Kent Nilsson. Peter Forsberg. Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Markus Naslund. Those are just a few of the once Swedish Hockey League rookies that Elias Pettersson picked up more points than last season with the Vaxjo Lakers.
“The record breaker” quickly made a habit of excellence in that season — and caught the attention of many — especially the attention of Canucks fans. The hype surrounding Pettersson grew even larger after he was named the Rookie of the Year, Forward of the Year, League MVP, and Playoff MVP.