‘I’ll do it all playing here full time one day’: Defenseman Elias Pettersson Reflects on NHL Debut

The Vancouver Canucks won 2-1 over the league-leading Washington Capitals on Saturday night and it was a special night for defenseman Elias Pettersson, who made his NHL debut.

“It was a lot of fun, and I was trying to enjoy the moment,” Pettersson said. “Yes, I am really happy.”

Petey, as he’s called around the locker room, was selected in the third round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft and played in eight AHL games last season. He played in 36 AHL games this year and has one goal and twelve assists while eating up a ton of minutes on the penalty kill.

Before we started recording our interview, D-Petey asked about the result of the Abbotsford Canucks as they won their eighth game in a row by beating the Tucson Roadrunners 6-2. No team is hotter in the AHL than Abbotsford and they travel to the Coachella Valley for Wednesday’s game to complete a three-game road trip before returning to the Abbotsford Center on Friday.

Pettersson talked about experiencing the NHL firsthand and the difference he feels between the NHL and AHL.

“I mean, it’s different down in the AHL, but yeah, I think I fit in well my first few shifts. I think I grew into a game a lot, and having these guys around you, it helped a lot too. They talked a lot, and it helped me a lot. So , it feels good that they supported me. It was a great game,” said Pettersson.

“It was great to play at this level, it’s where you want to play and like I said before, I will do everything to play here full time one day. I learned that you should always be ready. Tonight, I felt like I kept it easy, but I learned that you have to be ready to go every shift.”

Pettersson credited assistant coach Adam Foote with getting him comfortable in the game plan and setting expectations for the 20-year-old linebacker.

Canucks captain Quinn Hughes spoke to the media following Saturday night’s game and gave a positive update on Pettersson while being happy to see him continue to improve.

“He can swing, he has good size, [and is a] a competitive, good kid, and he’s going to play a long time,” Hughes said. “This is the beginning of his long career hope, and it’s not easy to go in with how the last few games have gone. I thought he did well, and especially a player like him, he’s going to keep getting better, and especially with Footy back there, how he can improve guys. He might show up sooner than you think.”

Pettersson played 14 shifts in 10:37 of ice time and had two hits and a blocked shot in the game. He was in the lead with one goal and scored one goal in the egg.