Is There A Player Pettersson Can Be Compared To?

[TheGuardian_]

I have several players mentioned when describing Pettersson and there doesn't seem to be a consensus.

Sakic, Gretzky, Yzerman, Datsuyk, … lofty names for sure and only time will tell if justified.

But

 I can't really decide myself, he is unique. The game isn't just slow for him, really good players seem to suddenly slow down when he is around, they hit less, their stick handling weakens, passing skills and IQ diminish. Really good players just don't look right.

 

He isn't lightning fast, not over powering or vastly superior stick handling skills, the closest I can come up with is like he is playing the game already knowing what to do, like he played it 3 seconds before the rest.

 

Gretzky combined with Larinov and Sedin telepathy, passing, shooting, being in the right place. I'm sure there is a player I am forgetting, Cyclone Taylor was said to be like that, he played one game and everyone else played hockey after him.

 

Does he see the future?

[cory40]

I am saying Datsuk with a little bit of Gretzky!

[goalie13]

You could compare him to Kamenev in COL.  He's also only played nine games so far.

[Zigmund.Palffy]

cmon man , hes comparable to the 2 year 20 million dollar man...MATS SUNDIN

[Rindiculous]

I'd say he's got dekes that look like Datsyuk, passing that looks like Gretzky, and a shot that looks like Sakic.

[Xbox]

IMHO, Pavel Datsyuk

[Bissurnette]

Datsyuk more than any other imo but he really is his own player 

[littledreamer]

I see 99 the most.  Not in the physical necessarily, but he seems to be able to read the game far ahead of the other players.  99 did that.

[Dazzle]

FWIW, Pettersson said that he likes to model his game like Backstrom, but I'm not sure if his play is similar to him.

[The Lock]

Datsyuk's the closest I think, but really think he's his own player and there's nothing wrong with that.

[hammertime]

shades of Jordan Tootoo

[samurai]

I have said it many times.  If you watch him dangle guys and his ability to slow the game down he is similar to Mario.   EP is not as big but he is tall.   He has long strides which is like Mario as well 

 

[EmilyM]

He's got vision like Gretzky. I'm not daring to compare the two directly as it would be unfair to compare someone to a legend. And that's just too much pressure to put on Gretzky.

[VanGnome]

Just wait until he's sitting at 195/200-210 in 3-4 seasons. If you think Pettersson is beast now... Scandinavian players almost always unequivocally take longer to physically mature.

I believe the final form of Pettersson is going to be Peter Forsberg/Pavel Datsyuk with shades of Gretzky. He is going to be ludicrously good. Kamehameha good.

[Canckelhead]

I hate comparables, like he said, he is his own player.

[Nuxfanabroad]

Would WD have EP40 on the 4th line, to learn the game the right way? Inquirin' minds wanna' know!

[onesmallleap]

Petr Nedved

[Tomatoes11]

I think the closest is probably Sakic or Sundin. 

 

Datsuyk is more of a puck controller like forsberg. Petterssen can’t protect the puck as well as Datsuyk or Forsberg but he seems like he doesn’t need to. You can get the puck off of him or get him to relinquish possession but the puck usually ends up in the back of the net when he does relinquish control. He orchestrates something somehow. 

 

He really is quite unique.

[chon derry]

if there is a petterson greztky comparison all I can say to that is he's more like gretzky than nedved was . no Nintendo pretendo's with EP . he is his own player . there was one player who was comparable , dale hawerchuck, but even then the #s didnt.

[Rick Blight]

He reminds me of this skinny kid that tore up the SHL last year.....I think his name was Alien. I don't care who he reminds us of as long as nobody comes back to take him home.