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Elias Pettersson Eyes First Olympic Appearance: 'You Feel the Whole Nation Behind You'

Originally posted on Hockey Latest | By Jack Sutherland | Last updated Aug 9, 2025 11:14 PM ET

Vancouver Canucks forward Elias Pettersson is looking forward to representing Sweden in the upcoming 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan, where he will help try and win a gold medal.

Almost nothing went according to plan for the Vancouver Canucks and forward Elias Pettersson in particular this year, missing the postseason after having won the Pacific Division and advanced to Game 7 of the WCSF in 2024.

Pettersson experienced harsh struggles, scoring only 45 points (15G, 30A) in 64 games.

Not only is Pettersson focused on rebounding in 2025-26, but he's also looking forward to representing Sweden in the 2026 Winter Olympic Games in Milan. He also can't wait to enjoy the feeling of representing his homeland with the support of the country behind him.

Great fun. Fun to meet old teammates, (Jacob) Markström among others, and talk about what's to come. It was of course great fun when the news came. I've never played in the Olympics, so hopefully it will be incredibly fun.
It's always awesome. You have the entire population of Sweden behind you. And you know when you've stood in a sea of people cheering when Sweden played in the European Football Championship or something, so I guess people have the same feeling.

Pettersson also played for Sweden in the 4 Nations Faceoff in February.

Elias Pettersson is looking for revenge this year

Pettersson knows all too well that his struggles are well below the expectations that come with his AAV (average annual value) of $11.6 million that he's being paid, and wants to correct it.