3 Brogan Rafferty D

Rafferty scored a goal and added three assists in AHL Utica's 6-5 overtime win over Hartford on Wednesday.

Rafferty, an undrafted collegiate free agent out of Quinnipiac, has been arguably the AHL's best defenseman this season. The 24-year-old leads all rearguards in scoring with 37 points in 40 games and his 31 helpers have him tied for the most in the league. If he keeps up this torrential pace, Vancouver will be forced to give Rafferty a look sooner rather than later.

Rafferty leads AHL Utica in points by a defenseman.

Rafferty has 29 points in 33 contests, ranking him second overall in team scoring. He also boasts a team-leading plus-17 rating. The 24-year-old is having a successful campaign and could work his way into earning a spot with the big club before long.

Rafferty signed a two-year, two-way contract with the Canucks on Tuesday.

After concluding his three-year college career at Quinnipiac in the spring, the undrafted defenseman headed to Vancouver immediately after signing an entry-level pact. He appeared in just two games for the Canucks and may be on the outside looking in for a spot on the 23-man roster heading into training camp.

Vancouver sent Rafferty a qualifying offer Tuesday.

Rafferty inked a one-year, entry-level deal with Vancouver in April after ending a successful three-year career at Quinnipiac University, so there was never really any doubt that he'd be qualified by the team. The 24-year-old American will, however, likely spend the entirety of the 2019-20 season in the minors.