Vancouver Canucks prospect Danila Klimovich has been on an absolute tear to start this season.
The winger has seven goals and four assists in 16 games for Abbotsford. He leads the team in goals and ranks in the top 30 across the entire AHL.
Klimovich had fallen off the radar as a top Canucks prospect after struggling through last season, but his start this year has piqued people’s attention.
His best weapon is a heavy shot that is strong even by NHL standards. While his decision-making has kept him from showing it off in the past, he’s been finding the time and space he needs to beat goalies cleanly so far this season.
Klimovich with his fifth on the season. So many more sponsored IG posts coming pic.twitter.com/bho7jTbm7Y
— Ben Lypka (@BenLypka) November 19, 2024
Drafted in the second round of the 2021 NHL draft, Klimovich was young for his class. This means that despite this being his fourth AHL season, he’s still just 21 years old.
His performance is night and day from last year when he had just two goals and two assists for four points in 24 games. He’s on pace to finish with 31 goals and 49 points, smashing his career-best 17 goals and 29 points in 67 games from two years ago.
Part of the reason for Klimovich’s improvement is the team’s new coach. This is his first year under new Abbotsford coach Manny Malhotra. The ex-Canucks player has helped the young forward find his game.
Klimovich has run hot in the past but has struggled to stay consistent. The young prospect’s next challenge will be to continue this run of good play throughout the season and continue to impress the decision-makers inside the organization.
While some were ready to write off Klimovich after his struggles last season, the hot start to this season has forced those people to reconsider. If he can keep this level of play up, he’ll continue to make himself stand out as an interesting prospect in the system.