Prospect Info: Canucks select D Elias Pettersson , 3rd Round, 80th Overall, 2022

[Vector]

I don't think we are that bad. But I think that partly has to do with the fact that the Canucks haven't really used a high pick on a Dman and bombed aside from Juolevi. Before the Juolevi pick, the last defenseman the Canucks drafted in the first round was Bourdon, who had he lived, would have enjoyed a long NHL career. Allen was a good pick. Ference was kind of out of sight out of mind. He wasn't a good pick but in the grand scheme of things there was a high number of busts after. Before Ference it was Ohlund. Before Ohlund it was Wilson (who like Ference was also out of sight out of mind). You have to go back to Jason Herter for another high pick Dman bust.

Of course there are disappointments along the way but we also drafted Bieksa, Sopel, and Edler along the way. Burke in general is pretty good at acquiring defenseman.

I'm not convinced the bolded was a given. He had all the tools but was extremely reactionary. He was in over his head in the NHL and wasn't very good in the AHL either.

It was a statistical look from 1970 to, I think, 2022. Canucks ranked near the bottom of the league in terms of NHL defencemen drafted based on impact, games played, etc. The biggest issue was the team has historically been okay at drafting mid-tier defencemen but, until Hughes, their best defencemen was Ohlund. Then the late 90s and 2000s it became a defencemen every couple draft would make it to every 5 drafts and now here we are. It's easy to just look at the Canucks and go "hey they ain't so bad" but when you look at the trends for the rest of the league, yes they actually are.

 

[MS]

I'm not convinced the bolded was a given. He had all the tools but was extremely reactionary. He was in over his head in the NHL and wasn't very good in the AHL either.

I've tried having this discussion over the years but people have a really hard time understanding the distinction between 'Bourdon was a wonderful young guy and his death was the biggest tragedy in the history of this franchise' with 'Bourdon was a bad pick who was not tracking very well when he was killed'.

He probably would have had some sort of NHL career but he processed the game like Jack Johnson or Rasmus Ristolainen.

 

[F A N]

I'm not convinced the bolded was a given. He had all the tools but was extremely reactionary. He was in over his head in the NHL and wasn't very good in the AHL either.

I think his tools and draft status would have afforded him a long career.

It was a statistical look from 1970 to, I think, 2022. Canucks ranked near the bottom of the league in terms of NHL defencemen drafted based on impact, games played, etc. The biggest issue was the team has historically been okay at drafting mid-tier defencemen but, until Hughes, their best defencemen was Ohlund. Then the late 90s and 2000s it became a defencemen every couple draft would make it to every 5 drafts and now here we are. It's easy to just look at the Canucks and go "hey they ain't so bad" but when you look at the trends for the rest of the league, yes they actually are.

I don't doubt that. We've certainly spent years dreaming of having a #1 defenseman. We've also spent years dreaming of having a #1C before Henrik came along. But relatively speaking, the Canucks drafting have been bad. And to be fair, Hughes and Ohlund are to Dmen.

I would be interested in your statistical look in terms of say the number of defensemen drafted in the first round by the Canucks vs others and 2nd round as well. I suspect the Canucks would rank low on that list.

I would also be interested in how the stats would change if the Canucks simply used their highish 1st round pick and drafted the next Dman drafted as opposed to a forward. For example, if we didn't draft Sandlack we could have drafted Murzyn. If we didn't draft Woodley, we could have drafted Leetch. If we didn't draft Linden, we could have drafted Leschyshyn (who played over 1000 games. If we didn't draft Nedved, we could have drafted Sydor. Matvichuk instead of Stojanov, Derek Morris instead of Holden. Even more recently, if we didn't draft Horvat we would have ended up with Morrisey. It doesn't work for every draft of course but these are the type of choices a team makes that critically impacts your statistical look.

 

[PavelBure10]

Big, nasty defenseman with some snarl. I think Pettersson has a bright future with Vancouver, could be a dark horse to make the team. I see a #3 or a very good #4 in the making here.

 

[God]

That's a sad list. I don't even recall a guy called Kris Fredheim. LOL

i played beer league with him once and he said, in 1 of those 3 NHL games he played, a 40 year old ray whitney made him look really stupid lmao

 

[RobertKron]

i played beer league with him once and he said, in 1 of those 3 NHL games he played, a 40 year old ray whitney made him look really stupid lmao

In all fairness to Fredheim, Whitney led his team in scoring by 15 points that year, and was a near PPG player until he was like 41.

 

[F A N]

In all fairness to Fredheim, Whitney led his team in scoring by 15 points that year, and was a near PPG player until he was like 41.

They don't call him "The Wizard" for nothing.

 

[M2Beezy]

If he can prove to be an annual top 5 dman for a decade then I guess this was a good pick

 

[logan5]

Getting a potential top 4 D like Pettersson in the 3rd round is like finding gold.

Future top 4...

Hughes-Hronek
Pettersson-Willander

 

[VanJack]

D-Petey is one big dude.......and he plays with the truculence that Brian Burke would love. If he can any offensive elements to his game in Abbotsford, the Canucks might really have something.

 

[Bankerguy]

i forgot he played 8 games in the AHL last season. how'd he look.
his career so far kind of remind me of Edler. - another bigger 3rd round dman pick

 

[sting101]

Any pick past 50 that plays 300 games is an excellent pick and above expectation. Especially so if it's with the franchise that drafted him.

 

[VanJack]

It's interesting.....they're moving D-Petey to his off-side on the right, and pairing him with Kudryavtsev for tonight's game. Will be intriguing to see how well he adapts, and how that pairing does, generally.

 

[docbenton]

I think this prospect is consistently overrated by those in the media. I'm not even sure if he's in the top 3 D prospects for the Canucks, and it's not a deep pool.

 

[Coffee]

I think this prospect is consistently overrated by those in the media. I'm not even sure if he's in the top 3 D prospects for the Canucks, and it's not a deep pool.

He's got a big shot from the point though

 

[bringbacktheskate604]

I think this prospect is consistently overrated by those in the media. I'm not even sure if he's in the top 3 D prospects for the Canucks, and it's not a deep pool.

The only time I've seen extended games was the WJC and he looked like their best defensive dman imho.
He's not gonna be a big point guy but is big, strong, and plays a simple game. People expecting a ton of points will be disappointed I think.

 

[vadim sharifijanov]

I've tried having this discussion over the years but people have a really hard time understanding the distinction between 'Bourdon was a wonderful young guy and his death was the biggest tragedy in the history of this franchise' with 'Bourdon was a bad pick who was not tracking very well when he was killed'.

He probably would have had some sort of NHL career but he processed the game like Jack Johnson or Rasmus Ristolainen.

i felt like jovo was his absolute ceiling, cam barker was his floor, jj or risto is a good result, but his middle was probably a little below that. maybe wisniewski?

bourdon being called a bad pick, in my observation, has usually been considering who was on the board. not just kopitar but marc staal, who if you absolutely have to draft a dman was a slam dunk.

 

[Nucker101]

I think this prospect is consistently overrated by those in the media. I'm not even sure if he's in the top 3 D prospects for the Canucks, and it's not a deep pool.

Curious to know who’d you rank ahead of him

 

[im gangster]

Curious to know who’d you rank ahead of him

I'll take a stab at it.

It's Willander, McWard, Kudryavtsev.

 

[credulous]

I'll take a stab at it.

It's Willander, McWard, Kudryavtsev.

mynio too imo

 

[Nucker101]

I'll take a stab at it.

It's Willander, McWard, Kudryavtsev.

I really can't see a case for McWard over Petey2 but if someone truly believes in him then sure.

 

[strattonius]

I really can't see a case for McWard over Petey2 but if someone truly believes in him then sure.

McWard is 3 years older. Hard to imagine d Pettersson not developing to more than what McWard is now. That is an enormous age gap when comparing B prospects.

 

[PuckMunchkin]

damn wrong EP

 

[docbenton]

I'd go Willander and Mynio as the clear top 2, and probably would have McWard ahead on the basis of talent despite being older. I just don't see much separation from the pack for EP2, he's kind of like a more physical Brisebois.

Curious to know who’d you rank ahead of him

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

mynio too imo

Mynio is probably the nucks dark horse prospect. He's so good defensively already and a good puck mover. He may never be an nhl full timer, but I legit do see him having some games in the future.