Remember when there was still uncertainty over whether Elias Pettersson would sign with the Canucks or return to the SHL for one more season?
The Canucks media collectively overreacted to the Växjö Lakers’ GM wanting Pettersson to play one more year with his team, which led to about two weeks of unwarranted panic. When Pettersson inevitably signed his entry-level contract, the sigh of relief was a little louder than it needed to be.
We still have a long wait before we can see Pettersson in a Canucks jersey, however. Pettersson didn’t take part in the Canucks’ prospect development camp in July, as he stayed in Sweden for his summer training and to continue the rehab of his fractured thumb. So we’ll have to wait until training camp in September and the preseason to see Pettersson in Vancouver.
Before he makes his true Canucks debut, however, Pettersson will don his Växjö Lakers jersey one last time.
Unlike in the NHL, where teams generally hold a skills competition mid-season, the Lakers have made their skills competition part of their training camp. In many ways, it’s the first event of the season for the Lakers, with free admission for Lakers fans. The Lakers split into two teams for the skills competition, captained by Arvid Lundberg and former Canucks prospect Daniel Rahimi.
Each team will have 13 players, including a “Joker,” which would more commonly be referred to as a “wild card” in North America. The Joker is a player that isn’t actually on the Lakers roster. For Team Rahimi, it’s Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Calle Rosen. For Team Lundberg, it’s Pettersson.
It feels like Team Lundberg will get an unfair advantage.
Pettersson will look to dazzle the fans that were so supportive during his record-setting rookie season, while also giving them one last chance to say farewell. It could potentially be an emotional moment for both Pettersson and Lakers’ fans.
Both Pettersson and Rosen have been training with the Lakers during the summer, so it was a natural fit to include them in the skills competition. Lakers head coach Sam Hellam explained that the two of them have to stand aside from time to time when more team-specific drills are run, but they’re otherwise full participants in practice.
That’s good news for anyone worried about Pettersson’s fractured thumb delaying his summer training.
Hellam also added, with some Google Translate magic, “One has missed the sound of puckers, ice cuts and smashes in the sack.”
Swedish is such a beautiful language.
Hopefully we’ll be able to get some highlights from the Lakers skills competition, as last year’s event gave us this ridiculous between-the-legs shootout goal.
Ah yes, that's the stuff.
The 2018 Växjö Lakers Skills Competition will take place on Monday, August 6th.
