Young defencemen Tom Willander, Elias Pettersson aim to stick with Canucks

VANCOUVER – There is an old saying about succeeding in hockey: it’s hard to make the National Hockey League, but harder to stay.

The Vancouver Canucks present a fascinating test case for this theory.

After blowing past expectations and spending half of his rookie season – his first in North America – in the NHL last year, defenceman Elias Pettersson, 21, will try to stick with the Canucks this fall.

Fresh out of college hockey, defenceman Tom Willander, 20, is trying to make the NHL team as a pure rookie. And they’re embarking on their mission as defence partners.

Pettersson and Willander – both big, mobile Swedes who are among the top five prospects in the Canucks organization – will be the top defence pair when Vancouver’s prospects visit the Seattle area for games Saturday and Sunday against Kraken counterparts.

Canucks player development coach Mikael Samuelsson, who is also Swedish, smiled when asked Thursday about the hard-to-make-harder-to-stay axiom for the NHL.

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“I would say it like this: Maybe,” he said. “I know, you can say maybe to a lot of things. It depends on the mindset you have. Let’s talk about D-Petey first. His mindset doesn't make it harder for him to stay because he has a mindset of . . . he got a taste (of the NHL) last year, but he knows he's not done with development. Petey probably surprised people last year, including himself. But he’s like, I’m not done. He’s humble. He plays within his limits. He doesn't think he is something he’s not. He knows his role and he knows what he's good at.

“When it comes to Tom, he has a lot to prove if he wants to make the NHL right away. He's also a good player. If he manages to take his time, and doesn’t just expect to make the NHL right away, (and) wants to develop himself on a daily basis, I think he could be the guy who's here to stay as well. He has the talent to play, but it's all between your ears from that point on. It’s mindset.”

Naturally, both players have their minds set on doing everything possible to make the Canucks, who have room on their talented blue line if one or even both prospects earn an NHL spot.

Training camp opens Thursday in Penticton, B.C.

The defence group, of course, is led by superstar Quinn Hughes and Filip Hronek. Marcus Pettersson is an excellent second-pairing defender, backed by imposing veterans Tyler Myers and Derek Forbort. Pierre-Olivier Joseph appears on paper to be the depth guy the prospects are chasing.

A year older and already with 28 games of NHL experience, Pettersson seems to have a head start on Willander. But Willander, an 11th-overall draft pick two years ago, has the advantage of playing the right side, where only Hronek and Myers are naturals on the Canucks.

Interestingly, Pettersson and Willander were defence partners on Sweden’s world junior team two years ago. They also lost as doubles partners in an intra-squad tennis match earlier this week.

“I had never touched a tennis racket before, so I wouldn't say it was fully fair,” Willander explained Thursday after the prospects practised in Abbotsford, B.C.. “But now I'm in. I'm in the game now.

“I would love to pair with him (in the NHL). We’ll see what happens; I can’t predict the future. But I think he’s a great hockey player and definitely the type of defenceman that I think is very easy to play with. I think he’s a great hockey player that makes good decisions. A defence-first type of guy (who) makes the first half of the ice a lot easier to manage, and you can kind of build off that.”

Willander also sees himself as a defence-first guy, although his higher offensive ceiling was reflected by his draft position. A third-round pick in 2022, Pettersson stuck with the Canucks after a January call-up last season partly due to his physicality. Both are physically strong for their age and superior skaters.

“We haven’t talked about it but I know for sure that’s the goal,” Pettersson said of making the NHL together. “That’s what we both want.

“I'm going to come in with the same mindset I had last year in training camp. I’m kind of coming in ready. Last year was a really good year for me and I’m going to try to make this a really good year, too. I think I found my game pretty fast (last season). But even when I was in Sweden, I knew what I'm good at and I don't try to do too much out there. I try to do the things I'm good at.”

Pettersson spent 2.5 seasons in the Swedish Hockey League before coming to North America for what was expected to be a full season of American Hockey League development with the Abbotsford Canucks. Willander played the last two seasons with Boston University, and signed with the Canucks in May after a disconcerting standoff in contract negotiations over the bonus schedule in his entry-level deal.

The delay allowed Willander to play for Sweden’s national team ahead of last spring’s world championship, which he said gave him valuable exposure to NHL-calibre players and pace.

“I think pro hockey is very different from college hockey, obviously,” Willander said. “But, you know, when you play with better players, there are some things that are a bit different. Defending is harder, but I think parts of the offensive game is a lot easier because you get the puck, like, quicker and earlier, so you really have more time than you would have maybe playing at the college level. At least, that's what I felt.”

Willander agreed that he and Pettersson can push each other.

“Yeah, I think so,” he said. “I learned a lot from him, seeing him play. And I hope he . . . picks something up from me; that'd be fun. I also think he has, like, a level of compete. We'd play some small-area games the past week, play for dinner, play for lunch. We even played some tennis the other day. We lost. But, you know, I think, I think he's a fun guy to be around . . . because he takes it seriously.”

“Definitely, they can push each other,” Samuelsson said. “If you're around good players, it's always a good thing. And if you have the right mindset, which you need if you're going to become an NHL player, you take advantage of that. And they will push each other. They will feed off each other, too, especially if they play together. They want to be the go-to pairing in this tournament . . . and then feed off that coming into main camp. So the answer is yes, they can push each other.”

The Canucks are counting on it.

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