Podkolzin has been in trade discussions, as the Canucks might use him to acquire another player prior to next Friday’s trade deadline.

Podkolzin has taken home hardware while representing his country, winning the bronze and silver medals with Russian at the 2019 and 2020 IIHF World Junior Championships, along with grabbing silver at the 2019 Under-18 World Championships.

This is Irwin’s second call-up to the NHL this season. The 36-year-old was recalled on Nov. 29, but was sent back down to Abbotsford two days later. In 46 games in the ‘A,’ Irwin has scored three goals and seven assists.

Irwin is currently on a one-year, $775,000 contract with the Canucks.

The Victoria, British Columbia native is a 14-year pro, and has made stops with the San Jose Sharks, Boston Bruins, Nashville Predators, Anaheim Ducks and Buffalo Sabres. Irwin spent the last three seasons with the Washington Capitals, appearing in 61 games during the 2022-23 campaign.

In 461 career NHL games, Irwin has scored 25 goals and 68 assists, including four points in 47 playoff games.

Vancouver (38-17-7) is set to take on the Ducks on Sunday. They are still at the top of the Pacific Division, nine points clear of the Edmonton Oilers. The Canucks are three points back of the Florida Panthers for the best record in the NHL.