Swedish winger Fredrik Pettersson, a World Champion with Tre Kronor and a Continental Cup champion with pro stops across seven countries, today announced his retirement from hockey at the age of 33.

A Gothenburg native, Pettersson began his career in his hometown Frölunda’s youth system, before joining Calgary of the Western Hockey League in his quest for the NHL. A late 2005 draft pick of the Edmonton Oilers, Pettersson never saw NHL time, returning to join Frölunda’s senior squad in 2007, spending four seasons there, with a stint with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in between. Pettersson joined the KHL in 2012 with the new Ukrainian club Donbass Donetsk, spending two seasons there and winning the IIHF Continental Cup in 2013. Pettersson would join Lugano of the Swiss League in 2014, spending three seasons before a one-season KHL return in 2016-17, splitting the season between Nizhny Novogrod and Dinamo Minsk. Pettersson returned to Switzerland with the Zürich Lions in 2017, spending his last four pro seasons with ZSC, winning the NLA Championship in 2018.

Pettersson made his Juniorkronorna debut with the Under-18 team at the 2005 World Championships, capturing bronze, and was a member of the Under-20 team at the 2006 and 2007 World Junior Championships. He first joined the senior Tre Kronor squad on the 2007-08 Euro Hockey Tour circuit, making his World Championship debut in 2010. Pettersson would suit up for three World Championships (2010, 2012, 2013), winning Bronze in 2010 and Gold in 2013, on home ice in Stockholm. After joining the Swiss League, Pettersson would not play for the national team again until 2016-17, ending his national team career on the 2018 Olympic team in Korea.

Over the span of a dozen seasons, Petterson held the IHLC seven times in his career, starting at the 2007 World Junior Championship, balanced in the middle with his World Championship win, and ending with his 2018 Olympic stint in PyeongChang. We wish Fredrik and his family the very best for his retirement and the things to come!

Photo Credit: Sport Bibeln – IIHF – HHOF – IOC