Who is Axel Sandin Pellikka and why should Canucks fans care?

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How Vancouver Canucks fans view Axel Sandin Pellikka over the next few years could double as a gauge of how the team is performing.

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Sandin Pellikka is a defenceman the Detroit Red Wings selected in the first round, No. 17 overall, in last summer’s NHL Draft with a pick they received as a part of the March 2023 trade that brought rearguard Filip Hronek to the Canucks.

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The Canucks continue their upward trend and Sandin Pellikka undoubtedly remains back of mind for Vancouver backers. The team’s fortunes take a turn and how he’s performing in the Red Wings organization becomes more of talking point to be sure. 

Sandin Pellikka is a 5-foot-11, 181-pound right shot who has shown an ability to produce offence. Elite Prospects, for one, lists Sandin Pellikka as having “legitimate first-unit power play upside,” and lauds his “puck skills, playmaking, shot, and the ability to walk an offensive blue line.”

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Sandin Pellikka turned 19 on Monday, and he is the youngest regular with Skelleftea, who were second in the 14-team Swedish Hockey League going into this final week of the regular season. 

Sandin Pellikka sat with 10 goals and 17 points through 38 games. For perspective, Tampa Bay Lightning star rearguard Victor Hedman had seven goals and 21 points in 43 games in his 18-year-old season in the SHL in 2008-09.

Sandin Pellikka also played for the host Swedes at the World Juniors and had two goals and six points in seven games. 

Detroit received a second rounder, No. 43 overall, in last year’s draft in the Hronek trade as well. They swapped out the pick, sending it to the Nashville Predators for the No. 47 and No. 147 choices. Nashville used the selection on Felix Nilsson, a 6-foot, 187-pound Swedish forward. The 18-year-old had one goal and three points through 41 SHL games with Rogle. 

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With the Hronek deal in mind, along with draft choices going out in trades for the likes of Elias Lindholm (2024 first rounder, 2024 conditional fourth to the Calgary Flames), Nikita Zadorov (2024 conditional fifth, 2026 third to Calgary) and Casey DeSmith (2025 third to the Montreal Canadiens), here’s a look at five other notable swaps where the Canucks gave up a draft choice, and who those picks became.

First rounder to the Arizona Coyotes for Oliver Ekman-Larsson/Conor Garland, July 2021 

That 2021 ninth overall selection was the big ticket in the three-player, three-pick package that Vancouver sent Arizona, and Arizona used it to nab winger Dylan Guenther of the Edmonton Oil Kings. 

Guenther, 20, started this season in the AHL, but got called up to the Coyotes in January and had nine goals and 18 points through 28 games going into Arizona’s Tuesday match-up with the Minnesota Wild. He was averaging 15 minutes, 42 seconds of ice time, which was ninth best amongst Arizona forwards. 

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Guenther began last season with Arizona, but was loaned to Hockey Canada for the World Juniors and then sent back to the WHL in January when his rights were traded from the Oil Kings to the Seattle Thunderbirds, who were making a championship run. Guenther had 16 goals and 32 points in 24 WHL playoff and Memorial Cup national championship tournament games.

Third rounder to the Vegas Golden Knights for Nate Schmidt, October 2020

The Golden Knights traded that 2022 draft pick, along with defenceman Nick Holden, to the Ottawa Senators for winger Evgeny Dadonov in July 2021. Ottawa traded it back to Vancouver in March 2022 for defenceman Travis Hamonic, and the Canucks used the No. 80 overall selection on Swedish defenceman Elias Pettersson.

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He’s now one of Vancouver’s top prospects. Can you almost argue that he’s a former Canuck at the same time?

Second rounder to the Los Angeles Kings for Tyler Toffoli, February 2020

The Kings received two players and a conditional pick along with this 2020 selection for Toffoli. They then traded this choice, along with a 2020 fourth rounder, to the Detroit Red Wings for a 2020 second rounder, and Detroit wound up using this No. 51 overall selection on Swedish winger Theodor Niederbach.

Niederbach, 22, has yet to sign with Detroit, and the Red Wings have until June 1 to do so or they lose his rights. He’s playing for Modo in the SHL and has six goals and 13 points in 46 games going into this final week of the regular season.

First rounder to the Tampa Bay Lightning for J.T. Miller, June 2019

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This 2020 pick — which went to Tampa Bay with a player and another draft choice — was traded as well. It went to the New Jersey Devils in February 2020 in the deal for forward Blake Coleman.

New Jersey use the No. 20 overall choice on Russian defenceman Shakir Mukhamadullin and then traded him last February to the San Jose Sharks as part of the swap that brought forward Timo Meier to the Devils.

Mukhamadullin, 22, has had a brief stay with the Sharks this year, but has spent the majority of the campaign with their AHL San Jose Barracudas affiliate, where he had amassed six goals and 27 points in 47 games at last count. 

Second rounder to the Pittsburgh Penguins for Brandon Sutter, July 2015

The Canucks received this 2016 choice from the Anaheim Ducks in the Kevin Bieksa deal in June 2015 and then traded it to the Penguins as part of the Sutter transaction a month later. Pittsburgh used the No. 55 choice on Swedish goalie Filip Gustavsson, and in February 2018 traded him to Ottawa as part of a three-way deal with Vegas. In July 2022, Ottawa moved Gustavsson to the Minnesota Wild for goalie Cam Talbot. 

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Gustavsson, 25, has split the load in net the past two seasons in Minnesota with Marc-Andre Fleury. As of Tuesday morning, Gustavsson was 17-15-4, with a 3.26 goals against average and an .894 save percentage. 

sewen@postmedia.com

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