Rookie defenceman <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/tape-shift-by-shift-breakdown-vancouver-canucks-defenceman-elias-petterssons-nhl-debut">Elias Pettersson made his National Hockey League debut</a> on January 25th at home against the Washington Capitals. At the time, the Caps were the top team in the NHL. Talk about baptism by fire for a young blueliner.
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But the 21-year-old stepped into the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a> lineup, met the challenge head on and used the game as a springboard to an impressive first stretch in the best league on the planet.
The big league debut cost Pettersson a well-deserved weekend at the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/6-things-abbotsford-canucks-expect-charlotte-checkers-ahead-ahl-calder-cup-final">American Hockey League</a> showcase. But as Pettersson – and Canucks fans – later learned, it appears this is a player that has now left the AHL behind.
The big league Canucks were careful to shelter the youngster and bring him along slowly, but his play warranted more and more opportunities as the season unfolded.
In all, Pettersson appeared in 28 NHL games after developing faster than expected in 38 games in Abbotsford to start his first full season in North America.
Among the highlights for Pettersson, his first NHL goal on April 5th at home against Anaheim and his first NHL fight against Logan O’Connor in Colorado on April 10th. &#8220;D-Petey&#8221;, as he has been labelled to distinguish him from his teammate and original <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/lebrun-vancouver-canucks-leaning-toward-keeping-elias-pettersson-offseason">Elias Pettersson</a>, finished the season with a goal, two assists and 17 penalty minutes. He also registered 39 hits and 16 blocked shots.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="550" data-dnt="true">
looking at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Canucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Canucks</a> D-Petey&#39;s season. 16 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NHL?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NHL</a> games so far, just one penalty. And it was a matching roughing minor with Colorado&#39;s Miles Wood on Feb 2nd. So rookie d-man still hasn&#39;t put Nux shorthanded. Pretty impressive as he continues to learn the ropes in key games
&mdash; Jeff Paterson (@patersonjeff) <a href="https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1902733718714020090?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 20, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
In 348 minutes at 5-on-5 with Pettersson on the ice, the Canucks controlled 51.1% of all shot attempts and 50.4% of expected goals, although the team was outscored 8-5. 
Pettersson’s primary partner at even strength was veteran Derek Forbort, which meant the youngster was forced to shift to the right side – not an easy adjustment for a left-handed player getting his feet wet at the NHL level. But Pettersson handled the assignment with ease. He also spent a chunk of his season on the left side paired with Filip Hronek. On both sides, Pettersson displayed a calm and poised game and used his solid frame effectively to separate opponents from the puck. 
In his debut, Pettersson played just 10:37. Two games later, that number jumped to 16:12. And later, in a March 9th game against Dallas, he logged a season (and career) high 16:44 and did not look out of place. It was all very impressive for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft who didn’t turn 21 until mid-February.
As alluded to earlier, Pettersson’s season ended on April 16th. The organization made the curious decision to leave the young blueliner off the Abbotsford playoff roster. It’s a huge vote of confidence that he figures prominently in the plans for Vancouver next season and beyond. However, seeing what Abbotsford has done in the playoffs, it is fair to wonder how valuable a deep postseason run full of high-intensity hockey would have done to further Pettersson’s development. It’s clear the minor league Canucks have been just fine without Pettersson, but the chance to compete and battle for a championship at any level is usually an opportunity any prospect would want to be a part of.
The early end to his season, and with 28 games of NHL experience in his back pocket, should allow Pettersson a full summer to train effectively to hit the ground running when training camp rolls around.
The past eight months have represented nothing but success for Pettersson’s professional growth. He became a fan favourite at Rogers Arena for his rambunctious style of play. He’s clearly a quick study who has arrived well ahead of schedule. Once a curiosity because his name was the same as the team’s budding superstar, this Elias Pettersson seems intent on making a name for himself, and the 2024-25 season was a terrific coming-out party.
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Rookie defenceman <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/tape-shift-by-shift-breakdown-vancouver-canucks-defenceman-elias-petterssons-nhl-debut">Elias Pettersson made his National Hockey League debut</a> on January 25th at home against the Washington Capitals. At the time, the Caps were the top team in the NHL. Talk about baptism by fire for a young blueliner.
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But the 21-year-old stepped into the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/combinations">Vancouver Canucks</a> lineup, met the challenge head on and used the game as a springboard to an impressive first stretch in the best league on the planet.

The big league debut cost Pettersson a well-deserved weekend at the <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/6-things-abbotsford-canucks-expect-charlotte-checkers-ahead-ahl-calder-cup-final">American Hockey League</a> showcase. But as Pettersson – and Canucks fans – later learned, it appears this is a player that has now left the AHL behind.

The big league Canucks were careful to shelter the youngster and bring him along slowly, but his play warranted more and more opportunities as the season unfolded.

In all, Pettersson appeared in 28 NHL games after developing faster than expected in 38 games in Abbotsford to start his first full season in North America.

Among the highlights for Pettersson, his first NHL goal on April 5th at home against Anaheim and his first NHL fight against Logan O’Connor in Colorado on April 10th. "D-Petey", as he has been labelled to distinguish him from his teammate and original <a href="https://canucksarmy.com/news/lebrun-vancouver-canucks-leaning-toward-keeping-elias-pettersson-offseason">Elias Pettersson</a>, finished the season with a goal, two assists and 17 penalty minutes. He also registered 39 hits and 16 blocked shots.

https://twitter.com/patersonjeff/status/1902733718714020090

In 348 minutes at 5-on-5 with Pettersson on the ice, the Canucks controlled 51.1% of all shot attempts and 50.4% of expected goals, although the team was outscored 8-5. 

Pettersson’s primary partner at even strength was veteran Derek Forbort, which meant the youngster was forced to shift to the right side – not an easy adjustment for a left-handed player getting his feet wet at the NHL level. But Pettersson handled the assignment with ease. He also spent a chunk of his season on the left side paired with Filip Hronek. On both sides, Pettersson displayed a calm and poised game and used his solid frame effectively to separate opponents from the puck. 

In his debut, Pettersson played just 10:37. Two games later, that number jumped to 16:12. And later, in a March 9th game against Dallas, he logged a season (and career) high 16:44 and did not look out of place. It was all very impressive for a third-round pick in the 2022 NHL Draft who didn’t turn 21 until mid-February.

As alluded to earlier, Pettersson’s season ended on April 16th. The organization made the curious decision to leave the young blueliner off the Abbotsford playoff roster. It’s a huge vote of confidence that he figures prominently in the plans for Vancouver next season and beyond. However, seeing what Abbotsford has done in the playoffs, it is fair to wonder how valuable a deep postseason run full of high-intensity hockey would have done to further Pettersson’s development. It’s clear the minor league Canucks have been just fine without Pettersson, but the chance to compete and battle for a championship at any level is usually an opportunity any prospect would want to be a part of.

The early end to his season, and with 28 games of NHL experience in his back pocket, should allow Pettersson a full summer to train effectively to hit the ground running when training camp rolls around.

The past eight months have represented nothing but success for Pettersson’s professional growth. He became a fan favourite at Rogers Arena for his rambunctious style of play. He’s clearly a quick study who has arrived well ahead of schedule. Once a curiosity because his name was the same as the team’s budding superstar, this Elias Pettersson seems intent on making a name for himself, and the 2024-25 season was a terrific coming-out party.

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Canucks D Elias Pettersson arrived ahead of schedule and made a name for himself: 2024-25 Year in Review

Danila Klimovich during the Vancouver Canucks' 4-2 win over the Winnipeg Jets at the 2024 Young Stars Classic from Penticton, BC.

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