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Elias Pettersson (ice hockey, born 2004)

Elias Nils Pettersson (born February 16, 2004) is a Swedish professional ice hockey defenceman playing for the Abbotsford Canucks in the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect for the Vancouver Canucks of the National Hockey League (NHL). Pettersson was selected 80th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft by Canucks, and he signed a three-year contract in April 2023.

Playing career

In the 2020–21 season, Pettersson played for the junior team of Örebro HK, scoring seven points in 43 regular season games. He had low playing time, averaging 9:39 per game.

In the third round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Pettersson was selected with the 80th overall pick by the Vancouver Canucks, who had previously drafted the forward sharing his name in 2017. On April 20, 2023, Pettersson was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Canucks. The Canucks planned for Pettersson to continue playing in Sweden for the 2023–24 season, allowing his NHL contract to begin in the 2024–25 season.

During the 2023–24 season, Örebro loaned him to HockeyAllsvenskan's Västerås, his hometown team. While the arranged deal allowed Pettersson to play for either Örebro or Västerås, Örebro's sporting director Niklas Eriksson said the intention was for Pettersson to remain at Västerås. Eriksson also said the team consulted the Canucks while arranging the move. Pettersson said that he would have preferred staying at Örebro but that he appreciated increased play opportunities at Vasterås. In November, he was injured with a concussion, missing several Västerås games but playing in a match for the junior national team. In January 2024, the Canucks stated that Pettersson would visit North America after the Allsvenskan season concluded. Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin said that he planned for Pettersson to play for the Abbotsford Canucks, the Vancouver Canucks' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate.

His style of play has been characterized as strong and physical.

International play

In 2023, Pettersson played for Sweden at the World Junior Championship. He again represented Sweden at the 2024 World Juniors, winning a silver medal.