SMOOTH OPERATOR CENTRE OF ATTENTION
Scouts insist that Elias Pettersson has the instincts and speed needed to shine in the NHL. The Canucks might consider selecting the Swede
As we approach the 2017 NHL Entry Draft The Vancouver Sun and The Province are profiling the top five candidates we believe could be chosen fifth overall by the Vancouver Canucks. We started with No. 5 Cale Makar on Monday. Today we feature No. 4 Elias Pettersson
Elias Pettersson isn’t Nicklas Backstrom, but there are similarities. Backstrom doesn’t get enough credit for being the straw that stirs the drink for the Washington Capitals. The Swedish centre often dishes sweet feeds to wide-open linemate Alex Ovechkin — especially for those one-time slappers — and the slick playmaker finished second this National Hockey League season in assists to the remarkable Oiler Connor McDavid.
Pettersson didn’t gain as much notoriety this season as his Timra IK teammate and Canucks’ prospect Jonathan Dahlen. At age 19, the versatile forward led his second-division Allsvenskan League club in goals (25) and assists (19).
At age 18, Petterssen wasn’t far behind at 19 goals and 40 points and could be a fifth-overall draft consideration for the Canucks, or they could trade down to nab the centre.
“His offensive skill and his playmaking abilities are his best assets,” general manager Jim Benning said Monday. “It’s his vision on the ice and how he can anticipate plays. He’s a tall, thin kid and will have to put on some weight and strength before he’s ready to play, but he’s a smart player.”
As long as the Canucks can temper their enthusiasm with the understanding that the 165-pound Pettersson would need ample development time, then he could be in the conversation with highly-touted prospect centres Gabriel Valardi, Cody Glass and Casey Mittelstadt. There is ample speculation on how draft dominoes could actually fall June 23 in Chicago with several teams willing and wanting to either move up or down.
As for Pettersson, pro projections are way more up than down.
“He’s just so smooth and intelligent with the puck — there’s very little panic in his game,” said Shane Malloy, who has scouted National Hockey League prospects for a dozen years, is author of The Art of Scouting and co-host of Hockey Prospects Radio on Sirius XM, NHL Network Radio and TSN Radio.
“One of the things he does exceptionally well, is that he knows how to pass in traffic. And he knows when to pass, when to shoot and when to hold on to the puck. And he’s very patient.
“He can speed up and slow down the game at his own will and play high minutes. I don’t want to say he’s Nick Backstrom because he’s not. But he has a similar style in how he plays the game — especially the way he skates.”
That’s usually the biggest hurdle for prospects.
Say what you want about skill, speed is usually an issue whether it be those first few explosive strides, maintaining pace throughout the shift or using good edge work to instantly change directions and avoid larger and more-intimidating opposition.
A strong stride has also helped Pettersson be effective in all three zones as centre who can create, pressure and cause turnovers.
“He knows how to change his speed and that matters,” added Malloy. “It’s consistently difficult for defenders to maintain gap control against him because he knows how to create time and space for himself.”
However at 6-2 and that lanky frame, he’s a physical project.
There’s an argument to be made that bigger and stronger prospects like Vilardi and Glass might have a shorter route to the NHL, but they have their challenges, too. You can teach skating but you can’t teach skill because you either have it or you don’t.
Valardi and Glass have ample skill with 29- and 32-goal seasons respectively, but there’s something intriguing about Pettersson.
Look at today’s game. Look at how smaller and swifter players are using speed, imagination and finish to make a big impact in what was a big man’s game.
Pettersson will also move up a competitive rung on the development ladder next season when he plays for Vaxjo Lakers of the top-tier Swedish Hockey League.
There are also hockey bloodlines within the immediate family. His brother, Emil, 23, was a sixth-round Nashville selection in 2013 and the centre had nine goals and 17 assists in 23 games for Vaxjo. So it’s not a stretch to suggest that pushing the competitive envelope and filling out his frame will help the younger Pettersson establish an NHL game one day. However, he needs to fill out because his older brother is 6-1 and 176 pounds.
Vaxjo is the same team where Canucks blue-liner Philip Holm, 25, who signed a one-year, two-way deal, had four goals and 17 assists in 52 games this season. As for Pettersson, the better the competition the better he tends to play.
“You’re going to have to be patient with him,” cautioned Malloy. “The advantage is he’s 18 and already playing against men. Give him two years in Sweden and allow him to gain that 30 pounds that he’s going to need before he can step into the NHL.
“Then you have a guy who can come in as a 20-year-old. And I don’t think he’s a reach at all at No. 5. He’s a guy who you can make a legitimate argument for and justify it easily.
Especially in a rebuild.