from Ed Willes of the Vancouver Province,

Brock Boeser can’t pinpoint the precise moment it started, but as he makes his way through this NHL season as Elias Pettersson’s wingman, he’s noticed a not-so-subtle change in the way other teams play the Canucks’ prize rookie.

Take the most recent trip to California. In Anaheim, a scrum breaks out in front of Vancouver’s net and the first person Ryan Kesler grabs is, guess who? A night later in Los Angeles, Anze Kopitar, a former Lady Byng winner, is giving Pettersson some extra love.

Thursday night against Phoenix, Pettersson exchanges whacks with Conor Garland and eventually shoulders the Coyotes’ forward to the ice.

“If there’s a scrum, they’re always grabbing Petey,” Boeser says. “They’re trying to get under his skin, but he does a good job of not worrying about it. He still plays his game.”

It’s suggested to Boeser that Petterson’s limited English might be a good thing during these moments.

“I don’t know,” he says with a laugh. “I think he knows what most guys say, but he looks at me and we just laugh it off. You expect that stuff to happen.”

continued