Elias Pettersson had two goals for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Elias Pettersson is having an impact for Sweden at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The 27-year-old had a strong showing against Italy before scoring twice, including the game-winner against Slovakia. Overall, while Sweden has not had the strongest tournament, they still have picked up two wins and outscored their opposition 11-9 in the preliminary round.
While Pettersson has yet to eclipse the 14-minute mark in any game, he has impressed Sweden's head coach, Sam Hallam. Pettersson has been coached by Hallam in the past, with the most recent time being at the 2025 4 Nations Face-Off. The following quote is from a recent interview between Hallam and NHL.com/sv, which has then been translated using Google Translate from Swedish to English.
"I loved his speed from the midfield when he scored his first goal. It was a nice pass from (Filip) Forsberg. But from the start he plays with good presence, he does the right things, tackles and plays the right way tactically. It means a lot to him to add two goals to that today. All these players need goals like that to get a better feeling."
Feb 11, 2026; Milan, Italy; Elias Pettersson of Sweden shoots at goal as Damian Clara of Italy makes a save in men's ice hockey group B play during the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games at Milano Santagiulia Ice Hockey Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-Imagn ImagesGoing into the tournament, the hope was that a strong Olympics could provide Pettersson with more confidence heading into the final part of the season. While he does lead the Canucks in scoring, he has only scored 13 goals and produced 34 points in 49 games. Pettersson also leads all forwards in the NHL with 81 blocked shots and is averaging 19:31 per game.
As for Sweden, their next game will be on February 17. Sweden finished seventh in the overall standings, meaning they will need to play a playoff game. Sweden will be facing off against Latvia, which features Canucks center Teddy Blueger and Abbotsford Canucks forward Anri Ravinskis.
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