Elias Fredrik Pettersson (born 12 November 1998) is a Swedish professional ice hockey forward and alternate captain for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pettersson was selected fifth overall by the Canucks in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He was born in Sundsvall, Sweden, but grew up in Ånge. After one of the greatest U20 seasons in SHL history in 2017–18 and winning the Le Mat Trophy with the Växjö Lakers, Pettersson made the Canucks opening night roster for the 2018–19 season. He won the Calder Memorial Trophy as the league's best rookie in 2019, becoming the second Canuck to do so after Pavel Bure in 1992.
Early life
Elias Fredrik Pettersson was born on 12 November 1998, in Sundsvall, Sweden, to Irene Jonsson and Torbjörn Pettersson. According to Pettersson and his older brother Emil, his middle name was likely chosen by Emil in honor of forward Fredrik Lindberg. Pettersson is of Finnish descent through his paternal grandfather, born Toivo Jokelainen, who was sent to Sweden in 1941 as a Finnish war child.
Raised in Ånge, Pettersson began playing hockey at three years old. He and his brother Emil played for Ånge IK's youth team. Because Ånge has few teams and his father was Zamboni driver at the local rink, Pettersson had opportunities for extra ice time in his youth. He also played soccer, but stopped when he was 13 years old to focus on hockey.
In 2011, when he was 13 years old, Pettersson found out that two of his best friends, Valerik and Davit Danielyan, were deported from Sweden to Armenia. Along with some friends, Pettersson was interviewed by a local newspaper and television station in support of the Danielyan family. The Danielyans were permitted to return to Sweden in 2012, following about 80 days in Armenia. Pettersson discussed the events in 2019 and 2020 interviews.
In the 2013–2014 season, when he was in grade eight, Pettersson began playing for the nearby Timrå IK's U15 squad because Ånge did not have a junior team. In his first two seasons with Timrå, Pettersson lived in Ånge and commuted about to practice multiple times per week. Eventually, Pettersson moved to Tallnäs, which was closer to Timrå.
Playing career
Timrå IK (2015–2017) In the 2015–16 season, Pettersson made his professional debut with Timrå IK of HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-highest professional league. His debut was delayed due to a knee injury. As an elite player, it was considered unusual for Pettersson to join Timrå instead of a team in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In his second season, Pettersson placed second on the team in scoring with 41 points in 43 games. Unable to help Timrå IK gain promotion, Pettersson signed a three-year contract with the Växjö Lakers of the top tier SHL, on 6 April 2017.
2017 NHL Entry Draft
Pettersson was ranked second among European skaters by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau in his first year of eligibility for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. He was selected as the first Swedish player taken in the draft, fifth overall, by the Vancouver Canucks, joining former linemate and Canucks prospect Jonathan Dahlén on 23 June 2017. It was speculated the Canucks drafted Pettersson based partly on highly successful chemistry with Dahlén on the top line for Timrå IK, where they finished fifth and ninth in league scoring as teenagers. The two scored on the first shift they ever played together in Sweden.
Växjö Lakers (2017–2018) While still a junior player, Pettersson dominated the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) in his 2017–18 rookie season. In 44 games played, he led the league in both points scored and in +/− at the end of the regular season, with 56 points and +27 respectively. He also scored 24 goals, second in the league behind Frölunda's Victor Olofsson. In the penultimate game of the 2017–18 season, Pettersson recorded four points to reach 55 points for the season. In the season final regular-season game, Pettersson set a new record for most points by a junior in a single SHL season (56), previously set by Kent Nilsson in 1975–76.