With a week away from training camp kicking off, NHL players are starting to informally get together for pre-camp skates.
Out in Vancouver, the reigning rookie of the year, Elias Pettersson, was on the ice Wednesday at Rogers Arena with a number of his Canucks teammates.
Canucks fans were quick to point out that Pettersson seemed to have hit the gym hard this summer, as his upper-body appears to be much bigger.
After the skate, Pettersson was inevitably asked about his summertime training regiment but made it be clear he's no Captain America.
Pettersson started the season hot, amassing 54 points in his first 49 career NHL games, but tailed off in the second half of the season, hitting somewhat of a rookie wall with just 12 points in the final 22 games.
With a full season under his belt and a off-season spent in the gym, don't be surprised if the 20-year-old finds more consistency in the second-half of his sophomore season.
โAt the end of last season I felt kind of tired and not 100% energy towards every game.
โThis summer I knew what I was preparing for. So Iโve been working a lot on my conditioning to get more leg power and hopefully to play a full 82-game season and hopefully playoffs.โ
Canucks fans are pretty stoked to see Pettersson's bulk and are already fantasizing about what his season could entail.
