Abbotsford Canucks defender Kirill Kudryavtsev named to AHL All-Star Classic

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Abbotsford Canucks defenceman Kirill Kudryavtsev has been named an American Hockey League all-star.

The Russian product is the fourth player in franchise history to participate in the all-star game and joins Christian Wolanin (2023), Arshdeep Bains (2024) and Ty Mueller (2025) in the history books.

This year’s AHL All-Star Classic occurs on Feb. 10 and 11 in Rockford, Ill.

Kudryavtsev was chosen by the Vancouver Canucks in the seventh round, 208th overall in the 2022 NHL Draft. After playing youth hockey in Russia, he joined the Ontario Hockey League’s Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in 2021-22 and posted three strong seasons for that team.

The Canucks signed him to an entry-level deal in 2023 and he cracked the Abbotsford roster in 2024. Kudryavtsev had an excellent rookie season in Abbotsford and recorded 26 points in 65 games. He added 10 points in 21 playoff games to help the Canucks win the 2025 Calder Cup. Kudryavtsev also played two NHL games with Vancouver last season.

This season he has 13 points in 28 games and is tied for third on the team in scoring.

“Kirill hit the ground running last year and his development came along quicker than anticipated,” stated Abbotsford Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson in a press release. “He is a complete professional and he is extremely coachable. It is not a surprise to anyone in our organization that he is being recognized with an all-star selection.”

Kudryavtsev plays with 11 other Pacific Division teammates to represent that division against the three other AHL divisions at the event. Mart Letestu of the Colorado Eagles is the coach of the Pacific Division team.

The four divisional teams will participate in a three-on-three, round-robin tournament featuring six games of eight minutes each. The two teams with the best records at the end of the round-robin will face off for the championship in a final eight-minute, three-on-three game. The tournament, called the AHL All-Star Challenge, is set for Feb. 11.

The day before the tournament is the AHL All-Star Skills Competition, which sees Eastern Conference and Western Conference all-stars test their skills against one another in seven different events.

In addition to Kudryavtsev, former Abbotsford Canucks participating at the event include Providence Bruins goalie Michael DiPietro and Bridgeport Islanders defenceman Cole McWard. DiPietrto was dealt to the Boston Bruins organization in 2022, while McWard signed with the New York Islanders organization in the summer.

For more on the event, visit theahl.com/news/rosters-announced-2026-ahl-all-star-classic.