Welcome back to another Vancouver Canucks 2024–25 report card. In this series, The Hockey News – Canucks site discusses the 2024–25 seasons of active Canucks who played at least 10 games with Vancouver. Today, we’ll be taking a look at how Elias Pettersson (D) performed in the 2024–25 season.
Pettersson was one of the biggest surprises of the 2024–25 season for the Canucks. This season was his first with the Abbotsford Canucks, where he was expected to stay for at least the year to hone his game. The 2022 third-round pick started the season in Abbotsford, racking up two assists in his first five games with the team.
While he did spend the first half of the season in the AHL, clearly, his NHL debut was imminent. His performance during the first few months of his career in Abbotsford earned him a spot at the 2025 AHL All-Star Challenge, though Ty Mueller skated in his place as Pettersson was busy playing with the Canucks at the time. February 15, 2025, marked his final AHL game of the season. He finished his AHL season with a goal and 12 assists in 38 games.
Pettersson made his NHL debut on January 25, 2025, in a 2–1 home victory for Vancouver against the Washington Capitals. He recorded his first NHL point two games later against the Detroit Red Wings and scored his first NHL goal on April 5 against the Anaheim Ducks. However, what impressed people the most about Pettersson was his calm but confident demeanour on the ice — something that isn’t very common for a 21-year-old prospect who has less than 40 games worth of AHL experience.
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Another aspect of Pettersson’s game that helped him stick in the lineup was his willingness to throw his body around and stand up for his team. Again, as a young rookie, it’s not often that players would get into skirmmishes within the first few games of their NHL career. With that being said, Pettersson stepped up to the plate even during his first couple of NHL games, making solid hits and even defending his own teammates. He even got into his first NHL fight on April 10, taking on Colorado Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor in a 4–1 win.
By the end of the 2024–25 season, Pettersson carved himself out a full-time position within the Canucks’ D-core. His success in the NHL made Carson Soucy expendable, leading to the veteran defenceman’s trade only a day before the NHL Trade Deadline. His demeanour, style of play, and positive impression on the team have earned him an A for the 2024–25 season.
As it stands, it looks as though Vancouver will be bringing back the same blueline that they iced in 2024–25, as Quinn Hughes, Filip Hronek, Tyler Myers, Marcus Pettersson, and Derek Forbort are all under contract with the team next year. Pettersson is an early favourite to start in the sixth and final spot on Vancouver’s blueline; however, that doesn’t mean he is without competition. Victor Mancini (right-shot) and free agent-signing Pierre-Olivier Joseph (left-shot) could also push for a spot during training camp in the fall.
Player Review Series Articles:
Teddy Blueger
Filip Chytil
Nils Åman
Nils Höglander
Drew O'Connor
Aatu Räty
Kiefer Sherwood
Jonathan Lekkerimäki
Marcus Pettersson
Linus Karlsson
Kevin Lankinen
Thatcher Demko
Jake DeBrusk
Filip Hronek
Brock Boeser
Tyler Myers
Conor Garland
Elias Pettersson (F)
Quinn Hughes
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