Lekkerimäki scored the game-winning goal and also added a pair of assists in the game. When Abbotsford defenceman and AHL all-star Elias Pettersson was asked about that final shift, he had no doubt that his fellow Swede was going to bury the winner.
“Yeah, he’s a goal scorer,” said Pettersson with a chuckle when asked if he knew Lekkerimäki was going to score in the final shift.
The Abbotsford Canucks now have a week of practice before hitting the road for a Friday and Saturday back-to-back against the Tucson Roadrunners. They will then travel to Coachella Valley for a Wednesday night game against a strong Firebirds team.
Abby will play two home games the following weekend and then the AHL heads into their all-star break.
Insider Extra: All-Star D-Petey
The 20-year-old Pettersson has impressed many this season and has shown enough to be selected to represent Abbotsford at the All-Star festivities.
“It feels good, of course,” said Pettersson. “I am happy to represent Abbotsford for it. It's going to be a fun couple of days and I’m going to bring my girlfriend for it. John Stevens is also going, so maybe we will play a round of golf.”
The young defenceman is sticking to his game and not changing his playstyle has helped him find early success in the AHL.
“I know what I have to bring to the team, and I have to do it. I think my team is expecting my game to be hard and not trying to do any flashy things. So, I'm trying to stay to that,” said Pettersson. “I'm trying to grow and not have those ups and downs. I’m trying to not make so many mistakes and just trying to build on that.”
His head coach Manny Malhotra spoke highly of the season that Pettersson has been having and discussed what has given him success through the first half of the year.
“I think the overall theme for Petey is that he knows who he is as a player. He hasn't wavered from that. I think the evolution for him is just being harder, stronger, and faster. Obviously, he's a big man that can move around the ice really well, but on a nightly basis, getting some tough matchups, playing against some big, heavy bodies – he's learning how to become a pro and do it on a nightly basis,” said Malhotra.
“Obviously, the start of the season that he had, we didn't question [the success], but we were wondering if he would be able to maintain that pace, and he's done so and then some. His attitude when he comes to the rink is that he wants to get better. He's willing to put the work in and, and Smitty [assistant coach Jordan Smith] has done a really good job of honing his game.”
Pettersson is becoming one of the most-loved players in the room and has earned the respect of his teammates from his gritty play and willingness to stand up for teammates.
“He’s an all-star in his first year, I’d say he’s doing pretty good,” said Räty with a laugh. “He's a really good teammate. He's blended into our group really well. He's a happy guy; he's a loud guy and we love him over here. He jokes a lot, and he's really involved, which I love. That's something that he is doing really well, he's very involved. It wouldn't be weird if he had an ‘A’ on his jersey, like that's how involved he is.”
With all the success early on in his AHL career, Malhotra wants to focus on finding a way for Pettersson to be successful every night and prepare him for the NHL as best he can.
“The challenge will continue to be consistency,” said Malhotra when asked what is next for Pettersson’s development. “That's what being a pro is all about to move on to the next level. But more so as we come down the stretch here, the games are going to mean that much more. The checking is going to get tighter. Everything is going to be amplified. So, just maintaining his play and his execution as things become ramped up is going to be the key for or the next step in his progression.”
Pettersson has 13 points through 36 AHL games and is one of the defenders who eats up the most minutes on the penalty kill along with when the team is defending a lead late in games. Pettersson has consistently been on Abbotsford’s top pairing and mentioned that his time with Mark Friedman as his partner has helped his game grow due to the NHL experience that Friedman has in his career.
