Who is Elias Pettersson? Meet the Canucks prospect with the same name as the team’s star center
NHL fans may notice a familiar name on Sweden’s roster at World Juniors 2023. Skating for the Swedes is a player named Elias Pettersson.
No, not that Elias Pettersson. A different Elias Pettersson.
While the current Canucks stars actually played for Sweden in the World Juniors, that was over five years ago. He played in Sweden’s U20 team at the World Juniors in 2017 and 2018, winning a silver medal in his second tournament. At 24, Pettersson aged out of the tournament a while ago.
This is a different Elias Pettersson. The one currently playing in the World Juniors is a defenseman and is six years younger than the Vancouver centre.
While he still has a ways to go to earn the status of his compatriot playing in the NHL, Pettersson is aiming to accomplish something his older namesake couldn’t — win a World Juniors gold medal.
MORE: Team Sweden roster, schedule, points at 2023 World Juniors
Here’s everything you need to know about Sweden’s Elias Pettersson in World Juniors 2023.
What team does Elias Pettersson play for?
Pettersson plays in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Örebro HK. He is currently in his second season in Sweden’s top professional league.
He was born in Västerås and played in their youth program all the way through the U16 level. But in 2020 he switched to Örebro, joined their U18 team and worked his way up to their professional club.
Last season, Petterson played for the organization’s U18, U20 and SHL teams. This year he has seen action in both the SHL and U20 leagues.
At the SHL level, he has skated in 24 contests for the 2022-23 season, recording one goal and one assist.
Which NHL team drafted Elias Pettersson?
The Canucks just had to go and make everyone’s lives a little more difficult.
With one Elias Petterson already in the organization, Vancouver doubled down on that this past summer, drafting the other Petterson in the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft. It made for quite a social moment, as fans realized the Spider-Man meme was coming to life before their eyes.
So yes, there are now two Elias Petterssons in the Canucks system. It could be a TV company’s nightmare if the two eventually get to dress in a game together.
Is Elias Pettersson related to Elias Pettersson?
While the two share the same name, the Pettersson family is not related.
At the 2023 NHL draft, Pettersson said he had never met the older NHL star before. When asked who was his favorite player, however, Pettersson admitted that it is actually the other Pettersson.
You will be shocked to hear this, but Elias Pettersson’s favorite player is Elias Pettersson. #Canucks
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) 8 July 2022
Had number 40 because of Elias Pettersson and now they are teammates 😊@ToyotaPacific | #Canucks pic.twitter.com/PSLAsjzUp9
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) 8 July 2022