Canucks to face Storm in first round of AJHL playoffs

It has been 10 days since the Calgary Canucks last took to the ice for a game.

The last time was March 2 when they beat the Olds Grizzlys.

Since then, they've patiently waited to find out who they will play in the opening round of the AJHL playoffs.

They finally have their answer.

They'll take on the Grand Prairie Storm in round 1, and forward Bowden Singleton says he is looking forward to it.

"It's a good matchup," the 19-year-old said.

"We've had good games all year long. We split 2-2 home and home but travel plays a factor in this series. That's seven hours of travel so we're kind of prepping for that."

Tough travel

Both teams face a lot of kilometres travelling between the two series.

Canucks head coach Brad Moran says the team would have liked an opponent a little closer but there is not much you can do about it and they had been preparing as if it was going to be Grand Prairie.

"It is what it is. It's out of our control," he said.

"We've got to make sure we take care of ourselves when we can and get our sleep when we can because there's going to be some bus hours but that's the way it is."

Different culture

This is one of the best years the Calgary Canucks have had in some time.

They finished in third place in the AJHL in the regular season with a 31-23-1-2 record.

Defenceman Ethan Casper says right from the start of training camp, the team wanted a change of attitude and everyone is looking to continue that into the post-season.

"This team had family values all year. That was something coming in that we talked about right away was just changing the culture," the 20-year-old said.

"(We wanted) to have a culture of brothers and a family that's going to have each other's back and I think we've built that here. I think that's going to give us strength down the line when things get tough and we're going to come together as a group and stay together."

Games 1 and 2 of the series will be played at the Ken Bracko Arena on Friday and Saturday.

The series shifts to Grand Prairie for games 3 and 4 on Monday and Tuesday.

If necessary, game 5 will be played in Calgary, game 6 in Grand Prairie and game 7 in Calgary.