Three Canucks prospects picked to play at World Juniors

Three Vancouver Canucks prospects will represent their countries at the 2022 World Junior Championship, which kicks off in Edmonton, again, tomorrow.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki, the Canucks’ top prospect who was picked 15th overall at last month’s draft in Montreal, has been selected for Team Sweden. The highly-skilled 18-year-old winger is the third Canucks prospect picked to play.

Suiting up for Team Sweden 🇸🇪

Congrats to Jonathan Lekkerimäki who will play in the #WorldJuniors representing @Trekronorse. pic.twitter.com/op3Zhq79wv

— Vancouver #Canucks (@Canucks) August 8, 2022

Canucks fans will be watching Lekkerimäki closely, as the 5-foot-11, 165-pound right winger tests his skills against the best junior-aged players in the world. Lekkerimäki split last season between junior and pro hockey in Sweden, racking up 35 points (20-15-35) in 26 games in the J20 SuperElit, to go with nine points (7-2-9) in 26 SHL games.

Joining Lekkerimäki are a pair of left-shot blueliners the Canucks picked in the 2020 draft, as Jacob Truscott has cracked Team USA’s roster, while Joni Jurmo will play for Finland.

Truscott, listed at 6-foot-1 and 178 pounds, scored 17 points (2-15-17) in 40 games in his sophomore year with the University of Michigan last season. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound Jurmo potted 10 points (2-8-10) last season in the SM-liiga, Finland’s top pro league.

Typically a winter tradition, the World Juniors are being held in August for the first time ever.

The 2022 World Juniors first began in Edmonton last December but were cancelled four days into the tournament after COVID-19 began affecting multiple teams during the first Omicron wave. This followed the 2021 tournament in Edmonton, which was played without fans.

While full-capacity crowds are now allowed, it appears tournament organizers will have difficulty filling Rogers Place. A dark cloud has been hanging over this tournament for months, following multiple alleged sexual assault scandals involving Hockey Canada in recent months.

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