With the No. 80-overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, the Vancouver Canucks selected Elias Petterson -- not to be confused with Elias Pettersson.
The third round of the NHL Draft saw Vancouver become the site of a major oddity, as the Canucks now have two players with the exact same name: Elias Pettersson, a defenseman from Orebro HK in the SHL, joins center Elias Pettersson, the No. 5-overall pick in the 2017 Draft. The move marks only the second time in NHL history that a team has featured two players with the same name, a distinction which -- oddly enough -- belongs to the 1988-89 Canucks. Vancouver featured two players both named Greg Adams.
Adding to the surreal nature of the situation is that Elias Pettersson's name is pronounced the exact same way as his veteran counterpart, and according to Thomas Drance of The Athletic, the younger Pettersson stated after being drafted that his favorite player is the older Pettersson.
According to EliteProspects.com, the younger Pettersson brings a combination of size and speed to the Canucks defense, with his primary strengths being his physicality and skating ability. Though he projects as having limited upside on offense, the No. 80 overall pick was noted as being a good puck-mover out of the defensive zone with a strong first pass and decent puck-handling ability.
Although the addition of another Elias Pettersson makes for a strange circumstance, the younger of the two Petterssons is likely to spend a couple of season in the Canucks developmental system, so we may not see them suit up together in Vancouver for some time. In the interim, the Canucks can likely clear up any confusion surrounding the two players by referring to one by their middle initial.
