Record breaker

A 42-year-old Swedish Hockey League record was broken this morning by none other than Canucks prospect Elias Pettersson.

On the back of a two goal and two assist performance Thursday, which pushed him to 55 points on the season, Pettersson passed Kent Nilsson for the most points by an under 20 player in the history of the SHL. The previous record of 54 points was set during the 1975-76 season and had stood alone until this morning.

When Pettersson scored his first goal of the game, there was a feeling that he was going to break the record today and it was just a matter of how.
His first assist was a nice play that separated a defender from the puck to his Vaxjo teammate. The record tying point and his second assist came on a powerplay that saw Robert Rosen bank the puck off the goaltender and in. Small and subtle plays that put his teammates in great positions.
Now it was just a matter of putting himself alone in first place, and it didn't take long.
Primarily known for his playmaking skills, Pettersson broke the record on a breakaway goal that was clinical in nature. He was able to intercept a pass between the opposition's defencemen, took a couple of strides to separate himself, and with his head up the whole time, put it past the Mora IF netminder with a quick snapshot.

One minute and thirty-seven seconds after matching Nilsson's total, Pettersson had broken the record.

Over the past couple of weeks, he had passed other totals from the likes of Peter Forsberg, Henrik Sedin, Daniel Sedin, Markus Naslund, Nicklas Backstrom and Thomas Gradin.
Obviously, the league has evolved since most of those players played, but Pettersson will almost certainly finish the year as the leading scorer in the SHL as well. With one game remaining, the Canucks prospect has a one-point lead on Ryan Lasch, who is sidelined with injury, and has a five-point lead on third place Joakim Lindstrom. Which is just another indicator of how well he has played this year.
The Sverige, SWE native has been consistent throughout the entire season, never going more than two games without a point. He had an eight-game point streak, a five-game streak and multiple three-game streaks.
This is all while averaging the lowest amount of ice time among the top 10 scorers in the SHL.
What has really stood out about Pettersson's evolution over the course of the season is his ability to adapt and change his offensive attack to continue to put up points. He didn't score his first goal of the season until their ninth game and then put up 23 over the final 34 games. He currently sits tied for third in goals in the league and is in fourth for assists.
It's clear that his confidence grew as he saw more success and thus was willing to try new things to create offence. He attacked the net, he would stick handle in tight situations, and all while still using his high-end awareness and puck distribution skills to give his teammates every opportunity to score. His shot has improved immensely over the course of the season; he waits out his opponents and then places the puck where he wants with precision and a deceptive release.
The 2017 5th overall pick does need to add size and strength to handle the rigours of an NHL season, but Pettersson plays intelligently enough that his size doesn't hinder him. He'll engage in contact early to avoid being contained or will lean into his opposition to force them off balance. Once he does add the needed bulk, those little plays will make him even more effective.
Like any prospect, Pettersson will need some time to develop and round out his game at the NHL level, but there is a lot to like about one of the organization's top prospects. His hockey IQ and awareness are noticeable on every play. He has rounded out his offensive game to allow him to generate offence in all situations and in different ways.
There is one more regular season game in the SHL season, then the playoffs for Vaxjo, and Pettersson may get the call to represent Sweden at the World Championships. So, we may not see him in North America this season, but rest assured that the wait will be worth it.