Two Ducks prospects, Eric Nilson and Lucas Pettersson, have made Sweden's roster for the World Junior Summer Showcase, which will take place from July 25 to Aug. 2 at Ridder Arena in Minneapolis, Minn. at the University of Minnesota.
The Ducks selected Pettersson in the second round of the 2024 NHL Draft with the 35th overall pick. He displays good hockey sense and has shown that he can be reliable at both ends of the ice. A turbulent 2024-25 season saw him bounce around between the SHL and HockeyAllsvenskan with MoDo and Östersunds, respectively. He saw very little ice time with MoDo, but was able to turn his increased opportunities with Östersunds into offensive production. Pettersson will be playing in the SHL once again in 2025-26 after moving to SHL club Brynäs, where he will play alongside former Duck Jakob Silfverberg.
Anaheim Ducks Development Camp Takeaways: Lucas Pettersson and Eric Nilson, Similar Yet Different
The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/anaheim-ducks">Anaheim Ducks</a> held their annual development camp from June 30 to July 2. This year’s camp was shorter than the last couple of years, typically a five-day camp concluding with a 3v3 scrimmage.
"It's just a great environment for me to play with those guys," Pettersson said. "It doesn't matter where you're playing, up and down in the lineup, especially if you're getting minutes. It will be in a good environment. It doesn't matter what line you're playing. It's a good team who can really let young guys come through, so that was the main thing (in deciding to move to Brynäs)."
Pettersson was at the 2024 summer showcase for Sweden, but was not named to the World Juniors squad in the winter after a disappointing start to his season. The hope will be that he can get off on the right foot with Brynäs and turn that momentum into a roster spot on this winter's World Juniors roster.
Nilson was selected by the Ducks in the second round of the 2025 NHL Draft with the 45th overall pick and will be playing collegiate hockey at Michigan State University this upcoming fall after primarily playing for Djurgårdens' J20 team. Nilson has stressed improving his strength and physicality, two attributes that he feels can become better with a move to the college game.
"It's kind of different how we play in Sweden from (North America)," Nilson said. "(I want to) change that (and) just come into the more American style of play."
While Pettersson's style of play leans more toward the fashion of a two-way forward, Nilson's game right now is all about his defensive play. The way he uses his edges to effortlessly change direction, along with his ability to recognize plays and kill them before they develop, allows him to be an above-average center defensively.
The summer showcase is often used as an evaluation period for teams to get an idea of who could be on their World Juniors squads come December. With rosters being larger than the eventual cut-down lists that are named in the winter, this week-long period allows teams to get a different look at several players they might not usually get around to.
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Featured image caption: Jul 1, 2025; Irvine, California, USA; Eric Nilson skates with the puck during a drill at Ducks development camp at Great Park Ice. Mandatory Credit: Derek Lee-The Hockey News