Vancouver Canucks: Elias Pettersson is the real deal
By Jasmine Yen
When the Vancouver Canucks selected Elias Pettersson in the first round during the 2017 NHL Draft, they had no idea that he was going to be this electric.
The 2018-19 season is Elias Pettersson‘s debut to the NHL. There was a lot of hype surrounding the Vancouver Canucks top prospect. Thus far, he has performed beyond everyone’s expectations. In eight games played, he has seven goals and three assists for 10 points.
He is the 21st player in NHL history to have seven goals in his first seven games, and he is only 19 years old. When he lit up the SHL, it was very impressive (56 points in 44 games) but we all expected his numbers to drop once he came over to the NHL. There’s no way he will have that much space and NHL goalies are much tougher to score on, right?
Pettersson has been proving us all wrong and is still lighting the lamp with unbelievable plays. His blazing speed takes opponents by surprise and backs off the defenders and his shot is wickedly precise.
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This goal against the Minnesota Wild (his second of the game) shows exactly what makes him so special. When the Wild won the faceoff and got it back to their defenseman, Pettersson pressured him into making a shot, blocked it and used his speed to create a breakaway chance.
Devan Dubnyk played him extremely aggressively, staying outside of the blue paint and yet Pettersson still managed to hit the only spot that was open and went bar down. His shooting stance is so balanced which forces the goaltender to guess where the puck is going to go.
His reputation of being a playmaker has really played into his hands, as defenders and goalies are constantly waiting for him to make a pass and the puck ends up behind their net. The first goal of his NHL career (which came off his first NHL shot) was exactly that. His speed generated a 2-on-1 and he had his head up the entire time “looking for a pass” before ripping it above Mike Smith‘s shoulder.
His speed, shot, and creativity allows him to dominate the ice every time he steps on and he seems to be the real deal. Obviously, his shooting percentage of 44 percent will come back down to earth, but his skill and talent are plain to see and they will only improve as he grows.
Despite only playing eight NHL games so far, he already centers his own line, as well as their first powerplay unit. He may be a rookie, but his impact on the team was immediate. His importance was especially felt when he suffered a concussion after getting thrown to the ice by Mike Matheson. The Canucks’ offense evaporated, scoring 12 goals in six games, with a 3-3 record.
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The Vancouver Canucks have caught a lot of flack for the last couple of years for being an old team, but this season is different. They are currently first in their division and their scoring leaders are Bo Horvat (23 years old), Elias Pettersson (19 years old), and Brock Boeser (21 years old). This is a very promising group of young players who will lead the Vancouver Canucks for the next 10+ years. As long as Elias Pettersson continues his dominance and development, this team will be extremely dangerous to play against.