When it comes to the Vancouver Canucks' prospect pool, they don't fair particularly well in the NHL, at least according to the media. Consider that the Daily Faceoff recently ranked them 20th, while The Athletic (subscription required) had them all the way down in 28th place.
Now despite these less than impressive rankings, this does not mean the Canucks are without some quality talent in their farm system. This includes the likes of Tom Willander, Aatu Räty and (the other) Elias Pettersson.
However, the prospect we're focusing on in this article, is Jonathan Lekkerimäki. The reason being is the reference to him by The Athletic's Thomas Drance, who asks five questions about the Canucks, including if Lekkerimäki can take a run at breaking training camp with the NHL team?
Intriguing potential
Certainly the 20-year-old is an intriguing player, who has already done plenty in his young career, to provide genuine hope he can make it in the NHL. In particular he has a dangerous shot, which is viewed as high-end when it comes to his ceiling.
Lekkerimäki's puck skills are also viewed as genine NHL quality, but understandably there are some areas of game that he still needs to work on including -- arguably most importantly -- his skating. However, everything points towards him having a promising future with the Canucks.
What helps the Sweden native, is the combination of adversity and success he has already experienced. These are two invaluable aspects, which can only help an individual grow and continue on the path to fulfilling their potential.
Overcoming adversity
In respect of adversity, Lekkerimäki had to endure various injuries and illnesses after being drafted. Obviously this compromised his ability to make a positive early impact.
You can't keep a good player down for too long though, and after his return to full health and fitness, the 2022 15th overall draft pick went about showing what he is capable of. During the HockeyAllsvenskan playoffs -- the second-highest hockey league in Sweden -- he totalled 15 points and a +4 rating in 15 games for Djurgårdens IF.
Now galvanized, Lekkerimäki continued his fine form this past season, leading all Under-20 SHL players with 19 goals and 31 total points, in 46 games for Örebro HK. He also made six appearance in Abbbotsford for the Canucks, producing one goal, an assist and a +2 rating.
MVP on the international stage
The winger additionally proved himself at the international level with Sweden, during the 2024 World Junior Championships in his home country. Sweden won Silver and he was named tournament MVP, after tying for the lead with six goals.
With all this said, we still believe it's too soon for Lekkerimäki to be expected to make the Canucks roster at this stage. So why does the respected Drance ask if it's possible?
Well of course in a general sense, anything is possible, but it comes down to two reasons - one positive and the other not so much. The positive is how well the right-shot forward played during the Young Stars Tournament in Penticton, with him standing out alongside the likes of Nikita Tolopilo and Vilmer Alriksson.
Tocchet has his eye on Lekkerimäki
In fairness, Canucks coach Rick Tocchet did also make a point of singling Lekkerimäki out for some praise. As per Drance, he said: "Lekkerimäki, he’s a buzz saw, great shot, be anxious to see him play with some good players."
As for the less positive reason for Lekkerimäki potentially being a candidate to make the roster, it comes down to a need on the part of the Canucks. That need is for more of an attacking threat from the wing position, which is where he comes in.
Now yes, the young prospect does have a projected ceiling as a middle-six forward, but the Canucks shouldn't rush him before he's truly ready. We've already seen an example of this under different circumstances, when they pushed for Thatcher Demko to return from his knee injury before he was truly healthy and may now begin the 2024-25 season without him.
Now yes, we appreciate that Lekkerimäki may well just prove himself worthy of making the Canucks out of training camp and beginning the new campaign in the NHL. However, we can't help but exercise caution in this situation, to guard against pushing too many expectations on him earlier than necessary.
N.B. All statistics courtesy of Elite Prospects