A common trend in European professional leagues sees young players spending time on the roster, but not having the opportunity to play meaningful minutes. It’s a situation where they’re too good for the club’s junior team but not experienced enough to win playing time over the veterans at the highest level. It was always the plan for Oskar Pettersson to make his way to North America following his season with Rögle BK but the Swedish winger has made the jump a little early, citing a lack of playing time as a reason to get acclimated to the North American game early. With just a single assist through 26 games in the SHL, playing sparingly, this choice is an understandable one.
Hailing from the city of Halmstad, Pettersson has been part of Rögle’s organization since he was a member of their U16 club in 2018-19. At virtually every level, the right winger has produced at a point per game of better, with the exception of the SHL. From scouting reports and what we know about Ottawa’s front office at the time, you can see why the Senators used the 72nd overall pick on him. What Pettersson is most known for is scoring goals and working hard. A common theme across multiple reports is that Pettersson “lacks flash” in his game, but makes up for it with his effort in the corners and battling along the boards.
Oskar Pettersson plays a straightforward game built around playing with speed, strength, and intensity. He’s always engaged when he’s on the ice, working hard to be near the puck or to open himself up in space for his teammates. – FCHockey’s 2022 NHL Draft Guide
When you’re a player who lacks flash but works hard, and scores goals at the rate Pettersson does, you can feel confident that there’s a spot somewhere in the Senators organization for him. The question is, where? And that’s what the organization is looking to find out after bringing Pettersson to Belleville early.
In Pettersson’s two games in North America to date, he’s been quiet on the scoresheet but one thing that’s been incredibly noticeable to date is his intensity. In both games over the weekend, sporting #32, he lined up with Tarun Fizer and Brennan Saulnier on Belleville’s fourth line. His minutes were limited, as expected coming into a brand new team halfway through the season, but he made the most of them with his speed and work ethic.
As Pettersson gets used to the speed and physicality of the North American game, we’ll start to get a better idea of where he will find himself in Ottawa’s organizational depth chart. He has the compete and tenacity that would fit in well in a bottom six role but a shot that could see him elevated, if he can figure out how to properly translate his game to the next level.
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