Vancouver Canucks sign Surrey-born Arshdeep Bains
Posted March 11, 2022 10:27 am.
Last Updated March 11, 2022 3:51 pm.
The Vancouver Canucks have signed 21-year-old forward Arshdeep Bains to a three-year entry-level contract, the team announced Friday.
Bains is the leading scorer playing for the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL) Red Deer Rebels and has collected 30 goals and 52 assists for a league-leading 82 points.
He is the first player of South Asian descent to lead the WHL in points.
Bains tells Sportsnet he’s very proud to represent the South Asian community.
“The Punjabi community is a huge part of the reason I strive through and keep getting better. I want to motivate, even if it’s just one person … to keep trying to fulfill their dream of playing in the NHL, because we can do it. It’s super special.”
#Canucks sign Arshdeep Bains of Surrey BC. 21 year old Bains is tied for 1st in scoring in the WHL. Great to see another #Punjabi kid get an opportunity in the NHL. pic.twitter.com/Jt4vMdR1CA
— Randip Janda (@RandipJanda) March 11, 2022
Bains adds it’s a blessing to get an opportunity to represent a team he grew up cheering for.
“It is pressure that you are the hometown kid. But it’s something that I want to cherish and have people that know me or look up to me believe that they could do this one day.”
It has been a long road to success for the 6-foot-1 winger who registered just seven points in 2017-2018. The undrafted winger — now in his fifth WHL season — has taken his game to another level.
With his Red Deer team poised to make a deep run in the playoffs, it’s unlikely he’ll join the Abbotsford Canucks any time soon.
Bains, a free agent, was not drafted by an NHL club.
