No. 1 – Elias Pettersson (Right Wing/Centre)
Show of hands. Who didn’t see this coming? I’ve been talking about Elias Pettersson for a majority of the season, so much of this is a recap. But honestly, there is no one else that could take the top spot on this list.
Let’s start with history. For his age group, Pettersson has the all-time single-season record for points (both in the regular season and playoffs). With that, he also led the SHL in scoring for the regular season and postseason.
On top of winning the Le Mat Trophy in the SHL, Pettersson received the Stefan Liv Memorial Trophy (playoff MVP). The SHL awards the best plus/minus, most junior points, most junior goals, rookie of the year and forward of the year. Furthermore, Pettersson won them all!
He also had nine points in 11 games in the Champions Hockey League tournament. Speaking of tournaments, Pettersson was on the infamous Silver-medal team, leaving Buffalo with seven points in as many games. Finally, Pettersson made Team Sweden at the World Championships in Denmark, before a broken thumb ended his tournament prematurely.
Pettersson is everything and anything when it comes to the Canucks prospect pool. He’s the best prospect the Canucks have had in a very long time and looks poised to do something special. Whether that’s at centre or right wing, the organization has a fantastic player waiting in the wings.
Next: Exploring a Colin Miller trade
This is the right era for lighter forwards to excel. Skill is king and when a team is constructed correctly, they can terrorize this league. The Vancouver Canucks are still far from reaching that point, but there is one thing you can’t deny and that’s potential.