Ottawa Senators Top 25 Under 25 2024, #20: Oskar Pettersson

#20: Oskar Pettersson

Last Year: #21, Reader Rank: #21

I am probably not the person whose opinion you want to hear when it comes to former third-rounder (72nd overall 2022) and current AHL right-winger Oskar Pettersson. Without giving away too much, Pettersson got some diverse votes from the staff, ranking as high as twelfth all the way to 25th. I was one of two writers to leave Pettersson off my ballot altogether. I should note here that I absolutely love the idea of having an Ottawa Senator who phonetically has the same name as one of the all-time greats of the jazz scene but my fascination pretty much ends there for now.

Pettersson tore it up in junior and represented Sweden in some significant international tournaments with okay results. However, in the transition to professional hockey, that typically separates the prospects from the future NHLers, Pettersson has yet to find his game. And that's not to discount his raw potential or to write him off at age-20. I just thought 25 other players had more value for the Senators organization when I cast my ballot. And I usually have a bias for right-handed shooters, big time.

To emphasize, I don't want to discount Pettersson's time with the Swedish national junior team (including a silver medal!) because belonging to a group of a dozen or so forwards from one of the best national programs in the world certainly bodes well for a player's potential. I would use the same argument for Zack Ostapchuk who may not have set the world on fire in international play but joined a stacked Canadian national team nonetheless. If anything, I wonder if these developments mean pivoting our expectations for Pettersson from goal-scorer to depth forward. Very few teenagers can score in the SHL and even among them, many fail to find top-six success in North America. Goals don't come easy against the best defences and netminders in the world as it turns out!

To that effect, Pettersson scored even less in his D+2 season than he did in his D+1 in both the SHL and in tournament play which kind of circles back to my initial confusion as to how he moved up in the rankings here and also makes me wonder if he has discovered a niche as more of a two-way player. I should also note here that Pettersson's omission from Belleville's playoff roster didn't help his case when it came time for me to make my assessment. Scouts have long questioned Pettersson's skating, viewing him as more of a crash-and-bang goal-scorer, and it stands to reason that he would struggle playing against opponents now larger than himself.

Moving on from Pettersson's uninspired time in the SHL, the winger came over to North America to report to Belleville in February, to look for a fresh start in a new system. In just his fourth game on this side of the Atlantic, Pettersson scored his first goal in pretty much the way you'd expect given his scouting report: go to the slot and receive the feed. It ain't a work of art, but he keeps the cycle alive and reaps the rewards for his hard work and commitment to the forecheck:

In his first multi-point game in the AHL (quite possibly his first multi-point game as a professional) I have to commend Pettersson again for keeping the cycle alive, showing good habits on the forecheck, and getting back in front of the net after setting up the eventual goal:

Pettersson's second AHL goal also checks off a lot of the boxes you want to see, he keeps his head up the whole way, sneaks in effectively behind the defence ready to receive the pass cleanly, and converts beautifully. That'll play any day:

Pettersson's other goal was an empty-netter so I don't feel the need to analyze too much there. To watch Pettersson play, you can see the tools that the Sens identified on draft day. Like a lot of deeper picks, Pettersson will have to overcome his limited skating ability relative to his peers. I get the impression he has the vision and hockey sense to make smart plays even if he doesn't have the feet to match the hands. I like his release a lot.

Despite my non-vote for him this year, I would love to see a big season for Pettersson as much as any Sens fan, and I imagine he'll have a great opportunity to do so in Belleville in the fall. Like I said, Pettersson has reached the proverbial meat-grinder of development jumping from junior to pro and there's no shame if he tops out in the AHL. He still has a couple of years to put it together and the Sens, like every other team can always use another natural right-winger. Lay it down, piano man.