Vancouver Canucks fans praised Elias Pettersson before he even stepped onto the ice in a Canucks jersey and it didn’t take him very long to prove them all right.

During his rookie season, the 20-year-old led Vancouver in goals (28), assists (38) and points (66), in just 71 games and he was rewarded for his rookie campaign with the Calder Memorial Trophy at the NHL Awards on Wednesday night.
 

 

#Canucks forward Elias #Pettersson wins the #Calder Memorial Trophy.

A post shared by TSN (@tsn_official) on

During his acceptance speech the 20-year-old thanked everyone who voted for him, but made sure to use his time at the podium to honour the late Jason Botchford.
 

Jason Botchford was a Vancouver hockey journalist and TSN contributor and was well known across North America for his coverage of the NHL, which included the Canucks beat for The Province, The Athletic Vancouver, TSN Radio 1040 and the TSN Network.