Vancouver Canucks Prospects Send Warning Shot to the Rest of the Organizations NHL Hopeful's
Photo credit: NHL.com
A notable few Vancouver Canucks prospects have sent a shot to the rest of the organizations NHL hopeful's by leaving a strong impression in their first game against the Seattle Kraken.
The Vancouver Canucks are wrapping up their Prospects Showcase games against the Seattle Kraken on Sunday afternoon with a stacked roster taking to the ice in Washington state.
Vancouver unfortunately lost 2025 first round pick Braeden Cootes for "precautionary reasons" ahead of the third period and had to play Sunday without him, but others stepped up this weekend and left the Canucks' management with a lot to think about with just a few days until training camp.
Vancouver Canucks prospects leaving strong impression on team's management
During Saturday's loss to Seattle in Everett, Washington, the Vancouver Canucks had a great first 40 minutes, leading 3-0 at one point before taking a 3-1 lead to the dressing room after the second period.
Despite their third period collapse, there were several notable standouts from the game, among them being Swedish defenseman Elias Pettersson, who got his first taste of the National Hockey League last season, appearing in 28 games with the big club in Vancouver where he had three points and 17 penalty minutes.
Adam Kierszenblat of The Hockey News highlighted Pettersson' board battles and his transition game as two things that stood out the most to him during Saturday's game.
"As expected, defenceman Elias Pettersson stood out as one of Vancouver's top players. He was laying massive hits and created the Canucks third goal of the game with his shot. Pettersson was also able to win board battles constantly and showed an ability to transition the puck out of the defensive zone." Kierszenblat said.
Kierszenblat also listed Russian goaltender Aleksei Medvedev and Swedish forward Vilmer Alriksson - who opened the scoring in the first game - as two others that stood out to him.
Pettersson, 21, is one of a handful of blueliners that'll be competing for a spot on Vancouver's opening night roster throughout training camp, with the others being top prospect Tom Willander, Victor Mancini and Pierre-Olivier Joseph.
The Vasteras, Sweden native shouldn't have too much of a hard time finding his way onto the Canucks' roster in early October and will be given ample opportunity to prove himself throughout Vancouver's six-game preseason slate.
Source: Adam Kierszenblat/The Hockey News
Vancouver Canucks Standouts From Game 1 Of The 2025 Prospects Showcase
Vancouver Canucks Standouts From Game 1 Of The 2025 Prospects Showcase
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