Abbotsford Canucks Hire Ryan Papaioannou as Head Coach
The 41-year-old Calgary native replaces Manny Malhotra, who was promoted to Vancouver in June.
The Abbotsford Canucks named Ryan Papaioannou as their fourth head coach in franchise history on Friday, according to oursportscentral.com. The 41-year-old Calgary native takes over for Manny Malhotra, who was promoted to head coach of the Vancouver Canucks on June 2.
Papaioannou spent the 2025-26 season as head coach of the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers, Pittsburgh's affiliate. He led Wheeling to a 46-20-3-3 record and the North Division title in his first professional coaching season, canucksarmy.com reported. The Nailers reached the Eastern Conference Finals before losing to the eventual Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades.
Before turning pro, Papaioannou spent 16 years as general manager and head coach of the Brooks Bandits in the Alberta Junior Hockey League and British Columbia Hockey League. He posted a 714-152-51 record over 917 regular season games, winning five AJHL titles, one BCHL title, and four National Junior A Championships, according to theprovince.com. He was named AJHL Coach of the Year three times.
"Ryan has a unique talent for teaching and relating with players," Abbotsford general manager Richard Seeley said in a statement. "His preparation both technically and tactically has led him to outstanding accomplishments at the junior level, as well as an impressive first season in the ECHL."
Papaioannou developed numerous future NHL players during his time with the Bandits, including Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar.
