Make no mistake about it, Elias Pettersson is not going back to juniors. In his 10th career game, the Vancouver Canucks rookie reached double digits in goals.
Pettersson scored his 10th goal in the first period of Vancouver's game against the Detroit Red Wings on Tuesday night. The rookie sensation, who is easily an early candidate for the Calder, unleashed a slap shot from the left circle past Jimmy Howard.
I see why Jeff Blashill compares Elias Pettersson to Pavel Datsyuk. My goodness.
— Brad Galli (@BradGalli) November 7, 2018
Pettersson goal was Gretzky like over the glove on Vernon. Wow!
— Corey Hirsch (@CoreyHirsch) November 7, 2018
Pettersson's goal gave the Canucks a 1-0 lead. He is the only teenager in the last 30 seasons to start their career with at least 10 goals through their first 10 games, according to TSN.
On Friday, the 19-year-old scored five points (two goals, three assists) in the Canucks' 7-6 overtime win over the Colorado Avalanche. That performance made him the youngest player in Canucks history to record five points in a single game.
Petterson now has 10 goals and 16 points in his rookie campaign.