The canister is a protective, stainless steel container into which the freezing bag is placed. In addition to mechanically protecting the freezing bag, the canister has receptacles on the top and side which serve as connectors to the periscope hook and the rack address hook. Further, the thermal properties of the canister augment heat transfer during freezing and protect the unit from uncontrolled warming when it is removed from the ThermoGenesis BioArchive System.