Canucks sign top prospect Pettersson to entry-level deal

The Vancouver Canucks signed forward Elias Pettersson to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Friday.

Pettersson is coming off a stellar first season in the SHL where he paced the league in both regular-season and playoff scoring with 56 and 19 points respectively, each standing as new SHL records by a U20 player.

"Elias is a talented offensive player with tremendous vision and skill," general manager Jim Benning said in a release. "Like most Canucks fans we watched with excitement the incredible season he had in Sweden. This is an important offseason of training and development for Elias and we expect him to be ready to challenge for a roster spot in training camp."

His impeccable season earned him a boatload of hardware. Pettersson captured the SHL championship, was named Rookie of the Year and Best Forward, and earned MVP honors for both the regular season and playoffs.

Happy and excited to sign my first NHL-contract. A dream come true! I want to thank everyone who helped me along the way and especially my family. I couldn't have done it without you. pic.twitter.com/NXTBLO1xBc

- Elias Pettersson (@_EPettersson) May 25, 2018

Pettersson was selected fifth overall in last year's draft.

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