"Oh Jesus!" What Was That? Oh, Just a Scandinavian Scat Cat!!

Sincerest apologies for the temporary hiatus from blogging, but I'm back to post a primer for my visit to Doo-luth, where I'll finally get a taste of hockey action at Thrashers' Rookie Camp -- the final prelude to the real "big boy" Training Camp slated to start on Saturday, September 18th. I'd like to say I was re-charging the batteries, but that'd be a lie. I was simply being lazy and spending too much time debating the good folks over at Billy T's "Iceman" Blog at AJC.com.

The new season is really starting to rev-up as the activity in Duluth moves from "easing-in-casually" (in the form of informal pre-camp workouts) to "ludicrous speed" in the span of a week. Thusly, we better gird our loins thoughtfully and wisely before the rocket launches for real on Friday night, October 8th. The pre-season "foretaste of the feast to come" is upon us and the boys, literally in this case, of winter are sharpening their skates and stoking their inner-fires for a chance to graduate to Big Boy Camp. I don't know about you, but I couldn't be more excited.

Already the action has been fast-paced and frenzied as reports from Duluth's all-rookie affair are trickling in from the interwebs and twitterverse. A group of about 24 young prospects, some seasoned more than others, are squaring off in a blue vs. white scrimmage of wills. So far it appears as though the more-seasoned players are making the biggest impressions, as they should. Most notably the mature Russian D-man, Andrey Zubarev, and Swedish Elite League sensation, Freddy "the Fly" Pettersson, are making their presence felt. And in the case of the Scandinavian "scat-cat" (stick tap to my lovely girlfriend K-belle of "blogtastico!" fame) Freddy Pettersson, the impression being made is an indelible, if not somewhat painful one. Just check out this sampling of tweets, blog comments and message board musings:

@Falconer18 of BirdWatcher's Anonymous fame tweets:
"Game One: @BWA_timmyf has some notes on the first rookie scrimmage. (Hint: he loved Pettersson)"

@BenThrashers of the esteemed Blueland Blog teases:
"Today's rookie camp scrimmage recap: http://bit.ly/bzalOQ Fredrik Pettersson stole the show."

BWA blogger, "timmyf", went on to write in his game recap:

"He didn't score a goal, but that's about the only thing you can hold against prospect Fredrik Pettersson. I got a chance to see him for the first time today and came away thoroughly impressed. He was all over the ice skating circles around the rest of the prospects. He also had several good hits. I was watching from the Breakaway Grill within earshot of Rick Dudley and Craig Ramsay. Dudley was frequently making comments about Pettersson, but more telling were his exclamations: "Oh Jesus!" at one point after Pettersson landed a big hit. "Look at this kid!"

Thrashers' fan "Tween_the_Pipes" gave us this perspective:

"In my opinion, the stand out in this scrimmage was Fredrik Pettersson. By all of his actions it appeared that he wants to make this team beyond all the other players. Zubarev played solid defense. Cormier looked uninspired. I didn't even notice Burmistrov. But Pettersson was a wild man. When I think Swede player I think speed & skill. But this guy has much more. The young man was all over the ice hitting, forechecking. In this one game he looked like the most complete package to me. He took one needless Boarding penalty. But I just chalked it up to his aggressive play. For 5'10" & 183 lbs. Pettersson stood above the 6'3" guys with his desire. Can you tell that Iwas impressed?"

I could go on and on, but I think you get the point. Freddy "the Fly" came to Duluth inspired. In fact, he seems to be on a mission to prove that Dudley was spot-on in his World Championships Tournament assessment that F.P. was more than deserving of an opportunity to crack an NHL roster. Let's just hope he doesn't crack any skulls with his hard-hitting along the way at rookie camp! But by all accounts I've seen, Freddy is beyond fierce and he is poised to make a serious push deep into Training Camp and perhaps even into the Opening Night line-up.

When we signed Pettersson last June, I wrote a somewhat prophetic blog about Freddy's prospects as a prospect and my corresponding excitement over finding a potential diamond in Swedish rough. Pettersson has worked hard to get here, and his success in the Swedish Elite League may very well be a harbinger of good things to come. I have seen some footage of his play as a member of the Frolunda Indians on the you-tube device and I came away very impressed. In fact, his one-timer is eerily reminiscent of another right-handed shot belonging to a very wealthy Russian living in Hoboken, NJ. But Freddy brings a grit and aggressive style to the ice that some might even consider a bit reckless for his frame.

Pettersson potted 20 goals in 55 games last season for the Indians in the relatively low-scoring SEL. But even more impressive is the fact that he has managed to step up his offensive output in the playoffs scoring .42 goals per game -- 10 goals in 24 games -- as opposed to his rate of .21 during his 3 regular seasons. And if you haven't listened to his interview on Thrashers TV or read his Q&A with Ben Wright at the Blueland Blog, then you are really missing out on a charismatic and charming individual who is not afraid to mix things up in the kitchen as well as on the ice!

Consider yourself forewarned of this blogger's crush on one Fredrik Pettersson, the 21st century Renaissance man. Here are some youtube videos that may help you form your very own Cam Neely-sized man-crush:

Pettersson's hat-trick in outdoor game (two after the 1:40 mark):

Pettersson practicing his one-timer...look familiar??

Another game video (go to :34 sec mark for Hyper-Fly):