Pettersson starred as a rookie in Sweden but can he do it here?
Canucks’ 2017 first-rounder has fans drooling over his potential
Jim Benning was stopped in his tracks while shopping recently. The topic was as obvious as the hype — Elias Pettersson.
“I was at Save-On-Foods and a fan came up to me and reminded me that when Wayne Gretzky started out, he was 165 pounds,” said the Vancouver Canucks general manager. “I’m not worried about that.”
He should be somewhat worried that a frenetic fan base is already mentioning the dominant 170-pound Swedish Hockey League wunderkind in the same breath as one of the game’s greats.
As for the weight, consider this: Pettersson’s brother Emil is a 24-year-old centre with the Milwaukee Admirals of the American Hockey League. He is also 6-foot-2, but is up to 185 pounds. So even the bloodlines are encouraging.
When you factor what the younger Pettersson accomplished in his mind-boggling rookie SHL campaign — regular season and playoff scoring titles and most valuable post-season performer while leading Vaxjo Lakers to a championship series sweep — it’s hard to pump the brakes on what could be a speedy transition to the National Hockey League next fall.
You can’t teach what the 19-yearold kid can create and complete on any given shift. The video evidence is compelling and encouraging.
“When we drafted him, we knew from a skills standpoint and his hockey sense — the anticipation and vision that go into the way the game is played today — that he could develop into a special player,” said Benning.
“We have to make sure we temper expectations because the pro game at the NHL level is different. But the things he can do, he’s very good at.”
Pettersson played right wing in the SHL and will do the same with the Canucks as a third-liner before moving to the middle. That should help make the adjustment to the smaller North American ice surface more manageable. However, without as much time and space as European surfaces, Pettersson is going to be challenged by bigger, stronger and faster players. Vaxjo Lakers forward and Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson broke a 42-year-old Swedish Hockey League scoring record for U20 players this past week and was named the league’s playoff MVP while helping Vaxjo sweep Skelleftea AIK in the championship series.
In the interim, the Canucks want to add a veteran centre on a short contract to help insulate Pettersson. He might need a year or two to adjust or maybe he just picks up where he left off in the SHL.
“Who knows?” said Benning. “Maybe he comes in like (Mathew) Barzal and kind of takes the league by storm. Maybe he can do that for us, but we’ll have to see how he adapts.
“He has good balance and uses leverage to hang on to the puck for that extra second to see the ice open up. And the release on his shot — I don’t know if it’s like Brock Boeser’s or if it’s at the same level (in terms of velocity and accuracy) — but it’s pretty close.”
Benning will get a better read on that release at the world championship tournament that opens May 4 in Denmark. What he already knows is what we all know about the intriguing Pettersson.
The fifth-overall pick in the 2017 draft had four game-winning goals in a final series sweep of Skelleftea AIK. He established under-20 records with 56 points (24-32) in 44 regular-season games and averaged 1.273 points per game. In the playoffs, he had a record 19 points (109) in 13 games and averaged 1.462 points per outing.
If you want some telling context, Pettersson also surpassed the U20 regular season and playoff production of Henrik and Daniel Sedin. His 75 combined points (34-41) in 57 games topped Henrik, who had 61 points (14-47) in 63 games in 19992000, and Daniel, who managed 56 points (24-32) over 63 games in the same season.
The manner in which Pettersson can come off the wall, dangle through the high slot and work his way right down to the goal-line to finish off a foray has the Canucks salivating. Imagine what another
15 pounds of muscle will do for his determination and dominance — even though he’s going to be a target — because you don’t have to look far for a comparison.
David Pastrnak was 168 pounds when the Boston Bruins drafted the right-winger 25th overall in the 2014 draft. Today, he’s 190 pounds and strong and fast and intimidating.
“We have to understand we have a special talent in Pettersson and we have to develop him properly,” said Benning. “But he is a little deceiving. When he has the puck, you don’t know if his legs are going one way or if his arms are going another. For a defenceman, he’s hard to get a head on.”
That’s what Gretzky did. He was slight and slippery and spun away from trouble. If Pettersson can do a fraction of that in his next step on the pro ladder — especially when he becomes a middle man — then we shouldn’t put limits on what could be.
“At some point, he’ll be playing centre because the puck will run through him,” said Benning. “He’ll have more touches and even though he has that good release and can get through people, he’ll make others around him better.”
Petterson did that on the wing at the age of 19 against grown men in the top Swedish league.
“To win playoff MVP, that is something special,” said Benning.
OVERTIME — Michael Di Pietro, a 2017 third-round Canucks draft choice, has been added to Team Canada’s roster for the upcoming world championship as the No. 3 stopper. He was 29-21-1 this season for the Ontario Hockey League’s Windsor Spitfires with a 2.79 goals-against average and .910 save percentage. He was 2-4 in the playoffs with a 2.81 GAA and .934 percentage.