Arshdeep Bains

Arshdeep Bains (born January 9, 2001) is a Canadian professional ice hockey left winger for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Early life
Bains was born on January 9, 2001 to a Indo-Canadian Jat Sikh family in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. His parents immigrated to Canada from Punjab, India, in 1982. Bains first learned to skate in Newton, Surrey, and his family later moved to Cloverdale, Surrey. Bains played in the Surrey Minor Hockey League as a child. He began playing ice hockey after playing mini-sticks and road hockey with his older brothers. As Bains was raised in Metro Vancouver, he grew up idolizing the Vancouver Canucks and has been a lifelong fan of the hometown team.

While growing up in Surrey, Bains began playing AAA ice hockey with the Burnaby Winter Club Bruins. He was also a member of the BC Junior Canucks that competed at the 2011 Brick Hockey Invitational Hockey Tournament. In 2012, he was the top scorer in the Bell Capital Cup tournament as he led the Burnaby Winter Club Bruins to a championship win. Following the Bruins, Bains enrolled at Delta Hockey Academy where he played on their U15 Prep team in the Canadian Sport School Hockey League.

After being passed over in the Western Hockey League (WHL) Draft, Bains was recruited to attend the Red Deer Rebels rookie camp. When he failed to make the team, Bains played one season with the Vancouver North East Chiefs U18 AAA team during the 2016–17 season. The following season, he again attended the Rebels training camp but was returned to the Valley West Hawks of the BC Hockey Major Midget League (BCMML).

Amateur
In 2017, Bains was named to the Red Deer Rebels' 50-player protected list, allowing them to call him up to the WHL if needed. After accumulating 16 goals and 41 assists for 56 points through 22 games with the Valley West Hawks, Bains joined the Rebels for the remainder of the season. Before joining the Rebels, Bains was recognized as the BCMML's "Player of the Month" for November. He finished his rookie season with the Rebels with seven points through 40 games. Bains returned to the Rebels for the 2018–19 season where he set new career-highs in goals, assists, and points.

Although the 2019–20 season was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bains broke numerous personal records by setting career highs in goals, assists, and points. After working to improve himself over the summer, Bains began receiving more responsibility on the ice as he also found chemistry with linemates Ben King and Chris Douglas. He finished the season with 18 goals and 51 points through 63 games before the season was cancelled.

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, Bains and his Red Deer Rebels teammates lived in the Rebels' home arena, the Westerner Park Centrium, for the entirety of the 2020–21 season. In March 2021, Bains was named an alternate captain for the Rebels alongside King, Douglas, Josh Tarzwell, and Zak Smith.

In his final season with the Rebels, Bains broke out offensively and set career-highs in goals, assists, and points. Bains was the WHL's top scorer for the 2021–22 season, finishing the season with 43 goals and 69 assists, also becoming the first player of South Asian descent to win the Bob Clarke Trophy.

Professional
On March 11, 2022, Bains signed an entry-level contract with the Vancouver Canucks. After participating in the Canucks' training camp and pre-season games, Bains was reassigned to their American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks, for the 2022–23 season. He scored his first professional goal in his first career AHL game in Abbotsford's season-opening 8–2 loss to the Ontario Reign. Bains then quickly tallied 13 points in his first 24 games by January 3, 2023.

On February 20, 2024, Bains made his NHL debut with the Canucks in a 3–1 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. On his debut, Bains became one of four Punjabi players to play in the National Hockey League, the others being Robin Bawa, Manny Malhotra and Jujhar Khaira. As of March 2024, Bains has been reassigned to the Vancouver Canucks' AHL Affiliate, the Abbotsford Canucks.