The Senators sign the Swedish forward, a 2022 third-rounder, to his entry-level contract.
The Senators announced today they've signed forward Oskar Pettersson to an entry-level contract.
With 23 goals in 24 games, Pettersson absolutely ripped it up in the Swedish junior ranks this season. The 19-year-old played half the year in junior and half in the top men's league, where he registered just two points in 29 games. Pettersson also played for Team Sweden at the World Juniors, posting 4 points in 7 games.
The big news isn't so much that Pettersson signed his ELC, it's how fired-up GM Pierre Dorion is about Pettersson as a prospect.
"Oskar has quickly become one of the organization's top prospects," Dorion said in a club statement. "He had a strong first pro season and showcases a similar maturity level to players who are much older.
"A north/south winger who has demonstrated he's capable of playing in all situations, he routinely utilizes his speed to effectively cycle the puck. He's a smart player with good habits; his work ethic alone is certain to be of considerable value to him as he strives to take the next step."
One could say, quite conservatively, there hasn't really been a ton of hype around Pettersson to this point. In fact, with respect, we would wager this article is maybe the first time some of you have even heard of Oskar Pettersson.
Now he's being hailed as one of the organization's top prospects? That means the player has either had a tremendous spike in his development or Dorion is in job audition mode, trying to sell the new brass on past draft accomplishments.
Of course, when you think about it, it could also be both things.
The Halmstad, Sweden native finished his junior career this season with 69 points over 70 career games. The Senators, who traded away their top two picks (number 7 and number 39) for Alex DeBrincat last summer, grabbed Pettersson at 72nd overall. Pettersson was taken eight picks behind 6-foot-4 Swedish defenceman Filip Nordberg, Ottawa's top pick in that draft, who remains unsigned.
Pettersson is now the third member of the team's 2022 draft class to be signed by Ottawa (Tomas Hamara, Jorian Donovan). The club fully expects him to return to Sweden next season.
Oskar Pettersson will never be as big a star as the legendary Canadian jazz pianist of (roughly) the same name, but Dorion certainly makes it sound like he might one day be a big hit in Ottawa.