Following the Vancouver Canucks‘ shutout victory over the Anaheim Ducks, Adam Foote had high praise for a pair of young Swedes for their efforts in the contest.

After being held pointless through the first 18 games of his season, Liam Öhgren was a part of the package in the Quinn Hughes trade. And the fresh start helped him. Öhgren scored in his second game in a Canucks sweater and had three points in his first four games while seeing as low as 7:15 minutes in a game. It was clear he made a strong first impression with Canucks brass.

Since then, he’s been given more and more ice time, topping out at over 17 minutes in a game earlier in the month. However, the points haven’t really translated to the increased ice time, with just one assist through 12 games. But Öhgren’s proving he can find a way to provide for his team other than the score sheet: on the penalty kill.

Over the past eight games, Öhgren has started to see time on the penalty kill. He isn’t a first-over-the-boards type guy, but over the last three games, he’s seen over 30 seconds of shorthanded time – he has not been on the ice for a goal against, to boot.

So what is Foote seeing in Öhgren’s defensive game to trust him in shorthanded situations?

“He listens to details,” Foote shared postgame on Thursday. “In his 5-on-5 [minutes], he really tries to run the routes properly and tries to be a good F3 when it’s his turn to be the F3. We gave him some reps in practice, but also did a lot of work with him. You know, we can’t keep using the same guys moving forward. We’ve got to teach these young guys how to do it. He’s got the speed, and give him a little bit more of a role until he develops more offensively, which he’s got the tools to.

“He’s a sponge. He’s not going to get it right all the time, but who does? Even our veterans [don’t], you know, it’s hard, this level, it’s a good league. But, he’s got the speed too. Teach him the right times to jump on guys on a bobbled puck, and you might see him get some two-on-ones or breakaways. We’ll probably see him more and more as the season goes along.”

Another player Foote commended in Thursday’s postgame was Elias Pettersson, the defenceman.

After becoming a fan favourite for his hard-hitting, strong defensive play, it hasn’t been the greatest sophomore season for Pettersson. Once considered a nightly roster lock, Pettersson has been demoted to the American League for two different stints.

Now, those stints were just a quick reset, as he’s played just three games with the Abbotsford Canucks. But there have undoubtedly been some speed bumps in his development this season that required a change of pace for the 21-year-old Swede. And, to Foote’s credit, Pettersson has been better for it, and he made sure to give him the shoutout he deserved following a night that saw him finish with a plus-one rating.

“He got a lot of games last year, maybe more than he probably should have had to help his development,” Foote said. “We were hard on him. Waiting for that moment to really pump his tires. The last few [games] we’re like, ‘Hey, you got a lot. You got a lot. You’re good. You know what to do. You’re fine.’ I give our D coach a lot of credit because that was his best game of the year. I felt like he was not just getting the puck and moving it quick; if he had time and space, he would take four-five extra strides, let his forwards get in their lanes, get going, and he made good decisions. He’s strong. He’s physical. I think this game will help him grow a lot.”

As the Canucks enter their transition phase into a rebuild, strong performances like these from their young players are something to keep an eye on. These are going to be the next wave of Canucks, who will hopefully lead this team back to contention. And receiving words of encouragement like this from their head coach will only build toward their confidence moving forward.