Team Sweden came short of the podium at last year’s World Junior Championships. While they were undefeated in the Round Robin stage, the lost to Canada in the semifinals, then fell in overtime to Russia in the bronze medal game, leaving them in fourth place.
It was a disappointing tournament for Elias Pettersson in more ways than one. Not only did he leave without any hardware, he also failed to find any individual success.
Pettersson didn’t necessarily play poorly, but couldn’t find the back of the net, managing just one assist in six games. While he still demonstrated his skill, he didn’t get the results he expected from himself.
This year, Pettersson won’t be content with just one point or even a few.
“I want to dominate every game,” said Pettersson to Sportsnet 650. “I want to be the best player on the ice and create many chances and help the team to win. And the long goal of this tournament is of course to win. To win gold.”
Sweden may very well need him to be the best player on the ice every game. Four of their best forwards from last year’s tournament — Joel Eriksson Ek, Carl Grundstrom, Rasmus Asplund, and fellow Canucks prospect Jonathan Dahlen — are all twenty years old and ineligible to play.
Sweden’s leading scorer, Alex Nylander, is still only 19, so could play but has yet to be released by the Buffalo Sabres. He’s currently playing in the AHL and doesn’t seem likely to get called up to the NHL any time soon, so it’s odd that he hasn’t already been released.
Without Nylander, Sweden will depend on Pettersson to lead the team’s forwards. He’ll get help from Lias Andersson, who is having a solid season in the SHL, if nothing compared to Pettersson’s, but after those two, there’s a bit of a drop-off in talent. Players like Isac Lundstrom, Marcus Davidsson, Axel Jonsson Fjallby, and Tim Soderlund will have to step up if Nylander doesn’t get released.
Fortunately for Sweden, they have excellent goaltending and arguably the best defence corps in the tournament, including expected first overall pick Rasmus Dahlin. They should have an impressive transition game from their mobile defence, which will help their forwards immensely.
Pettersson is certainly capable of dominating his peers — he’s already dominating amongst men in the SHL — and the weight he’s added to his frame will help his cause.
“I think I’m 167, I don’t know in pounds, but it’s 76 kilos,” he said. “A little more than training camp.”
76 kilograms comes out to 167.5 pounds. That’s up from the 161 pounds he was listed as on the Canucks development camp roster. It’s also 10 pounds heavier than he was at last year’s World Juniors.
That’s still slight for the NHL — the Sedins were the same height and over 200 pounds each when they were drafted — but it’s an improvement and it puts him in the same range as Brayden Point, Artemi Panarin, or Clayton Keller (and ten pounds heavier than Johnny Gaudreau). It will also help him navigate the physicality brought to the table at the World Junior tournament by teams like Canada, though he’s certainly no stranger to getting hit in the SHL.
As a reminder, Elias Pettersson is leading the SHL in scoring at 19 years of age, while putting up point-per-game numbers that haven’t been seen in the SHL from a 19 year old since Peter Forsberg. You probably haven’t forgotten that, but it probably still feels pretty good to read.
Pettersson is certainly aware that the hype is building for him in Vancouver.
“I’ve seen some stuff on Twitter and some on the media,” he says, “and it’s really exciting for me as well that they believe in me and want me to get over there.”
As for when he will “get over there,” that is still up in the air.
“I just want to take this season, do my best, score some points, and win a championship here in Sweden, and then next season we see what happens,” he said, but it’s hard to imagine him not making the jump to the NHL next season.
There’s also the possibility that Pettersson will play for Sweden in the Olympics, but again, he’s trying not to look too far ahead.
“I haven’t talked to the head coach of the olympic team or anything,” he said. “I’m just going to do my best there in the World Juniors and then we’ll see what happens.
“I think I have a great chance, but I haven’t put up a goal that I need to be on the Olympic team, but if I make the team it’s going to be a big honour for me.”
