MAJOR | Massive update on Canucks top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki
Earlier this week in an interview with Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Vancouver Canucks general manager Patrik Allvin was unsure if top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki would be coming over to North America to finish up the 2023-24 season.
Allvin mentioned that Lekkerimaki is in contention for a spot on Sweden's roster for the 2024 IIHF World Hockey Championship in Czechia and that the team was weighing the options on bringing him over to North America or allowing him to stay in his home country to rest. Well, now we have an answer.
According to Rick Dhaliwal, Jonathan Lekkerimaki IS coming over to North America, albeit, only for a short period of time. In a post on X, Dhaliwal shared that Lekkerimaki will be flying to Vancouver on Sunday and will be there for eight-to-ten days before returning to Sweden to begin preparations for making the Swedish team at the World Championship.
#Canucks" Dhaliwal said.
At this time, it's unclear if Lekkerimaki would be joining the Canucks or if he'll be in the AHL with Abbotsford, but given the short period he's in North America, it's more likely than not that he'll appear in a game or two somewhere in the organization. It wouldn't make too much sense for him to travel all this way from Sweden to Vancouver for ten days or less and not play.
In 46 games this season for Orebro HK in the Swedish Hockey League this season, Lekkerimaki had 31 points (19 goals, 12 assists), ten penalty minutes and was a plus-six. He went on to add one assist in three games as his team lost in the opening round Lulea HF.
On the international stage, the Tullinge native was lights out at the World Juniors, recording ten points in seven games, helping Sweden to a silver medal, while being named tournament MVP.
Do you think Jonathan Lekkerimaki will make his NHL debut during his brief stint in North America this season? Let us know what you think in the poll below.
| POLL | ||
Do you think Jonathan Lekkerimaki will make his NHL debut during his brief stint in North America this season? | ||
| Yes | 288 | 29.4 % |
| No, have him play AHL games | 543 | 55.5 % |
| Unsure | 120 | 12.3 % |
| See Results | 27 | 2.8 % |
| List of polls | ||
