The Canucks selected Lekkermakis from Swedish club Djurgardens with the 15th overall pick of the National Hockey League draft on Thursday in Montreal. And since Vancouver hasn’t had a first-round pick since 2019, the 17-year-old scorer instantly becomes the Canucks’ top prospect. Many rough predictions – and the Canucks’ own list – had Lekkerimaki in the top-10. “Our scouts were banging on the table. they really wanted to draft him,” general manager Patrik Allvin said. “It was an easy decision. We loved it all year. We like his scoring ability. He is a dynamic, attacking player who has scoring ability but can also make plays. He’s probably a lighter version of Lucas Raymond and how he plays in Detroit. There are a lot of similarities here with Jonathan.” Raymond, the fourth overall pick in 2020, scored 23 goals and 57 points last season for the Red Wings and should have been a Calder Trophy finalist. Raymond and Lekkerimaki are both 6-foot-11 Swedes, and Allvin’s selection of the latter on Thursday added to the Canucks’ rich history with Swedish players. Daniel and Henrik Sendin, who will partner with Lekkerimaki in player development roles with the Canucks, were just voted into the Hockey Hall of Fame. Lekkerimaki is aware of the twins and the Canucks’ deep ties to his country, but Peterson is the Vancouver player he watched the most as a teenager. “They had such good Swedes,” Lekkerimaki said. “I like Elias Pettersson, so it will be fun. I used to follow him a lot back in Sweden. I like his shot. She is a great inspiration to me. I can’t speak, I’m so excited.” At the junior level this season, Lekkerimaki had 20 goals in 26 games for Djurgardens and led the U18 world championship with five goals and 15 points, including a goal and three assists in Sweden’s 6-4 win upon the United States. in the gold medal match in Germany two months ago. Like Pettersson, Lekkerimaki has a quick release and can score from anywhere, whether it’s a wrist shot or a heavy slap shot. But if we compare the two, people should hit the brakes a bit. Pettersson was the fifth overall pick in 2017 after scoring 19 goals and 41 points for Timra in Sweden’s second-tier professional league, and then followed that up with a dominant 56-point season for Vaxjo in the Swedish Hockey League. In call-ups for Djurgardens’ SHL team this season, Lekkerimaki had seven goals and nine points in 26 games. But there is one similarity worth noting: both players have faced questions about their build – Pettersson for being thin and Lekkerimaki, until recently, for being small and light. Outside doubts about Peterson’s strength have been a burning motivator for him, and the 23-year-old has proven to everyone that he is strong enough to star in the NHL. Now, the developing 170-weight Lekkerimaki must do the same. “I think I need to be more competitive,” Lekkerimaki said. “I have some big steps to take, but I’m looking forward to becoming a top player. I think I should be smarter and older, of course. But it takes time.” He traveled on the draft from Stockholm with his parents, Peter and Ellinor, and his older sister, Mikaela. Peter runs his own construction company and Elinor is a nurse. “It’s a childhood dream of his to be here today,” Mikaela told Sportsnet. “He’s always had one goal and that’s to be great at hockey. We are so proud. It’s been an amazing journey to see him at this point in his life today.” Asked if her brother has been challenged on his journey, Michaela said: “Absolutely, he has. People said he was small for his age and needed to grow muscles and stuff. And yes, that has pushed him. He always worked hard for it. He is ready to do the job. He knows that nothing comes for free. He is very dedicated.” Notably, Lekkerimaki’s Canadian Hockey League junior rights are owned by the Vancouver Giants, who claimed him last week in the entry draft. No decision has been made on where he will play next season, but it certainly helps the Canucks’ chances of bringing him to Vancouver that they can offer all the resources of the NHL, including coaching from the Sedins. Alvin said Lekkerimaki will attend next week’s development camp in Vancouver. One of the youngest players in the draft, he doesn’t turn 18 until July 24. “We’re excited that our development (staff) will have the opportunity to work more closely with him and get to know him even better,” Allvin said. “But we will not impose any decision here. We haven’t talked about next year. “All the hard work starts now. Getting drafted is great, but then you realize how hard it is to get to the next level. We’ll help him and support him, but I think he’s an extremely driven kid. He understands what areas of his game he needs to improve in order to take the next step.” The Canucks have five more picks on Friday on the second day of the draft, losing only the second-round pick sent to the Arizona Coyotes last summer in the blockbuster trade for Conor Garland and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Allvin insisted the team did not come close Thursday to making trades involving JT Miller or anyone else. He said “the status quo is the same” and that he doesn’t feel an urgency to make a decision anytime soon on Miller, the Canucks’ leading scorer who is in the final year of his contract and could prove untenable in Vancouver next.
