Dec. 4: The demotion for both Pettersson and Tolopilo was brief and solely to get them into game action for Abbotsford last night. The Canucks have added both players back to the active roster today, with Patera being loaned back to the minors in a corresponding move.
Dec. 3: According to a team announcement, the Vancouver Canucks have assigned netminder Nikita Tolopilo and defenseman Elias N. Pettersson to the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks. The transaction indirectly confirms that the Canucks had previously activated Tolopilo from the non-roster designation.
It’s been nearly 10 days since Tolopilo was initially recalled by the Canucks. Dealing with an injury to Thatcher Demko and a brief leave of absence from Kevin Lankinen, Vancouver had to rely on Tolopilo and Jiří Patera for a short period.
He played relatively well in his first NHL action of the 2025-26 campaign, securing a 5-4 win over the Anaheim Ducks on 41 shots. Unfortunately, that success didn’t translate to his next start against the San Jose Sharks, where he managed a .875 SV% on 24 shots.
Following the loss to San Jose, Tolopilo took his own leave of absence for the birth of his child and hadn’t played since. He’ll return to Abbotsford, where he’s managed a 1-3-1 record in five games with a .901 SV% while Vancouver moves forward with a combination of Lankinen and Patera for the time being.
Meanwhile, Pettersson will suit up in his first AHL appearance of the season. Cracking the Canucks roster out of training camp, the 21-year-old blueliner has tallied two assists in 24 games with a -6 rating, averaging 13:29 of ice time per night. It’s essentially the same production he provided last season, when he scored one goal and three points in 28 games with a -4 rating while finishing with an ATOI of 12:49.
Simply put, the former 80th overall pick of the 2022 NHL Draft hasn’t earned a spot on the NHL blue line, even on a disappointing Vancouver team. He’ll look to build confidence and develop in the AHL for the foreseeable future. Unless the Canucks unexpectedly activate Derek Forbort from the LTIR or make a separate call-up, they’ll play their next few contests with six defenseman on the active roster.
Glad their back
Easier to tank