Anaheim Ducks 2024 35th overall pick Lucas Pettersson will be part of a strong Sweden roster at World Junior Summer Showcase
Sweden will send 25 players to participate in the U20 World Junior Summer Showcase, set to take place from July 28 to Aug. 3 in Plymouth, MI. Among them will be the Anaheim Ducks' 35th overall pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, Lucas Pettersson.
Sweden is scheduled to have nine practices, starting July 26, and play four games at USA Hockey Arena. The showcase serves as an "evaluation for athletes seeking to make their respective national teams for the 2025 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship that is set for Dec. 26, 2024, through Jan. 5, 2025, in Ottawa, Ontario."
“It feels very exciting to go away with this group to the USA and start the season in Plymouth,” Sweden coach Magnus Hävelid told Derek O'Brien of The Hockey News. “We have with us a bunch of players who played in the World Juniors last year, a lot of faces we got to know during the U19 gatherings last spring, and a bunch who played in the U18 World Championship last spring. It will also be the first tournament with the new management staff and an important opportunity for us to start finding our chemistry in a real game environment.”
According to O'Brien, the Swedish team was scheduled to arrive in the Detroit area on July 23.
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The Ducks selected Lucas Pettersson with the third pick in the second round of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft on June 29th in Las Vegas, making him the first Swedish player off the board in this year's draft.
Pettersson played 44 games at the J20 Nationell level for MoDo Hockey in Sweden, scoring 27 goals and 30 assists, good enough to lead his team in scoring by a substantial margin and finish tenth in the league. He played a handful of SHL games for MoDo as well but didn't see sufficient ice time.
He last represented Sweden at the IIHF U18 World Championship in the Spring of 2024, wearing an "A" and co-leading his team in scoring with three goals and five assists in seven games en route to a bronze medal.
Pettersson models his game after former Ducks draft pick William Karlsson, displaying his self-proclaimed mature, two-way ability and hockey IQ down the middle of the ice.
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His effortlessly powerful and shifty skating combined with his responsible nature will get him to the NHL. His offensive impact and translatability will need some refinement in the next couple of seasons before he makes the jump to North America and eventually, the NHL.
Pettersson is likely heading back to Sweden to play for MoDo in 2024-25 and his presence at the Summer Showcase is an indication he will likely make the 2025 World Junior Championship roster. It's unclear if he will play the majority of his games in the SHL or at the J20 Nationell level, but he's currently signed to a contract with MoDo that will expire after the 2026-27 season.
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