Abbotsford Canucks Sign Forward Austin Brimmer to One-Year AHL Deal

The Abbotsford Canucks were running thin up front, and General Manager Ryan Johnson moved to fix it. The club signed forward Austin Brimmer to a one-year AHL contract through the 2026-27 season, with Brimmer also reporting immediately on a professional try-out agreement for the remainder of 2025-26.

Brimmer arrives directly from his senior NCAA campaign at Rochester Institute of Technology, where the 24-year-old tied for the team lead with 25 points in 36 games, posting 10 goals and 15 assists. He wore an alternate captain's letter for the Tigers in that final college season. At 6-foot-4 and 223 pounds, he brings a physical presence that Abbotsford's forward corps has been missing: the club had been icing just three full forward lines in recent games heading into tonight's matchup against the Manitoba Moose, the third game of a six-game home stand with puck drop at 7:00 pm PT.

The signing caps a four-year NCAA career split between two programs. Brimmer spent his first three seasons at Long Island University, producing 23 goals and 32 assists in 97 games before transferring to RIT for his senior year, where he posted career highs in both goals and assists.

He is the first NCAA free-agent signing the Canucks organization has made this season. The club also signaled it would not stop here, with management noting it would explore additional NCAA free-agent additions after the trade deadline. For a team managing roster depth through the stretch run of the AHL regular season, Brimmer's combination of size, senior-season production, and immediate availability made him a practical and logical target.

The structure of the deal is straightforward: PTO now, contracted player next fall. If Brimmer can establish himself over the final weeks of 2025-26, he heads into training camp for 2026-27 with a guaranteed AHL roster spot and a chance to carve out a permanent role in the Vancouver Canucks' developmental pipeline.