Andrew Alberts, who became a dad for the first time three months ago, has played sparingly this season for John Tortorella’s Canucks. Alberts has struggled to adapt to the new systems introduced by Tortorella and was a healthy scratch for 27 of the team’s first 30 games. Photograph by: Bruce Bennett , Getty Images

VANCOUVER — He won’t be home for Christmas, but Andrew Alberts is still living in a dream.

The Vancouver Canucks’ defenceman, whose greatest autumn in his family life conflicted with the worst time of his National Hockey League career, is spending Christmas just north of Boston with his wife, Kelly, their new baby and Alberts’ in-laws.

Jackson Alberts turned three months old on Dec. 17 and, according to his dad, is as wondrous and life-changing as you expect a first-born child to be. There is only one first Christmas, and Jackson and — more precisely — his parents are experiencing it this week.

The baby is the first grandchild in both Andrew and Kelly’s families and the Canuck said the grandparents are spoiling Jackson.

“Which is good,” Alberts quickly added. “It’s fun to see the smiles on our parents’ faces, too.”

In anticipation of an avalanche of baby’s first Christmas gifts, Alberts packed an empty suitcase with him on the red-eye flight east after the Canucks’ beat the Winnipeg Jets 2-1 Sunday evening. Kelly and Jackson travelled to Reading, Mass., a week ago when Andrew left on a three-game road trip with the Canucks.

Alberts grew up in the Minneapolis suburb of Eden Prairie. Christmas breaks from school meant snow and ice and all-day hockey games on the frozen lake in their neighbourhood.

“There were a ton of kids, a ton of neighbours,” he said. “You’d get home and run down to the lake and there was always a game going. It was great. We’d shovel off the snow, flood it at night and the next day we’d be ready to go again. I took great pride in flooding it and making sure it was all flat and even. It’s a great memory for me at Christmas. We always had a lot of snow and great ice.

“Christmas Eve, we’d go to my dad’s family’s house. Christmas morning, we’d wake up, open gifts, then drive to Grand Rapids, about three hours north, to my mom’s side of the family. She had 11 siblings in her family so there was just a ton of people at my grandma’s house.”

Just remembering it made Alberts smile as he spoke before Sunday’s game at Rogers Arena. Until the last week, Alberts had rarely smiled at the rink this season.

The 32-year-old was a healthy scratch in 27 of the Canucks’ first 30 games. In two of the three games he did play, Alberts was used as a fourth-line forward and was on the ice for only 2:26 out of 127 minutes.

When a Dec. 3 knee injury to Alex Edler ended a stretch of 18 consecutive scratches for Alberts, the blueliner stayed in the lineup only three games before the Canucks recalled minor-leaguer Yannick Weber to replace him.

Vancouver coach John Tortorella has lamented the awful situation his staff has created for Alberts, and admitted the veteran “worries” him due to the lack of playing time Alberts needs to get better.

An ankle injury last Tuesday to defenceman Ryan Stanton gave Alberts another chance — possibly a final chance with excellent prospect Frank Corrado still waiting his turn in the minors — and the six-foot-five defenceman has played three solid games since then.