"Who?" Marcus Pettersson asked quizzically the other day.
"Kjell Samuelsson," this reporter repeated. "Ever hear of him?"
"No, don't think so," the 22-year-old responded.
No? He won a Stanley Cup in Pittsburgh in '92 and is only the second-greatest Swedish defenseman with the last name of Samuelsson in Penguins history.
Oh, well.
Pettersson isn't quite Samuelsson in size or stature -- not just yet -- but the comparison was almost inevitable.
Along with his Swedish heritage, it's Pettersson's length and reach that reminds most of Samuelsson.
At 6-foot-6, almost unheard of in his time, Kjell was an octopus in the corners and had a "good stick" long before that term ever entered the hockey lexicon.
Much the same could be said for the 6-foot-3 Pettersson.
Through 11 games with the Penguins, he's yet to record a point but he's flourished in his defensive role, averaging 15:46 per game (1:45 more than he was seeing in Anaheim). There is nothing flashy at all about his game, but therein lies the beauty. He is a strong skater and makes a good first pass which aids the Penguins in Mike Sullivan's all-important transition game.
Acquired from the Anaheim Ducks on Dec. 4 in exchange for Daniel Sprong straight up, Pettersson says the trade might have been the best thing for him. He believes that his skill set is best suited to the Eastern Conference: "It's way faster over here."
Actually, the trade has been a god-send for both sides. Though Pettersson might never score 40 goals in his career, let alone a season, there's no reason to think the 2014 second-rounder can't play in the NHL for at least another decade-plus.
Off the ice, he says he's starting to feel more at home in Pittsburgh. Navigating his way through the city's many bridges and tunnels has proven far more challenging than keeping up with the Capitals and Bruins in the East.
On the ice, Pettersson's transition to his new team has been almost seamless.
"It's a pretty fun group to come to," he was telling me. "They're very receptive of new guys. It's been pretty easy.
"I'm getting into the system a lot more. I know where everybody is on the ice a little more and the timing of everyone. It's good."
While injuries to Kris Letang and, most recently, Jamie Oleksiak has forced Sullivan to rethink his defense pairs, the duo of Pettersson and Jack Johnson has remained intact since Pettersson's arrival.
"They have good chemistry," general manager Jim Rutherford told DKPittsburghSports.com. "Jack had to move to his off (right) side but he's played it before. Pettersson's a real solid player and at a very young age. With his his style of play, it's understandable that he would fit in quite nicely."
In explaining the reasons for his team's turnaround in December, Rutherford quickly points out to the addition of Pettersson to the blueline among others. Coincidence or not, the Penguins have gone 8-2-1 since acquiring him.
Pettersson's game also complements Johnson, the Penguins' biggest free agent signing last summer. The 13-year veteran has played perhaps his finest -- or at least his most consistent -- hockey since being paired with Pettersson.
Johnson and Pettersson are separated by nearly a decade in age and 764 games in NHL experience, but Pettersson says the key to the pairing is that they communicate extremely well. Also, they stay in close proximity to each other on the ice and present a quick and easy pass option.
"Lots of talking and staying close to each other," Pettersson says. "I think we help each other out.
"With the experience he has, he's a guy that allows you to lean on him too. I feel like we've got a good mix."
Besides his strong defensive play, the thing that stands out about Pettersson is his weight, or lack of it. Though he stands 6-foot-3, he weighs just 177 pounds, making him the lightest player on the Penguins' roster (one pound lighter than the 6-foot-4 Matt Murray).
In Kjell Samuelsson's day, that weight might have been an issue. But today's game rewards speed and skating and sound positional play. In other words: Pettersson's game.
The converted forward says his weight has never been an issue because he's been able to compensate for it by playing to his strengths.
"I'm not going to wrestle anyone to the ice," he says. "I think my reach and skating ability are big parts of my game, probably the biggest."