Vancouver Canucks coach Foote praises Elias Pettersson's leadership
The Elias Pettersson hype train hasn’t quite left the station.
When it does, Adam Foote will be the conductor.
The Vancouver Canucks head coach has been singing the praises of Pettersson since the season-opening press conference. He then went out of his way to talk about improved leadership from the 26-year-old during training camp in Penticton.
At practice on Thursday, Foote once again complimented Pettersson’s evolving leadership.
“What I’ve seen right now is he’s taken a real hard leadership role, which is very noticeable,” Foote told reporters at UBC.
“You can recognize it. His teammates notice it, and his teammates are with him on it too. Like, [Thatcher Demko] is with him.”
Foote mentioned during training camp that both Pettersson and Demko came to Vancouver earlier than normal.
“It’s something he never did before,” Foote said at the time. “It was awesome to see.”
Pettersson is currently the third-longest tenured player on the Canucks roster, making his debut during the 2018-19 season. Only Demko and Brock Boeser made their debut with the Canucks before Pettersson.
Foote has worked with Pettersson since Rick Tocchet was hired as head coach back in January 2023. He witnessed him play at a 107-point pace throughout the first 12 months of their relationship. Foote also saw his superstar status called into question during a rough stretch since February 2024.
Pettersson has been a Canucks assistant captain since 2022-23 (Bob Frid/Imagn Images)
“I just see him with a different mindset,” Foote said on Thursday. “And you know what? That’s not necessarily me or the [head coaching] change, it might be just the maturity of himself in general.”
When talking about Pettersson’s growth, Foote referenced two other veteran NHLers who continue to excel due to their leadership and dedication to improving.
“You look at the great players that continue to be great, and they keep getting better,” Foote said. “[Sidney] Crosby, for example, he’s always working on his game. And Ryan O’Reilly’s that type of guy. That’s why they can keep staying in the game and keep improving every year on some of the things they gotta get better at.”
At practice on Thursday, Pettersson expressed confidence in his preparation during the offseason.
“I feel good,” the Canucks star said. “I’m always trying to prepare the best I can every summer and feel good. I’m ready to get going.”
There have been positive signs from Pettersson since day one of training camp. His speed appears to be trending in the right direction. In two preseason contests, Pettersson has been physical, and he’s been shooting the puck more.
The Sundsvall, Sweden, native led all Canucks with four shots during their 8-1 preseason win over the Calgary Flames. One of those hit the back of the net with a one-timer that was vintage Pettersson.
Tee it up, EP40❗️ pic.twitter.com/mf9eMbrfnL
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) October 2, 2025
While Pettersson’s leadership and work ethic have been praised by the Canucks, these are still early days in the 2025-26 campaign.
“The nice thing is that we can see it happening now,” Foote said. “I just want to see him sustain it.”