Two more weeks. That’s all the time NHL GM’s have to lock up their free agents before they will become fair game for the 29 other teams. And while Ducks fans wait eagerly to see if GM Bob Murray can get a deal done with impending free agents Matt Beleskey and Francois Beauchemin, the Ducks have locked up someone.
Last week the Ducks came to terms with Marcus Pettersson. Pettersson is a 19 year old Swedish defenseman that was a 2nd round pick of the Ducks in last year’s draft. Ducks brass is high on Pettersson and they wasted no time in locking him up. Chances are most fans haven’t heard of Pettersson since the draft last season so here’s a chance to get aquatinted with Anaheim’s newest Duck.
Talent analysis from hockeysfuture.com: Pettersson is a tall, intelligent defenseman who has a long reach and rarely allows opponents to get around him, gobbling them up as they try to pass. He uses his sizes effectively in orchestrating a very effective poke-check. He has a strong sense of one-on-one positioning; understanding when to play aggressively or conservatively. Despite his size and lankiness, he’s got both good east-west as well as backwards mobility. Pettersson’s first pass is almost always on the money and he doesn’t hesitate to curl the puck back into his zone to regroup when necessary. He has above-average offensive instincts in all three zones and his shot is on target and particularly his wrist shot can come at a surprising velocity. A tall player whose frame is ripe for another 40 pounds in the coming years, his developmental curve has also been extremely impressive as he irons out holes in his game at a rapid rate. His confidence and ability to read the game suggest Pettersson has limitless upside at this juncture. Not surprisingly for a player his size, balance is sometimes an issue while pushing and prodding opponents with better core strength. A converted forward, he can be decked at times — with slow response time — and his defensive game is, overall, still in need of improvement.
This offers a lot of insight into Pettersson. Which is tougher than it may seem as he plays for a variety of different teams in a given season in Sweden. He stands at 6’3” but only weighs 160 pounds. That’s an extremely light weight for his height and at the NHL level will lead to him easily being knocked off the puck. The plus side is he is only 19 so has plenty of time to add size and bulk to his frame. 40-45 pounds would put him just over 200 pounds and standing that tall would make him a force in the NHL.
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The best parts of their take are without a doubt that he doesn’t allow opponents around him, that his first pass out of the zone is almost always on the money, and that he gets his wrist shot off with surprising velocity. Being able to keep players to the outside and in front of you is pivotal for success in the NHL and if he can add size and girt that ability will allow him to rack up the hits and take pucks away. Getting the first pass right is pivotal to breaking out of your own zone and if Pettersson moves the puck quickly and tape to tape that gives more attacking zone time and limits turnover. And although as a defenseman you expect a booming slap shot sometimes a wrist shot is just as effective. Especially if he gets it off quickly and to the net he doesn’t always have to score. He can tally assists with deflections and rebounds.
He is mentioned by GM Bob Murray in his exit interview stating that he’s “a good player” and that the plan is for the Ducks to keep him over in Sweden and not rush him along. That makes sense but eliteprospects.com has him listed as joining the Ducks new AHL affiliate San Diego Gulls for next season. The Ducks stable of defense is loaded and young at the NHL level to begin with. Not to mention the likes of Josh Manson and Shea Theodore are knocking on the door to take a job. Don’t expect to see Pettersson in Anaheim next season but if Elite-Prospects are correct than you will see him in SoCal next year.
This past season Pettersson racked up 14 points playing in 44 games for three different teams in the Swedish elite leagues. He went on to pick up 3 points in six games combined playing for Sweden’s U19 and U20 teams. It’s tough to get a read on what type of player Pettersson will be but Ducks brass seems very high on him. If he can bulk up he could be a great NHL defenseman even if his offensive game isn’t his strongest trait. The Ducks could use a young defensive defenseman especially with the current ones on the roster aging. If he can find an edge and tenacity, which could come with him playing in North America the Ducks will have another great homegrown defenseman.
If Pettersson is a Gull next season we will all be able to see better what kind of player the Ducks locked up quickly this summer. There’s a lot to like in the paragraph from Hockey’s Future and the things that are minuses can be fixed. There is no need to rush him to Anaheim but it will be great to see how he transitions to the North American game.