An eight-game AHL stint isn’t the largest sample size to draw from, but for 20-year-old defenceman Elias Pettersson, it wasn’t just about the ice time in games that set him up for a successful summer as he prepares for his first full pro season in North America. 

The 6’4”, 210-pound Swede played in eight games with the Abbotsford Canucks last season and was able to work with the Canucks’ development staff to establish a plan for his summer that would prepare him for the laborious demands of an AHL season. 

Pettersson has been working out in his hometown of Västerås this summer. He set himself up with a personal trainer through the offseason and has been able to get a ton of ice and time in the gym to work on many different parts of his game. 

Though Pettersson will tell you he wants to improve his all-around game and has room to grow in every skill, his main focus of the summer is working on his speed and quickness. 

“I’ve worked a lot on my agility and quickening up how I move from A to B,” said Pettersson. “I feel like with the rink being smaller, I need to be quicker in the corners. I’ve spent a lot of time working on my speed this summer but also just working on improving shooting, puck skills, physicality, everything really.” 

There is a transition for Pettersson, coming from the Swedish rinks to the AHL rinks. The ice is tighter and that requires a player to make quicker decisions and be confident in a structure to know where to go with the puck. Pettersson learned the base of the Canucks’ structure last season and took that into the summer, where he could focus on improving the skills he needs to be successful on the Abbotsford Canucks’ blueline.

I asked Pettersson about this play after today’s Abbotsford game…

“I'm going to stick up every time for my teammates,” said D-Petey. “And if that happens again, I’m going to be there again.” https://t.co/HS9UFWntVZ

— Faber (@ChrisFaber39) April 3, 2024

“I think I fit in pretty good, but I think I also need to be better,” said Pettersson about his time in the AHL. “I think I will continue to improve and be better as the season goes. Those three months of being in North America last season were huge for me and I’m just looking forward to a whole year over there.” 

“I feel like the North American game suits me pretty good,” he continued. “Because, in Sweden, you hold on to the puck so much, and in North America, you just get it, and then you need to do a quick pass – you need to be much quicker in North America. I like that more than holding on to the puck. Because then you think too much.” 

Out in Abbotsford, the Sedins played a big part in Pettersson’s ability to quickly climatize to the AHL and living in British Columbia. The Swedish prospects all have a lot of respect for the Sedins and seem to marvel at their ability to make the prospects comfortable in what is a foreign land to the youngsters.

Elias Pettersson (D-Petey) chatting with Henrik Sedin before practice gets going.#BuildingBlue pic.twitter.com/KwaTwtpClC

— Canucks Insider (@CanucksInsider) March 26, 2024

“It was really good, even though they were forwards when they played,” said Pettersson with a laugh. “I got to learn so much from their experience in their careers. They taught me so very much. I just listened so closely to them and took in so much.” 

Pettersson leans more towards the defensive-minded style of defenceman but has aspirations to improve his puck-moving ability and shot from the point. He is most confident in his penalty-killing ability and was given ice time in his eight AHL games to show that he could compete and have success with the shorthanded unit. 

“My defensive skills are the part of my game that I think I’m the best at. I’m trying to develop and be better at everything. Right now, I can lean on my defensive skills in the AHL but I’m trying to be better overall at five-on-five and not just on the PK.”

A solid job defending an odd-man rush by Elias Pettersson (D-Petey).

: IIHF pic.twitter.com/DrNwHikhBG

— Faber (@ChrisFaber39) December 29, 2023

There is a high level of excitement from D-Petey as he makes the jump to North America for a full season. The 20-year-old will participate in the Young Stars tournament in Penticton before taking in his first NHL training camp with the Canucks. 

Pettersson is excited to match up against the other prospects in his age range at Young Stars but is also looking forward to the NHL competition at training camp. 

“I want to see how I compare to the NHL players and see how my skills match up against some of the best in the world,” said Pettersson with excitement about his first NHL training camp. “I want to see how I can battle with them and see how I can skate with them. You can learn a lot when you’re in a one-on-one with J.T. Miller or some of the other top players.” 

For now, Pettersson is continuing to work out in Sweden but has a hunger in his belly for what is next in the salad days of his hockey career. The move to North America will bring challenges to the youngster, but he has the size, skill, and determination to improve which will help him achieve his aspirations for pro hockey in North America. 

“I am really excited,” said Pettersson about the next step in his young hockey career. “Everybody’s dream is to play in the NHL, and that is my dream. I am going to work hard every season, and then when my time comes, we’ll see if I’m ready for that. I’m going to do everything I can to play for Vancouver.”