ANAHEIM – A year can make a difference.

That is apparent when it comes to Marcus Pettersson. The scruffy facial hair covering his cheeks and chin has rendered his once teenage-boyish appearance obsolete.

“Growing up,” Pettersson said, smiling.

The same could be said about his game. Amid all the hoopla that’s been the Ducks’ defensive depth throughout the organization, Pettersson has quietly worked to move up the system chart from a distance.

More eyes could soon be on him stateside. After giving the Ducks brass a glimpse of his progress at the club’s annual summer prospect camp, Pettersson feels he’s ready to take the next step.

Is it the NHL? Is it the American Hockey League? He’ll find out the answer at the main training camp this fall, but he feels the time to play in North America is now.

“That’s the plan,” Pettersson said. “It looks like I’m coming to camp and obviously we’ll see from there. But I’m coming with the mentality that I want to take a spot. If you don’t come to camp and have that mentality that you’re going to get a jersey and break into the NHL, you got nothing to do there.

“So I hope and I think that everybody is going to have that attitude that they’re going to take a jersey. Just come here with that mentality and see how far I go.”

Pettersson, 21, has been a regular with Skelleftea AIK in the Swedish Hockey League – Sweden’s top pro league – the past two seasons. It is a team with which he’s long been familiar – his father, Daniel, was a 14-year center for Skelleftea.

The younger Pettersson is a 6-foot-3 defender who uses his long reach to work against forwards and break up plays in his own zone. He has seen the value of playing with and against grown men back home. Now he is ready to apply the knowledge he has gained along the way.

“It’s huge,” Pettersson said, comparing the jump with Canadian major junior players in their adjustment to the pro game. “I think the European guys kind of have the upper hand, playing against grown men since we were 17, 18. That’s a huge difference.

“I’m just playing the game. You have to do that. You can’t play risky. You have to play like a veteran and just learn from older guys. That’s something I take huge pride in.”

Pettersson has to just look more like them now. The Ducks saw enough talent to make him a second-round draft pick in 2014 but they’re counting on seeing more of him. Literally.

Just 160 pounds when drafted, Pettersson still remains on the slender side but he said he’s now up to 175 pounds. Adding more weight off the ice may be just as difficult as mastering his position on it. Pasta dishes and meatballs are a regular and favorite part of his diet.

To get to his desired weight of 195, he cracked that he makes daily trips to Ikea, the Swedish furniture giant. “I still want to have good calories,” Pettersson said, “but as many calories as I can.”

Making the Ducks out of camp carries a dose of sober realism. This is no rebuilding effort. The Ducks are a Western Conference power trying to take the final step and play for the Stanley Cup. And they’re loaded with proven players and promising prospects on the blue line.

That is quite fine with Pettersson. After his season ended, he got to spend some time with the Ducks’ AHL affiliate in San Diego. Even there, he saw what would be his competition this fall. And he welcomes the challenge.

“I think competition is good,” Pettersson said. “I can’t see anything wrong with having competition. It only pushes the pace and pushes you to be your best every day. It’s a great thing.

“They have a great defensive core here. I’m excited for camp.”