By now, you’ve already heard the news. The Vancouver Canucks selected a left-handed defenceman named Elias Pettersson in the third round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft on Friday.
Not only is Pettersson’s name pronounced the exact same way as Canuck forward Elias Pettersson’s, but Pettersson told media in Montreal that the 2019 Calder Trophy winner is also his favourite player, and is ultimately the reason he wears number 40.
For a full writeup on the Canucks’ 2022 third-round pick, click here.
As we expected he would, the elder Elias Pettersson took little time before reacting to the draft pick on social media:
First, Pettersson reposted the Canucks’ draft post on his Instagram story with the caption “Welcome Elias Pettersson!” followed by the Spider-Man pointing at Spider-Man meme.
Then Pettersson commented on the Canucks’ post:
Give us your best nickname for the new Elias Pettersson in the comments below!