Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
A 30th birthday is very important for anyone, and it brings the potential for all kinds of life changes.
Christian Wolanin you know that.
Wolanin, who turned 30 last March, won a Calder Cup, got married, faced his hockey future, and finally got a contract with one of the AHL’s top teams.
Those swings in life are shaped by the luck of Wolanin in 2025.
Last January 4, the Abbotsford Canucks found themselves standing in the Pacific Division and felt the pain of being beaten 6-2 at the hands of the Laval Rocket. A post-match, players-only meeting followed. Wolanin, then an integral part of Abbotsford’s leadership team, and his colleagues found themselves in danger of falling out of contention. Instead they rallied, went 30-9-1-1 throughout the regular season, and battled through five rounds of the Calder Cup Playoffs.
By the time June 23 arrived, the team that had been struggling in January had become Calder Cup champions. Wolanin played a big role in that operation, too. He posted a goal and 27 assists in his final 41 regular season games. Then followed 10 more points (two goals, eight assists) in 17 playoff contests.
Heading into free agency, Wolanin can certainly expect a number of very good offers for 2025-26 and possibly beyond. He was a two-time AHL All-Star, and won the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL’s most outstanding defenseman in 2022-23. Add in 86 NHL regular season games as an easy team recall and play option. And now he had a Calder Cup to his name.
Everyone loves a winner.
Except it didn’t happen.
July came and went. It was the same in August. September, too. Nothing.
Wolanin is tight-lipped about the situation.
“You really don’t expect it to go like that after winning, do you?” said Wolanin, who had offseason surgery to repair a sports hernia. “There aren’t many businesses where you can go back after being successful.”
The ripple effect of careers in pro hockey is very real. One player signs somewhere, and the spin-off results can impact several other players here in North America and overseas. All the while, Wolanin still had to stay in good shape just in case a call came from the general manager out there. Based in the Los Angeles area in the off-season, he skated with other free people Chase De Leo again Matt Nieto. That meant a 90-minute commute to the Toyota Sports Performance Center, the practice facility for the Los Angeles Kings and the Ontario Reign.
It was a long way from playoff hockey and winning a championship.
“It makes you happy when you have a team because that grinding is not a game,” admitted Wolanin. “I think it answers the question of how much you love the game.”
Even so, he was very happy to carry her on this long journey. In another, he got married.
Now he just needed a job, as the summer turned into the autumn months and there was nothing to help him.
“You’re just trying to understand the situation,” Wolanin said. “It was difficult for my wife (Emily) and I just sit at home without work. I’ve been through a lot, humbly, and I like to think I’ve been open about the better part of things.”
Finally his fortune changed Nov. 20. That’s when the Providence Bruins brought him a professional tryout. Injuries had hit the Boston Bruins, meaning Providence found itself in need of immediate help. It’s not a full contract, but beggars can’t be picky, of course. And Providence is a prime landing spot for any player in the AHL.
It was long overdue, but important.
“I was very grateful to get a call from a top team with a great culture,” Wolanin said, “and they were already winning games.”
Wolanin’s start for the P-Bruins came quickly. Two nights after signing, he was on the ice in Providence against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. In his second game, a 5-1 win at Toronto on November 26, he had four assists. Then two relief nights in Belleville, one of his previous stops, followed, and he soon became a mainstay in the backfield for Providence.
The Bruins also got excited about the game, signing Wolanin on Dec. 7 in the regular AHL player contract for the entire season.
“He fits in well with what we need and what we need,” the head coach Ryan Mougenel said. “And there is an opportunity for him here, for sure.”
At 22-6-1-0 (.776), the Bruins have the best record in the Eastern Conference. Wolanin is able to get the puck out of trouble and distribute it. He can improve on any power play, and Providence ranks fifth in the AHL in man-advantage at 25.3 percent. One of Wolanin’s best strengths is his ability to create offensively but do so patiently and quietly. He doesn’t force play unnecessarily.
“It has been advertised,” continued Mougenel. “I’ve been following his career for a long time, so I’ve always been a fan. He gives us a different kind of dynamic back there. He sees the games before they’re there. He’s calm, he’s calm, he’s full of life. And he’s coached by the best coaches. I know it. Todd McLellanHe was a huge influence on her, and I’m a small student of Todd’s. “
Now that Wolanin is settled with Providence, it would be easy to forget what his situation was like six weeks ago. He didn’t.
“I’m sitting here pretending it’s all sunshine and rainbows, and it’s not,” Wolanin admitted. “I was getting a little impatient, a little frustrated with the situation, but you find out how much you love the game when you spread your gear in the boot of your car.
“It’s just testing your will.”
Now Wolanin is back in the game, and has a chance to make another Calder Cup charge.
“Even though it was frustrating and a little confusing,” Wolanin said, “I’m very grateful to be in a place like this with a great group of guys.
“I think the thing I got out of it is that I love this game, and I will do anything to keep playing.”
In the American Hockey League for two decades, TheAHL.com features writer Patrick Williams and currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. He was the recipient of the AHL’s James H. Ellery Memorial Award for the league’s top scorer in 2016.
