Red Wings Sandin Pellikka: “One of My Better Matches”

The numbers on the score sheet offered the indication that Detroit Red Wings defenseman Axel Sandin Pellikka enjoyed his best game as an NHLer in Monday’s 4-0 win over the Vancouver Canucks.

Adding it up himself, he wasn’t about to dispute that notion.

“One of my better matches, for sure,” Sandin Pellikka told writer Gunnar Nordstrom of Swedish website Expressen.

NHL #Defenseman of the night from Monday 12/8:
Axel Sandin-Pellikka
Two great primary assists in the #LGRW 4-0 W over the #Canucks .
The Rookie has been a huge plus for Detroit and posted a +/- of +3 as well.#NHL #TLPDScouting pic.twitter.com/FkSVD8kBhp

— TLPDS (@TLPDScouting) December 9, 2025

He counted two assists in the contest. It was Sandin Pellikka’s first multi-point game as an NHLer. He was named the game’s second star. As well, the ledger shows him recording four points during a three-game points streak.

Thirty games into his rookie NHL campaign, the Swedish defenseman feels he’s finding his footing as an NHL player.

“You get more used to the pace, I think,” Sandin Pellikka said. “And where to position yourself in different situations.”

Red Wings Rolling With ASP

Much as they did with Moritz Seider during his Calder Trophy-winning season of 2021-22, the Red Wings are opting to stay with Sandin Pellikka through thick and thin.

He’s been an ever-present in the lineup. For the vast majority of those games, Sandin Pellikka has skated among Detroit’s top-four defenders, meaning he’s facing elite-level NHL competition most every shift.

#RedWings 2 @ #Canucks 0 [P2-4:45]:

Goal: Andrew Copp (3)
10' Tip-In

Assists: A.Sandin-Pellikka (7), A.DeBrincat (17)#LGRW #Canucks #NHL pic.twitter.com/4q1trSEvFx

— NHL Goal Videos (@NHLGoalsVideo) December 9, 2025

The nerves, the jitters that came with being a first-year NHLer long ago subsided for the 20-year-old Swede.

“Yeah, I mean a little bit in the beginning,” Sandin Pellikka said of the original stage fright. “It’s a lot of nerves before games. You know, it’s your first games in the league, and I’m still fairly young, so it took some games to get used to the adjustment, really get a feel for it.

“I feel like I get more comfortable and know what I’m doing out there every game that goes by.”

As for dealing with the level of play in the world’s best league, he’s also growing accustomed to that challenge.

“Yeah, it’s pretty much what I expected,” Sandin Pellikka said. “It’s the best league in the world. Some really skilled players you gotta play. You’ve got to have a good lowest level or whatever every game, because you know the players here are extremely skilled.

“So always have your brain turned on, and yeah, I think it’s pretty much what I expected coming in here.”