Reign Preview 1/28 - Ontario vs. Abbotsford
AHL Ontario Reign

Reign Preview 1/28 - Ontario vs. Abbotsford

Published on January 28, 2026 under American Hockey League (AHL)
Ontario Reign News Release


WHO: Ontario Reign (27-12-1-1, 56pts) vs. Abbotsford Canucks (15-22-3-3, 36pts)

WHAT: AHL REGULAR-SEASON GAME #42/72

WHEN: Wednesday, January 28 @ 7:00 Pacific

WHERE: Toyota Arena - Ontario, CA

HOW TO FOLLOW: VIDEO: FloHockey - AUDIO: Reign Radio - TWITTER: @ReignInsider & @OntarioReign

TONIGHT'S MATCHUP: The Ontario Reign and Abbotsford Canucks square off in the third of eight total meetings this season, the first of four in Ontario at Toyota Arena. Cole Guttman scored a pair of goals in a 4-1 win on Sunday over Colorado as the Reign are 9-2-0 in their last 11 games having won five straight on home ice. Aku Koskenvuo pitched a 33 save shutout for the Canucks on Sunday as Ty Mueller scored twice in a 4-0 win as Abbotsford has won three straight and six of their last nine.

HEAD-TO-HEAD SERIES: The Reign hold a 2-0-0 record vs. the Canucks this season winning both games back in October by final scores of 5-2 in Abbotsford. Andre Lee (2G, 1A) and Glenn Gawdin (1G, 2A) lead the way offensively for the Reign while each Erik Portilloand Pheonix Copley have a win. Ontario went 2-for-8 on the power-play in the series and 2-for-4 on the penalty kill. The Reign allowed just 15 shots on Oct. 26, the fewest they've surrendered in a game this season.

PLAYERS TO WATCH: For Ontario, Cole Guttman extended his goal streak to four-games Sunday as he now has 10 goals in his last 10 games. After starting the season with just three points (1G, 2A) in his first 11 games he has 28 points (12G, 14A) in his last 26 games. He leads Ontario with eight multi-point games as the Reign are 7-1-0 when he has a multi-point contest, 9-3-0 when he scores, and 16-6-0 when he notches a point. Nikita Alexandrov has eight points (3G, 5A) in his last five games and is tied for fifth in the AHL with 27 assists while he is tied for sixth with 37 points. The Reign are 16-5-0-1 with him in the lineup and 12-2-0-1 when he notches a point. He has 23 points (7G, 16A) in 22 games with Ontario.

For Abbotsford, Ty Mueller has a four-game point streak (3G, 3A). Danila Klimovich has four points (2G, 2A) in his last four games and Chase Wouters has six points (1G, 5A) in his last four games. Jonathon Lekkerimäki who leads the team with 10 goals and has 16 points in 16 games was recalled by Vancouver on Monday.

BETWEEN TWO PIPES: For Ontario, Pheonix Copley made 28 saves on 29 shots Sunday vs. Colorado as he has won four of his last six starts, including three straight on home ice, holding a 11-9-0 record with a 2.88 goals against average and .892 save percentage. Erik Portillo made 32 saves on 34 shots in Coachella Valley Friday improving to 10-1-1 on the year with a 2.30 GAA and .915 SV%. He has won five straight games since returning from injury after missing 16 consecutive games from Nov. 13-Jan. 2. He is victorious in nine consecutive decisions.

For Abbotsford, Aku Koskenvuo recorded his first AHL shutout Sunday making 33 saves in San Diego and is 2-4-0 with a 2.67 GAA and .908 SV% in eight appearances. The 22-year-old fifth round selection by Vancouver in 2021 is in his first professional season after three seasons at Harvard University and has played six games this year with Kalamazoo in the ECHL. Former Vegas Golden Knights sixth round pick in 2017, Jiří Patera, made 23 saves on 24 shots Saturday in a 3-1 win vs. the Gulls and has won four of his last five starts. He has a 8-6-2 mark with a 2.39 GAA and .918 SV%.

CONNORS CALLED UP: Rookie forward Kenny Connors was called up by the LA on Monday for his first NHL callup. The Kings fourth round selection in the 2022 NHL Draft is tied for ninth among AHL rookies with 24 points (9G, 15A) having appeared in all 41 games for Ontario this year while his plus-13 rating ranks fifth among AHL first year skaters. He signed a two-year, entry-level contract this past April after playing three seasons at UMass-Amherst from 2022-25 accumulating 77 points (26G, 51A) in 109 career games.

HOME COOKIN: Saturday's 4-1 win over Colorado marked the first home game for Ontario in 15 days as they lifted their win streak to a season high five games in front of the largest crowd of the season of 9,987 fans. The Reign have the third most home victories in the AHL with a record of 14-4-1-1. After tonight Ontario will play in San Diego on Saturday before returning home Sunday vs. Coachella Valley and next Wednesday vs. Tucson.

During the five-game win streak Ontario has outscored their opponents 19-10 having taken a 1-0 lead in four of five contests. They have a power-play goal in six straight home games, 7-for-22 (31.8%), while they've surrendered a power-play goal against in just one of their last six, 18-for-19 (94.7%).

Collectively on the season, the Reign are 8-1-1 when leading after the first and 10-0-1 when leading after the second. They're 7-2-0-1 when outshooting their opponent and 7-2-1 when being outshot. Ontario is 8-1-1 when scoring a power-play goal at Toyota Arena.

SPECIAL TEAMS BECOMING SPECIAL: The Reign went 1-for-3 on the power-play Sunday vs. Colorado and now have a power-play goal in four of their last five games, 6-for-18 (33.3%). They did not receive a power-play opportunity in Coachella Valley Friday. They have a man advantage strike in 10 of their last 12 games, 12-for-41 (29.3%).

Ontario was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill in both games last weekend as they've now surrendered a power-play goal against in just three of their last 14 games, 40-for-44, 90.9%.

TIGHTLY CONTESTED: The Reign have a 15-3-1-1 record in one-score games this season having won six straight and a 11-1-0-1 mark in their last 13 games. They've won three straight one-goal games on home ice.

BY THE NUMBERS:

Ontario Abbotsford

Goals For 6th, (3.34) 31st, (2.19)

Goals Against 7th, (2.73) 25th, (3.28)

Power-Play 9th (20.5%) 7th (22.6%)

Penalty Kill 7th (83.5%) 32nd (75.8%)

Shots For 31st (25.24) 30th (25.56)

Shots Against 5th (26.34) 26th (29.74)

TEAM LEADERS:

Ontario Abbotsford

Points Alexandrov (37) Åman (21)

Goals Lee (16) Lekkerimäki (10)

Assists Alexandrov (27) Åman (18)

+/- Wright (17) Bains (9)

Power-Play Goals Lee (7) LaBate/Mueller (5)

Power-Play Assists Alexandrov/Gawdin (9) Åman (12)

Power-Play Points Chromiak (13) Åman (13)

Wins Copley (11) Patera (8)

GAA Portillo (2.30) Patera (2.39)

SV% Portillo (.916) Patera (.918)

Check out the Ontario Reign Statistics

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American Hockey League Stories from January 28, 2026


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