We are just under two months away from the start of the 2026-27 season, and one Vancouver Canucks forward is already on the ice preparing for the season.

On Tuesday, August 4, Elias Pettersson was seen training in Los Angeles at the Kings’ practice facility.

The video quality isn’t perfect, so it’s hard to identify who is on the ice, but we clearly see former Canucks teammate and current San Jose Sharks forward Tyler Toffoli with him. Along with Pettersson, there are players sporting Anaheim Ducks, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Winnipeg Jets practice jerseys in the clip. We can also see a handful of players wearing Ontario Reign sweaters, as well as a BCHL jersey among the participants.

You can watch the full eight-minute video below!

This is to be taken with a grain of salt, as it is just a summer skate, but it looked as though Pettersson was having fun out there, which is a positive sign.

Typically, this wouldn’t even be a talking point. However, it’s encouraging to see Pettersson out there training in early August after some of the comments this new regime made in mid-May.

“With Elias, we’ve been through this as players,” Co-President of Hockey Operations Daniel Sedin shared. “You’re going to have some really good seasons, you’re going to have some tough seasons. We’ve found that after a long career, looking back, our best seasons we had, we were well prepared. That is everything you can control. It’s how hard you work in the summer, mentally ready to get when training camp hits. I think that’s the one message to him: preparation.”

“Here’s my initial thought on Elias: I want to wipe away all the expectations that may exist in him,” said GM Ryan Johnson. “Just like the rest of our hockey club, not just our players, but our staff. We’re asking them to come into September the most prepared that they could be. For our players, it’s going to be physically and mentally to make a decision.”

Pettersson, 27, is coming off the worst statistical season of his eight-year NHL career. He scored just 15 goals and 36 assists for 51 points in 74 games, good for .69 points-per-game.

While the Canucks aren’t expected to be competitive as they head into their rebuild, seeing their $11.6 million AAV man grinding this early in the summer for next season is encouraging, suggesting that Pettersson has taken the criticism well and is gearing up for a bounce-back year in 2026-27.