PENTICTON – When he was drafted 15th overall by the Vancouver Canucks four years ago, Jonathan Lekkerimaki immediately became the biggest fish in a prospect pool so shallow that you could have waded through it without getting your shoelaces wet.
Some would argue he was the only fish.
The Canucks, under previous general manager Jim Benning, had just gone through a pair of drafts in which they selected only twice in the top 112 and not higher than 41st.
Lekkerimaki instantly became the National Hockey League organization’s No. 1 prospect, a scoring winger whose development was going to be crucial for the future.
A year later, the Canucks drafted Tom Willander, who has already become an NHL regular on defence alongside Elias Pettersson (Junior), selected 65 spots behind Lekkerimaki in 2022.
In the last two drafts, the Canucks added Braeden Cootes, Caleb Malhotra, Adam Novotny and Brooks Rogowski, and last season’s trade with the Minnesota Wild also brought to Vancouver Zeev Buium and Liam Ohgren, Lekkerimaki’s friend and former junior teammate in Sweden.
“Prospects” is a bit of a catch-all term, but all of these young players project ahead of Lekkerimaki, who has demonstrated scoring chops at the American League level (33 goals in 63 games) but little in various call-ups with the Canucks (five goals and nine points in 37 NHL games).
Mostly, Lekkerimaki has struggled to stay healthy, and last season he was shut down in February for shoulder surgery due to an injury initially sustained during an October game against the Washington Capitals.
At 22 years old, the right-shot winger obviously still has time to build an NHL career. But the clock is ticking, and with his waivers-free period ending at the start of next season, this is a massive development year for Lekkerimaki.
“You can learn from that,” the soft-spoken Swede said of his fight for fitness. “It’s a tough league to play in and you’ve got to prepare as much as you can. I think I’ve learned a lot and it’s fun to be back.
“But it is a learning process. My first two years (in North America), I was up and down. I tried to learn every day. But now I feel like it’s my third year, I’m more used to everything. I know Manny, know the system, so I’m more prepared now.”
Before coaching the Canucks, Manny Malhotra was Lekkerimaki’s coach in Abbotsford the last two seasons. And Ryan Johnson, Lekkerimaki’s minor-league GM and development supervisor, is now running the NHL team.
Lekkerimaki should benefit from this familiarity, and both Malhotra and Johnson have been preaching patience with regard to all of their prospects. But Lekkerimaki has to help himself on the ice, too.
Neither especially fast nor elusive, Lekkerimaki must find his way to scoring areas at the NHL level while being stronger in puck battles and along the boards.
In the pre-season opener Saturday night in Seattle, Lekkerimaki had a pair of second assists on goals by linemates Cootes and Arshdeep Bains, but also lost the puck behind Vancouver’s net on the final goal of a 4-2 loss to the Kraken by an inexperienced Canucks team.
Canucks training camp ended Sunday in Penticton. After a day off for players on Monday, when management is expected to start trimming the roster, the Canucks play their second of four preseason games Tuesday in Calgary against the Flames.
Lekkerimaki’s full recovery from shoulder surgery is positive news, and he looked comfortable at camp mostly on a line with his pal, Ohgren, and centre Marco Rossi.
“I think he looks great,” Ohgren, who was not part of the lineup in Seattle, said after the Canucks’ scrimmage on Saturday. “I mean, I know he had a pretty tough season last year with injuries and stuff, but I think he's been working hard this summer to get back to 100 per cent and he feels like he's ready now. And yeah, he looks good.
“I mean, it's always tough when you get injured, especially long term. You can’t show what you actually can do. He's an unbelievable skill player; he has a great shot. I just think if he gets the chance and he can stay healthy, he's going to have a long and great career. And I think he's more than good enough to play at this level.”
Having established himself as an NHLer last season, Ohgren is in a position to help Lekkerimaki transition.
“I just tried to, you know, do anything I could to stick in the lineup (and) do what I do best: work hard, skate a lot, use my speed, take pucks to the net, do the simple stuff,” Ohgren said. “I think that's what kept me in the lineup. And yeah, because I know when I play my best hockey, I just don't think at all (about other things). I just try to work hard and do the stuff I'm good at, and then the rest will come. Goals will come, points will come. Just try to focus on doing the right thing and work hard every day.”
Chosen by the Wild four picks after the Canucks claimed Lekkerimaki, Ohgren has physical advantages over his former Djurgardens linemate. Ohgren possesses speed and power in his game that allow him to create impact even if he is not scoring. For now, it looks like Lekkerimaki will have to produce points to stick in the NHL.
“We'll continue to talk about the qualities of an NHL player and the ability to win pucks and be heavy in puck battles,” Malhotra said when asked halfway through camp about Lekkerimaki. “That's a learned behaviour. Again with him, I've seen the growth over the course from last year to this year.
“He's playing with a lot of confidence. And again, his ability to come up with pucks and make the right play and not force plays that aren't there has stood out, especially the offensive reps. Defensively, again, he's done a good job of winning puck battles, being in the right places, and making sound defensive reads. So those things all lend themselves to being an everyday NHL (player).”
ICE CHIPS – Johnson said in his camp-ending press conference on Sunday that injured goalie Thatcher Demko, who was on the ice in Penticton but unable to practise with the main group, continues to make progress in his recovery from major hip surgeries. But the GM still has no timeline for Demko’s NHL return. . . While starting the process of reducing their preseason roster, the Canucks also have first crack at anyone placed on waivers by the other 31 teams. “It gives us an opportunity,” Johnson said. “I’ve got to look at every scenario to improve the team in areas that I think we need. As we move along, there’s going to be some pretty good hockey players that are going to be on waivers.” . . . Malhotra’s voice was raspy after four days of shouting instructions to players. “I won’t have to yell as much over the next few days, so hopefully I get it back,” he joked... The coach said he was “really happy” with camp and especially the adaptability of players and their quick understanding of new system concepts.
