It’s April 25, 2015 and Örnsköldsvik, Sweden’s Henrik and Daniel Sedin were still the heartbeat of the Vancouver Canucks who were eliminated from the 2015 NHL Playoffs by the Calgary Flames. Another Swede, Elias Petterson, barely 16-years-old, looked on as his country’s superstars flailed out of the opening round.
Fast forward to Aug. 2020, that 16-year-old is in the same position as his countrymen, leading the Canucks into knockout hockey for the first time since that matchup. Petterson hasn’t played a minute of the NHL post-season, but second-year NHL’er has masses of playoff experience.
It was just two seasons ago that a paper-thin Petterson won the Swedish Elite League scoring title with 56 points in 44 games for the Vaxjo Lakers and led that same team to the league’s playoff championship.
“Playoff experience” is a common trope expressed by people around hockey, and on the surface, it seems that Petterson doesn’t have that in his multi-faceted toolbox.
But guess what? He does.
Don’t get me wrong, the Swedish league’s playoffs don’t feature the same skill and physicality as the NHL’s version often showcases, however, a young Petterson was forced to step up his game against men, an ability he will have to show again as the Canucks enter their 2020 Stanley Cup chase.
Playoffs require an elevated drive for players and that’s something Petterson realizes and is confident he can do. Speaking with Sportsnet.ca, the NHL postseason freshman said, “What I can tell from that is the games are tougher, you fight more for pucks, and everyone’s game raises. It’s just a tougher game all around. And I expect the same thing in the NHL because the Stanley Cup is one of the most famous trophies you can win, and everyone wants to win it.”
There is no doubt that as the NHL Playoff Qualifying Rounds creep closer, Vancouver’s young core will be questioned about their experience in big events and Petterson will be in the middle of such conversations. While that question is easy to ask, the thought of its significance is shrouded in contention.
How different is the pressure in an international knockout game, or a junior final? If players, such as Petterson, have already come up against such pressure, there’s no reason the NHL should be any different.
Only at 21-years-old, Petterson has risen to the challenge before, just ask the people who watched him with his Gold Medal at the 2018 IIHF World Championships, or who witnessed him lifting the SHL Trophy; they’ll say there’s no reason to doubt he can do it again.
“I always like challenges. I always want to be the guy that helps the team win. That’s always been my main goal. I’ve always been a guy that’s supposed to score points and make plays, so I’m always trying to do that.”
Playoff and high-pressure experience are important, but whether it comes on the international stage or in junior, the games still teach the lesson of raising your game when times call for it.
Although Petterson has his own playoff experience, if he lines up with the linemates he finished the NHL regular season with, he will be flanked by a Stanley Cup champion and a player who has experienced disappointment before.
On his left side, he has Stanley Cup champion Tyler Toffoli who knows the joys of winning, has experienced the unique multi-month grind of the NHL postseason, and on the right, he looks at J.T Miller who fell out of the 2019 playoffs in spectacular sweeping fashion with the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Speaking of his young centre, Miller said, “I try to be a sponge when I’m around him. I have, obviously, more experience than him, but at the same time, he does a lot of things that I struggle to do well. Everything that we’ve done, especially after Christmas. . . everything is related to the playoffs. I think he knows what it takes to be a good playoff player.”
So look at that line – it harnesses the experience of NHL heartbreak, glory and international pressure. For a team that’s headed into the postseason for the first time in a half-decade, it’s stronger than expected.
While still Swedish, Petterson isn’t Henrik Sedin, he hasn’t won Olympic gold, he hasn’t felt the heartbreak of losing Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals. However, he has faced pressure before, and under that, he has prevailed. Put him alongside experience from both spectrums and you’ve got a line that could surprise some teams.
It’s been five years since Vancouver fell to Calgary, but the Canucks are hoping that a player who was a mid-teenager through their last playoff shot can help guide them to historic Stanley Cup glory, something never before seen on Canada’s west coast.