The forward is scheduled to join Vancouver's lineup in the season opener against the Calgary Flames on Oct 9
On Tuesday, Oct. 1, the Vancouver Canucks released another round of preseason roster cuts. The list included names like Phil Di Giuseppe, Jonathan Lekerimäki and Linus Karlsson. The players currently with the big club are, for the most part, not particularly different from those who were expected to be there at the start of the preseason. Here's a look at the stages of their careers that led them to the big leagues.
Bains is from Surrey, B.C., which makes him no stranger to the Vancouver Canucks. As a kid, Bains played 25 games with Delta Hockey Academy's U15 prep team in the 2015-16 season, scoring 15 goals and 13 assists during that time. Their playoff campaign saw him score two goals and two assists in three games, but the team ultimately lost in the semi-finals.
After his time with Delta Hockey Academy, Bains joined the U18 AAA Vancouver NE Chiefs, part of the BCEHL’s U18 division. In 26 games, he scored seven goals and 16 assists, as well as a goal and an assist in five playoff games. A year later, he played with the U18 AAA Valley West Hawks. This is where his offensive talent exploded, scoring 16 goals and 40 assists in 22 games.
The 56 points Bains scored with the Valley West Hawks earned him a look from the Red Deer Rebels, the WHL team he eventually spent five seasons with. His first 40 games, which he played in the 2017-18 season (the same year he spent with the Valley West Hawks), ended with a two-goal, five-assist effort, as well as in five playoff games. After a season testing the WHL waters, Bains began to find his footing in a new league — a pattern that continued throughout his career. He scored 51 points (18 goals, 33 assists) in 63 games in the 2019-20 season before all leagues were cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
