Zachary Okabe is well-accustomed to changing locations.
The forward from Okotoks, who possesses Canadian, Australian, and Japanese citizenship and has lived in five different countries, is moving west after signing a one-year American Hockey League contract with the Abbotsford Canucks for the 2024-25 season, as announced by the team on Wednesday.
At 23 years old, he recently completed a five-year stint at St. Cloud State University in the NCAA, where he amassed 119 points in 176 games from 2019 to 2023.
The 5-foot-9, 170-pound winger ended last season on an amateur tryout contract with the AHL’s Cleveland Monsters, recording three points in nine games. Originally from Fukuoka, Okabe became the fourth Japanese-born player to compete in the AHL during his time with the Monsters.
Before his collegiate career, he played for the Grande Prairie Storm in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, where he scored 115 points in 118 games from 2017 to 2019. He also participated in the CJHL Top Prospects Game in 2019 alongside Dylan Holloway and Quinn Olson of the Okotoks Oilers.
Okabe has had a strong partnership with Peyton Krebs since their peewee days in the Okotoks Oilers Athletic Association.
The Abbotsford Canucks, who are affiliated with the Vancouver Canucks, compete in the AHL’s Pacific Division, facing teams like the Calgary Wranglers, Bakersfield Condors, Coachella Valley Firebirds, Henderson Silver Knights, and Colorado Eagles.
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