Sautner aims to satisfy team’s appetite for physical, defensive bite

Ashton Sautner was a hit for the Vancouver Canucks last season.

In a late-season, five-game emergency recall, the 24-yearold prospect made a lasting impression during his NHL debut in a pairing with Alex Biega on March 25 in Dallas. He hit, he agitated, he mixed it up and roughed up the Stars in a 4-1 win, and his play didn’t go unnoticed.

The 6-1, 200-pound Sautner brought what was sorely missing — a tougher presence on the blue-line.

“I had to prove that if I wasn’t going to put up numbers like I did in junior (51 WHL points with Edmonton in 2014-15) I had to bring something else,” Sautner said Thursday.

“I knew adding a physical element was going to come, but it’s hard going from junior to pro and think you’re just going to push grown men around. It was time in the gym to get to the point where I can compete against men every night and I didn’t change anything in those five games with the Canucks.

“I showed the staff I could play at that level and it has given me extra motivation when I come to camp to earn a spot.”

That will be tough.

The Canucks have nine NHL defencemen under contract, including Olli Juolevi, but they also have four contracts expiring after next season.

For Sautner, who had 13 points (3-10) and 55 penalty minutes with the Utica Comets last season, the key will be to let his physical play do the talking.