Elias Pettersson confirmed that he married his long-time girlfriend, model Katelyn Byrd, earlier this summer. Pettersson, 26, was asked by reporters at the Jake Milford charity golf tournament on Sept. 8, about whether rumors of his marriage were true.“I did get married, yeah," he responded. (1:18)When asked if it was the highlight of his summer, he described the marriage as the best day of his life."Yeah, of course, it was a highlight, best day of my life. So it’s good.” Pettersson said.Reports from "Expressen" in early August said the wedding had already taken place. Byrd was seen wearing a ring during a vacation in Sweden, while Pettersson wore a ring at an Olympic press event. The Swedish Tax Agency reportedly registered the marriage in July.The couple had kept the news private until Pettersson confirmed it. Byrd has been frequently seen with Pettersson's family at various events. She was spotted sitting beside his mother at the Four Nations tournament this summer. Canada won the event after defeating the USA in the final.Elias Pettersson on his preparations for new seasonElias Pettersson is preparing for another season with the Vancouver Canucks. He struggled last season, scoring just 45 points. In the same interview during the charity game, Pettersson discussed his preparations for the upcoming season. He said he added six kilos of muscle over the summer and feels confident about his game."Yeah, I feel great, I had a good summer, and I’m excited to be back,” Pettersson said." "I added six kilos, so you can add that to your headline, (but) Jokes aside, I feel good. It’s been a long, long summer, so I tried to add some muscle and am ready to be myself again out there. I feel confident.”Pettersson will be playing under a new head coach, Adam Foote.