Vancouver, BC – Vancouver Canucks General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that the club has agreed to terms with forward Elias Pettersson on an eight-year contract.
“This is a very important signing for the Vancouver Canucks,” said Allvin. “Elias is one of the top players in the National Hockey League and is a key member of our leadership group. We know his best days are ahead of him and with his high end skill and desire to be the best, we look forward to seeing Elias succeed and grow. This signing is another example of our ownerships’ unwavering commitment to do what ever it takes to help us be a successful organization.”
“This is a very exciting day for me and my family,” said Elias Pettersson. “I am very happy to be continuing my career as a member of the Vancouver Canucks. I love this city and playing in front of the fans. We have an exciting group and believe we can do good things in the future. Both Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin have done a great job in building this team and creating a culture, along with Rick Tocchet. And lastly I want to thank the Aquilini family for this opportunity.”
Pettersson, 25, has appeared in 62 games this season, tallying 75 points (29-46-75), 8 penalty minutes and a +12 plus-minus rating. He currently ranks second amongst all Canucks skaters in points (75) and third in goals (29) and assists (46).
In the 2022-23 campaign, Pettersson earned a career-high total of 102 points (39-63-102), 14 penalty minutes and a plus-minus rating of +16 over 80 games, leading the club with the most points (102) and tying Andrei Kuzmenko for most goals (39).
At 6’2”, 176lbs, the Swedish center has played 387 career regular season games across six seasons, accumulating 398 points (165-233-398), 70 penalty minutes and a +48 plus-minus rating. He has also appeared in 17 post-season matchups, recording 18 points (7-11-18) during the 2019-20 playoffs.
Ever since he arrived in Vancouver, Pettersson has been busy on the ice, making sure that he is productive along all 200ft of the rink. During his rookie season in 2018-19, he posted 66 points (28-38-66) in 71 games, beating the previous record holders Pavel Bure and Ivan Hlinka at 60 points each. In the same year, Pettersson recorded the most goals (28), assists (38), and points (66) by a rookie in the league and was awarded the Calder Trophy for being NHL Rookie of the Year, receiving 96.5% of votes.
Pettersson has represented the Canucks at four NHL All-Star Weekends and won the Hardest Shot competition in 2023 with a 103.2 miles-per-hour shot. During the post-season team awards, Pettersson was awarded the Cyclone Taylor Trophy (Most Valuable Player), the Cyrus H. McLean Trophy (Leading Scorer) and the Three Stars Award (Most Three Stars Appearances) during the Canucks Team Awards.
Hailing from Sundsvall, Sweden, Pettersson has donned the yellow and blue of Sweden to represent the country on the international stage in many instances. First at the U18 World Junior Championships (silver) and at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament (silver) in 2015-16, as well as at the U20 World Junior Championships (silver) in 2017-18 and at the World Championships (gold) in the same year.
Pettersson was chosen 5th overall by the Vancouver Canucks in the first round of the 2017 NHL Entry draft.
