For second time in franchise history, Vancouver Canucks have two players with same name

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.