Elias Pettersson announced as NHL 20 cover athlete in Sweden

As the Calder Trophy winner heads into his anticipated sophomore season, Elias Pettersson has been unveiled as the cover athlete for Sweden’s version of NHL 20.

Through just 71 games played last season, Pettersson scored 28 goals and 66 points, crowning him the Rookie of the Year. Not only do the numbers back up some of his impressive performances, but Pettersson has already become one of the most electrifying players to watch in the entire league.

Pettersson is following Maple Leafs forward William Nylander, who was on the cover for the Sweden version of the video game last year.

This is the first appearance of a Vancouver Canuck on a video game cover since Ryan Kesler was on the cover of NHL 2K11, which is of course the year this team appeared in the Stanley Cup Finals. So that means that the Canucks are going all the way, led by Pettersson and the other young core around him.

Overall, the Canucks are heading into a season that has slightly more pressure on them than seasons previous. With the core mostly in-tact and some exciting bolstering to the group of defencemen, the Canucks should be a highly-entertaining team, especially when compared to other Pacific Division teams that have struggled to improve over the summer.