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Elias Pettersson is well aware of the dreaded sophomore slump, but didn’t give it much thought Tuesday.

“I heard about it and something about me,” said the Calder Trophy winning Vancouver Canucks centre. “I don’t care about it. I’ve been told I’m too small since I started playing hockey.”

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The only thing that Pettersson cares about is winning.

Lost in the lustre of his sparkling rookie campaign — scoring on his first shot in his first game, 10 goals in his first 10 outings and amassing two five-point games and a hat trick — was his diligence in all three zones. Often the first to retreat to help trigger the transition, that aspect of his game could be the catalyst to easily surpass 66 points (28-38) over 71 games in his first NHL season.

Pettersson doesn’t talk about goals and assists. He will talk about how much turnovers irk the Swedish centre and how important winning is. It may sound corny but it’s what makes Pettersson tick and what makes coach Travis Green marvel at the 20-year-old’s resolve to be a complete player.