Elias Pettersson | #40 | C

[Smashian Kassian]

Just now, Guile said:

Didn't listen, so I'm exposing myself to looking like an absolute moron here if I'm wrong. However, I'm guessing they're saying Pettersson could press for a spot with the big team next year. IMO there's no way he should even get a sniff of the NHL until AT LEAST one year in Utica, if not two. This kid, more than any of our other prospects, will need time to physically mature. Never mind how much weight he puts on, all gain in strength must be accompanied by development of coordination, skating, etc. He will also benefit greatly from LOTS of time on the smaller ice, playing with his future linemates potentially.

Its just an interview Sportsnet 650 did with Pettersson yesterday, a few dumb questions but its something.

 

He said in the interview he hasn't really thought about NHL next season too much. But I think if he's physically ready next year he should be given an opportunity. Its hard to say right now because of his physical maturity. Talent wise he could very well be ready next year if he can continue having a good year in the SHL, but we will see he could need AHL time too. Its pretty up in the air at this point I'd say. 

[Stanky Legs]

He needs to gain 50 lbs before even considering the NHL.

[Smashian Kassian]

8 minutes ago, Stanky Legs said:

He needs to gain 50 lbs before even considering the NHL.

He said in the interview he was at 167-168 ish right now. 50 pounds is probably a bit much. if he could get somewhere between 185-210 he should be fine I'd think.

Edited September 23, 2017 by Smashian Kassian

[Odd.]

 

30 minutes ago, Stanky Legs said:

He needs to gain 50 lbs before even considering the NHL.

I hope you're seriously joking, right?

[Rob_Zepp]

1 hour ago, Stanky Legs said:

He needs to gain 50 lbs before even considering the NHL  Jenny Craig.

FIFY.

[Herberts Vasiljevs]

1 hour ago, Stanky Legs said:

He needs to gain 50 lbs before even considering the NHL.

That's a ridiculous statement.

[AlwaysACanuckFan]

 

[canucklehead80]

18 minutes ago, AlwaysACanuckFan said:

 

When did he play in the CHL?

[Blömqvist]

1 minute ago, canucklehead80 said:

When did he play in the CHL?

CHL in Europe stands for Champions Hockey League. A tournament between the top teams in several premier European leagues such as the SHL, Liiga, NLA and a few others. 

 

It pretty much means he's playing against the best of the best Europe's mens pro hockey has to offer.

[Fan since 82]

2 minutes ago, canucklehead80 said:

When did he play in the CHL?

Champions Hockey League. It's a tournament of the top teams from the top tier European leagues. 

[canucklehead80]

1 minute ago, Blömqvist said:

CHL in Europe stands for Champions Hockey League. A tournament between the top teams in several premier European leagues such as the SHL, Liiga, NLA and a few others. 

 

It pretty much means he's playing against the best of the best Europe's mens pro hockey has to offer.

Thanks. Figured it had to be something other than the obvious CHL

[canucklehead80]

Just now, Fan since 82 said:

Champions Hockey League. It's a tournament of the top teams from the top tier European leagues. 

Thanks for clearing that up 

[Fan since 82]

Just now, canucklehead80 said:

Thanks for clearing that up 

Any time.

[Kungfudru]

This guys vision is elite. I'm so loving this pick. Hope he comes over to North America next year and plays in the AHL. Kind of like the sane route Nylander took. 

[48MPHSlapShot]

3 hours ago, Stanky Legs said:

He needs to gain 50 lbs before even considering the NHL.

[JamesB]

5 hours ago, Stanky Legs said:

He needs to gain 50 lbs before even considering the NHL.

 

5 hours ago, Smashian Kassian said:

He said in the interview he was at 167-168 ish right now. 50 pounds is probably a bit much. if he could get somewhere between 185-210 he should be fine I'd think.

 

3 hours ago, Herberts Vasiljevs said:

That's a ridiculous statement.

Obviously the "50 lbs" statement does not make sense and I assume was not meant literally. More generally, just bulking up is not a good strategy. We saw the problems it created for Virtanen after last summer and it looks like it might have created problems for Juolevi to start this year. Here are some of the issues.

 

1. Putting on upper body muscle raises the center of gravity and therefore makes it easier to fall down and harder to maintain balance on the ice.

2. Putting on upper body muscle adds weight. Other things equal, more weight reduces skating speed unless quite a lot of the weight is in increased "fast twitch" leg muscles.

3. Bulking up often reduces flexibility, reflex, and coordination.

 

That said, the right kind of weight gain is good as, other things equal, more strength is better. But weight gain needs to be balanced (lower and upper body) and fairly natural. Ideally, it includes skeletal growth  (wider hips and shoulders) and more bone mass, as well as more muscle. And it is important to keep up with flexibility and coordination training along with strength training. Just doing bench presses is not a good idea.

 

All this means that the amount a guy can usefully gain is limited. Pettersson will no doubt fill out to some extent, but he will probably always be slim to the point looking of looking like the "before" picture in muscle-building ads (a la Charles Atlas for anyone old enough to recognize that name).

 

If he is 167-168 now, I could see him adding 12-13 pounds over the next year or two and that is probably enough (about 180 lbs) for him to play in the NHL He would probably continue to fill out a bit and maybe spend most of his career about 185 or so. That would make him similar to Henrik Sedin, who is listed at 6-2 and 183 on the Canuck roster on this website. Henrik has done ok at that weight. (I will settle for an Art Ross trophy and Hart trophy for Pettersson, as long as we get a Stanley Cup as well.)

 

This is consistent with what I seem to recall Benning said after drafting him -- saying they expect him to play at about 15 lbs more or so in the NHL.

Edited September 24, 2017 by JamesB

[Stanky Legs]

45 minutes ago, JamesB said:

 

 

Obviously the "50 lbs" statement does not make sense and I assume was not meant literally. More generally, just bulking up is not a good strategy. We saw the problems it created for Virtanen after last summer and it looks like it might have created problems for Juolevi to start this year. Here are some of the issues.

 

1. Putting on upper body muscle raises the center of gravity and therefore makes it easier to fall down and harder to maintain balance on the ice.

2. Puttiing on upper body muscle add weight. Other things equal, more weight reduces skating speed unless quite a lot of the weight is in increased "fast twitch" leg muscles.

3. Bulking up often reduces flexibility, reflex, and coordination.

 

That said, the right kind of weight gain is good as, other things equal, more strength is better. But weight gain needs to be balanced (lower and upper body) and fairly natural. Ideally, it includes skeletal growth  (wider hips and shoulders) and more bone mass, as well as more muscle. And it is important to keep up with flexibility and coordination training along with strength training. Just doing bench presses is not a good idea.

 

All this means that the amount a guy can usefully gain is limited. Pettersson will no doubt fill out to some extent, but he will probably always be slim to the point looking of looking like the "before" picture in muscle-building ads (a la Charles Atlas for anyone old enough to recognize that name).

 

If he is 167-168 now, I could see him adding 12-13 pounds over the next year or two and that is probably enough (about 180 lbs) for him to play in the NHL He would probably continue to fill out a bit and maybe spend most of his career about 185 or so. That would make him similar to Henrik Sedin, who is listed at 6-2 and 183 on the Canuck roster on this website. Henrik has done ok at that weight. (I will settle for an Art Ross trophy and Hart trophy for Pettersson, as long as we get a Stanley Cup as well.)

 

This is consistent with what I seem to recall Benning said after drafting him -- saying they expect him to play at about 15 lbs more or so in the NHL.

That was my point. You just said it longer. I went direct to the point.

[Odd.]

8 minutes ago, Stanky Legs said:

That was my point. You just said it longer. I went direct to the point.

You said he needed to gain 50 more pounds to even think about the NHL. I couldn't tell if you were over-exaggerating or not, but the idea of him needing 50 pounds to be an NHL'er in a short amount of time is absurd. 

 

Yes he does need to bulk up and gain weight, and like @JamesB said, he will fill out but might always be lanky. 

[Stanky Legs]

8 minutes ago, Odd. said:

You said he needed to gain 50 more pounds to even think about the NHL. I couldn't tell if you were over-exaggerating or not, but the idea of him needing 50 pounds to be an NHL'er in a short amount of time is absurd. 

 

Yes he does need to bulk up and gain weight, and like @JamesB said, he will fill out but might always be lanky. 

I agree. I just didn't have the time to type it but @JamesB summarized it nicely.

[Gaudette Celly]

6 hours ago, JamesB said:

1. Putting on upper body muscle raises the center of gravity and therefore makes it easier to fall down and harder to maintain balance on the ice.

2. Putting on upper body muscle adds weight. Other things equal, more weight reduces skating speed unless quite a lot of the weight is in increased "fast twitch" leg muscles.

3. Bulking up often reduces flexibility, reflex, and coordination.

Remember that a lot of one's muscle mass, especially for athletes like hockey players, is in their lower body.  Nobody will ever mistake the Sedins for musclemen yet they clock in at 183 and 190.