Is Elias Pettersson an Elite skater?

[BDG123]

He's getting a lot of hype for his IQ and skillset, but is he an elite skater?

Click to read more...

 

[Rygu]

Nope not even close.

If that ever changes though, look the f*** out.

 

[M2Beezy]

No, but hes really SUPER good at the unicycle well juggling

 

[LuckyBoeser]

Pettersson is a good skater, but not an elite one

 

[ccman68]

lol

 

[Rowlet]

good skater, not elite

 

[Connor McConnor]

Geez we are really throwing the word 'elite' around quite generously here. His pre scouting report said he was an above average skater and I think that is still the case. No where close to Elite. Although I will say he seems to have improved his skating a bit since he came into the league. He has deceptive speed because of his long glides but I think its an area that he can continue to work on to become an even deadlier player.

 

[Soliloquy of a Dogge]

I would say slightly above average.

Somebody like Matthews is an average skater and Pettersson is slightly better.

 

[34]

Nah. Good player but not elite anything.

 

[Regal]

His akward skating style and cerebral play make him look like an average skater but he can turn on a dime, and has great acceleration when he's trying to break up a play or capitalize on a chance. He likes to slow the play down regularly, but watch him skate when there's a loose puck in the vicinity and you'll see how good his speed and acceleration actually is, and his elusiveness is on display regularly. He used his speed more in his rookie year, but I get the feeling he's worried about injuries as he's still quite slight of build. He's not a McDavid, MacKinnon or Eichel, but he's a high end skater.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

By "elite" are we referring to top end speed and explosiveness? Or does that include edges, balance, being able to make quick pivots, shiftiness, etc.?

Because a guy like Crosby probably doesn't have elite top end speed any longer, but I'd argue he's still very much an "elite skater" overall because of the other stuff. Wouldn't Pettersson be kind of like that?

 

[Our Lady Peace]

His acceleration and shiftiness/agility are pretty high end but his top speed is not elite, just merely 'quite good'. For the Leafs fan above that said he isn't elite at anything... Do you even watch him play? Elite vision and elite timing are his calling cards, which make him so dangerous in the first place and a current PPG player as a result...

Overall, I would not say he is an elite skating forward like Skinner, McDavid, Crosby, Mackinnon, etc.

 

[Laodongxi]

What Pettersson is doing in the video below is not only "elite" but maybe unique?

He does this kind of stuff all the time in the offensive zone and it is amazing to watch. What he does is very subtle and almost impossible to see but this video really helps to see what he is doing and appreciate it.

Love watching him skate now. Also love attempting some of this technique at stick and puck and public skate. lol...

 

[CherryToke]

He looks like one next to Boeser but no, he needs to get stronger on his skates.

 

[Love]

He’s a good but not elite skater

 

[GFY]

What Pettersson is doing in the video below is not only "elite" but maybe unique?

He does this kind of stuff all the time in the offensive zone and it is amazing to watch. What he does is very subtle and almost impossible to see but this video really helps to see what he is doing and appreciate it.

Love watching him skate now. Also love attempting some of this technique at stick and puck and public skate. lol...

I totally agree with what you say in that his skating is pretty unique. He doesn't have elite speed, nor do I think he has quick pivots or edgework either like a Patrick Kane or Mitch Marner, but I think his overall skating stance is fairly elusive, and makes it harder for opposition players to read what he's going to do. It looks really awkward when I watch how he skates, and maybe that's because I can't recall watching many players (if any at all) with a style like it, but I think it's incredibly effective which is why he's able to pull some ridiculous moves sometimes or open up space in the offensive zone when there was none.

 

[82Ninety42011]

Nope not even close.

If that ever changes though, look the **** out.

Wouldn't even be fair if that happened. His current skating reminds me of a stork lol love his play though !!

 

[Wry n Ginger]

Here are the results from the 2019 NHL All Star fastest skater competition

Player | Time (Seconds)
Kendall Coyne Schofield, U.S. Women's National Team | 14.346
Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars | 13.914
Clayton Keller, Arizona Coyotes | 14.526
Elias Pettersson, Vancouver Canucks | 13.930
Cam Atkinson, Columbus Blue Jackets | 14.152
Jack Eichel, Buffalo Sabres | 13.582
Mathew Barzal, New York Islanders | 13.780
Connor McDavid, Edmonton Oilers | 13.378

He was .6 seconds behind McDavid. Is that elite? I dunno but it's pretty d@mned fast.

 

[spiny norman]

The lopsided result arrived quickly.