Canucks top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki joins Abbotsford
Vancouver Canucks top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki has officially joined the organization in North America.
The 19-year-old has been assigned to the AHL’s Abottsford Canucks where he will skate and practice with the club. It’s still unclear if he will get any game action with the team.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that F Jonathan Lekkerimäki has been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL) from Orebro HK (SHL).
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) March 25, 2024
According to the official roster, he will wear No. 44 with the team.
Lekkerimäki’s time in North America will be short as he is a candidate to represent Sweden at this year’s IIHF World Championships. He will return to Sweden to try out in a few weeks. That tournament begins on May 10 in Czechia, and the winger seems keen to participate if selected.
“It would be awesome, it’s always been a dream to play for the national team,” Lekkerimäki told in-house Canucks reporter Chris Faber. “It is a challenge. Everyone is better, [they are] at higher speed and [have] bigger guys. So, it would be challenging, of course, but we will have to see what happens.”
No matter what happens later this spring, the next few weeks are a good chance for the Canucks and Lekkerimäki to get further acquainted with one another. The Swedish winger is coming off an excellent season in his home country’s top division, scoring 19 goals and 31 points in 46 games.
It was a massive bounce-back season for the prospect, as he managed just nine points in 29 games in a lower division during the previous season.
The 2022 first-round draft pick possesses a deadly shot that makes him a scoring threat from anywhere in the offensive zone. He’s a strong power play weapon and showed off an increased ability to score goals from all areas this season.
“I’m excited; it’s going to be really fun,” Lekkerimäki said to Faber about coming to North America. “It is my dream to play in the NHL, and if I get a chance for that, I will do everything to prepare for that to be my future. That said, right now my focus is learning as much as I can from my time with the Abbotsford Canucks.”
Lekkerimäki was the first draft pick made by Jim Rutherford and GM Patrik Allvin. He’s widely viewed as one of the top prospects in hockey, and he could be next in a long line of Swedish superstars who have called Vancouver home.