At a press conference earlier this month, Vancouver Canucks general manager Ryan Johnson spoke of a book he keeps filled with names of other team’s staff who are interesting or have a presence to them.
It’s a good bet that new Abbotsford Canucks general manager Richard Seeley found his way somewhere in that prestigious tome.
Seeley was announced as Abbotsford’s general manager and an assistant general manager for Vancouver on June 11 and he told The News on Wednesday (June 18) that the dual role was enticing for a number of reasons.
General Manager Ryan Johnson announced today that the #Canucks have named Richard Seeley General Manager of the Abbotsford Canucks and Assistant General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks. pic.twitter.com/CCtHci3d07
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) June 11, 2026
“I think the people involved, the messaging that was coming out and the excitement to be able to work with a group to establish a foundation and watch it grow – for me that’s exciting,” he said. “Taking some of my skill set and being a part of that, just being able to help these players and have the right program in Abbotsford it made me excited to a part of this organization.”
The Powell River product has spent the last eight seasons as the general manager of the Ontario Reign and the club missed the playoffs just once under his management. This past season saw the Los Angeles Kings’ affilate put together a franchise-best record of 47-20-3-2 and win the Pacific Division.
Seeley said his time with the Reign has made him better.
“I’m inherently different from when I first arrived and I think I’ve gained a few lenses,” he said. “I learned a lot from so many different perspectives and I was very fortunate to learn from a lot of great people in the Kings organization. I worked under Rob Blake for a long time, under Marc Bergevin who is now in Buffalo and a hall of famer like Ken Holland.”
He said the Kings of 2018 were similar to what the Canucks are entering into now and he has experience developing and getting players to the next level.
“We were in a bit of a rebuild and had to work to develop players like Matt Roy, Sean Walker, Mikey Anderson, Quentin Byfield, Brandt Clarke and Alex Laferriere,” he said. “Patience is going to be key and the development process isn’t always linear. But it’s exciting to have the opportunity to do that here.”
All of the aforementioned players have become NHL regulars under Seeley’s management, and they weren’t all first round studs like Clarke and Byfield. Roy was a seventh round pick, Walker was undrafted and Anderson was a fourth rounder.
Seeley said having a strong relationship between the NHL and the AHL is key. He felt he had that with the Kings and wants to strengthen what is existing between Abbotsford and Vancouver.
“It’s really rewarding when you get to work with players and staff and help them realize their dreams,” he said. “And we don’t only want to develop players it’s staff. I think we laid a really good foundation and to see middle round picks come through that organization and contribute is really rewarding.”
The next big item on Seeley’s to-do list is to help find a new head coach for Abbotsford following Manny Malhotra’s hiring in Vancouver. Hiring a coach is another aspect that Seeley has tremendous experience in. He most recently hired Andrew Lord in 2025, but also tapped Marco Sturm for the Reign’s bench boss position in 2022. Sturm spent three years with the Reign before being scooped up by the Boston Bruins in 2025.
“To be able to watch Marco grow as a coach – he hadn’t even really played in the AHL before – so helping him navigate through this league and all its nuances was very rewarding,” he said. “He did a really good job in Boston last season and got them back to their identity and maximized a lot of players on their roster.”
Prior to Sturm he also hired John Wroblewski, who is now the Team USA women’s hockey team head coach and helped them win an Olympic gold medal in 2026. Seeley said he believes that he can find the right candidate in Abbotsford.
“With the success that Manny had it won’t be easy to replace him but we’re confident we’ll have someone here that will be the right fit to develop players for the Canucks, send the right messages and lay the right foundation for success,” he said.
Seeley said he’s still early in the evaluation stage for the Abbotsford roster, but that he’s aware of several key players.
“There’s some nice pieces and some good stories here,” he said. “Captain Chase [Wouters] it’s awesome that he signed an NHL contract. Great development there and he was a pain in the butt to play against. [Ty] Mueller is a player with high-end skill and a guy like Arshdeep Bains – to be an undrafted signing out of the WHL and be so productive is great.”
He said he wants to continue to build around some of those players and add some veterans, but not be too veteran heavy. Seeley noted that Riley Patterson and Kirill Kudryavtsev are two other players he thinks will be important pieces in Abbotsford and Vancouver moving forward.
He added that he thinks the new 19-year-old rule in the AHL will be a good thing. Starting this season a new provision allows each NHL organization to place one 19-year-old first round pick in the AHL instead of the CHL. 2025 first round pick Braden Cootes would be eligible for the Canucks to use this season under that provision.
“It depends on the player and where they’re at,” he said. “Generally I think it’ll be beneficial for NHL clubs and player development. But I don’t think it should be opened up to five or six on a team.”
The move to Abbotsford is also a homecoming of sorts for Seeley, as he returns to the province he grew up in. He played a season for his hometown Powell River Paper Kings before four seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Lethbridge Hurricanes and Prince Albert Raiders. He went on to play 399 games in the AHL and played with future stars like Roberto Luongo, Duncan Keith and Brent Seabrook.
Going back to his roots in Powell River is also on his agenda.
“I grew up there and still have a lot of great friends there,” he said. “It’s such a great hockey community and I’m excited to be closer to it and have my son spend some time up there.”
Seeley said he won’t be joining the Canucks staff at the NHL Draft later this month, but will help out when free agency opens on July 1. The Vancouver Canucks and Seattle Kraken prospect showcase event then comes to Abbotsford likely in September, with the AHL regular season typically beginning in October.