Sautner spent his major junior career with the WHL’s Edmonton Oil Kings and won the Memorial Cup in 2014. Until he was a 19-year-old WHL veteran, he wasn’t much of a point producer, and though his team enjoyed WHL success, no NHL clubs ever drafted the well-spoken young blue liner.

Coming into his first season of professional hockey, it wasn’t even clear that Sautner would stick in the American Hockey League. As a left-handed shooting defenseman, there appeared to be a significant logjam in Utica, with fellow Canucks prospects Evan McEneny and Anton Cedarholm also competing for playing time.

The young, two-way defenseman knew he had to play hard and keep it simple.

“We had quite a few guys on the left side and I knew coming in, even, back to Penticton which seems like forever ago, that there was a few guys who were going to have to fight for spots,” Sautner told Canucks.com in mid-December following a 5-4 Utica Comets overtime victory over the Toronto Marlies.

“It was just a matter of working hard in practice,” Sautner continued. “Once we got back from training camp in France, it was just a matter of working hard and earning a spot."

What began with Sautner aiming to earn a roster spot in Utica, has evolved into him earning an NHL call up. Injuries to a host of Canucks defenseman like Luca Sbisa, Dan Hamhuis and Taylor Fedun have created a significant opportunity for Sautner, both in Utica and now in Vancouver.

“I like it when you have to throw young guys into the fire,” Utica head coach Travis Green said of Sautner’s opportunity to step into a matchup role on a depleted Comets blue line. “They've got to play against good players."

Vancouver’s newest seventh defenseman, for one, welcomes the challenge.

“lt’s always nice to play more, get more involved in the game,” Sautner said. “Any situation you can play in is good, it helps you as a first year guy to get some confidence in yourself and speeds up the development process too."