VANCOUVER – Everyone has a favourite Elias Pettersson story, and Vancouver Canucks teammate Erik Gudbranson didn’t need to wait long for his.
It was Pettersson’s first National Hockey League pre-season game, long before the Swedish rookie scored with a rocket on opening night against Calgary.
It was the first period of his first game on NHL ice, the Canucks’ second power play against the Edmonton Oilers. Gudbranson was watching from the press box, keeping his eye on the new kid, when Oilers penalty-killer Ryan Strome pressured Pettersson near the top of the right-wing circle.
The teenager fooled Strome so badly with a lateral puck dangle that the Oiler lost his balance and literally fell over. It hardly mattered that a few seconds later, Pettersson swung so hard and missed on a one-timer that he, too, dusted the ice.
He made Strome look ridiculous.
"That was the first moment where you go, ‘Oh, my God,’" Gudbranson said. "He nearly broke Ryan Strome’s ankle. I was like, ‘Whoa.’ The days when Pavel Datsyuk would literally throw guys for a loop are pretty much over. That was the first time where I was like, ‘Wow, that was pretty nice.’"
Canucks winger Sven Baertschi could feel Strome’s embarrassment.
"I didn’t expect him to just come into camp and tear some of our players apart," he said. "Even I was like: ‘Holy, what is going on?’"
There have been plenty of "holy" moments since then for Pettersson.
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On Thursday, as most teammates boarded flights to Hawaii or Mexico or drove up to Whistler for the Canucks’ week-long schedule break, Pettersson flew to San Jose for the NHL’s All-Star Game. Selected as a rookie to join the best players in the world, the lanky centre competes in the skills competition on Friday and the three-on-three tournament Saturday.
Pettersson became the fifth NHL player in 100 years to score 10 goals in his first 10 games. Then he turned 20 on Nov. 12.
He reached the all-star break as the Canucks’ leading scorer with 23 goals and 45 points in 40 games, and has a 19-point lead in the rookie scoring race despite missing six games with a concussion and another five due to a sprained knee.
Unless he is injured again or Buffalo Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin plays like Ray Bourque in the final third of the season, Pettersson will win the Calder Trophy by a landslide.
"I don’t expect anything," Pettersson told reporters this week. "I work hard. I believe in myself, believe in the team. I do my best to win hockey games. And then, of course, I’m happy with my personal prizes, but it’s a team game and that’s what I focus on most."
Later, in possibly his most revealing moment so far, he said: "I always believe in myself. But when I was growing up, I didn’t think I would play in the NHL. I was just practising hard, always working, took it step by step, and now I’m here living my dream. But nothing has come easy. I will still continue working although I had some success lately. There’s a lot of work behind it."
At six-foot-two, Pettersson is listed in NHL game notes as weighing 176 pounds – about 20 pounds more than he weighed two and a half years ago at the start of his draft season in Sweden’s second division. Had he been heavier, Pettersson wouldn’t have slipped to the Canucks with the fifth pick of the 2017 draft.
Just 19 months later, the Canucks wouldn’t trade Pettersson for both Nico Hischier and Nolan Patrick, the forwards drafted first and second overall in what was considered a two-horse race.
Pettersson’s size has rarely been an issue this season. He is smart and agile enough to avoid big hits, yet plays a two-way game and goes into traffic.
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But all those questions about his size and strength helped him become a star. They’re why he’s at the All-Star Game.
"Oh, yeah," he said of the motivation. "I was doubted that I could play because I’m not a big person. ‘Too skinny.’ But I came up with a way to use that as an advantage – to think hockey before strength. So far, it’s going good."
Pettersson’s linemate, Brock Boeser, was only a West Coast story until he went to last year’s All-Star Game and became the first rookie to be named its MVP. Boeser won the target-shooting competition and returned to the Canucks as an NHL sensation.
Pettersson is already there. He has changed the landscape in Vancouver. He is the Canucks’ best player and has accelerated the team’s rebuild by a year. The Canucks are challenging for a playoff spot this season instead of next year.
"It’s just kind of humbling to be in the same room as all of these older guys," Boeser said of his all-star experience. "When I got to meet Sidney Crosby and other guys – Brent Burns, Anze Kopitar and other guys on my team – it was an eye-opening experience. Just enjoy the whole thing."
Asked if the shooting accuracy competition should be Pettersson’s event, too, Boeser said: "I sure hope it is. But he’s so skilled at everything, I don’t know what events they’ll put him in."
Pettersson said he doesn’t know what to expect, but he’ll be nervous walking into a dressing room filled with NHL stars he grew up watching.
"Yeah, of course I get nervous," he said. "I’m nervous a little before games and important games. But like my dad told me, when you’re nervous that’s a good thing because that means you’re ready."
