Canucks' rookie Lekkerimaki earns praise from coach, teammates in NHL debut

VANCOUVER — Vancouver Canucks defenceman Erik Brannstrom offered forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki some advice as the two walked to the rink for the Swedish rookie’s first NHL game Tuesday night.

“I just told him to have fun,” said Brannstrom. “It’s only hockey. He’s played so many games in his life. Just keep going.”

Lekkerimaki wasn’t flashy, but played a steady game in his NHL debut, as the Canucks defeated the Calgary Flames 3-1.

The 20-year-old from Tullinge, Sweden, who was selected 15th overall by Vancouver in the 2022 NHL entry draft, had 14:07 of ice time, managed a pair of shots, made a hit and gave the puck away twice.

“It felt pretty good,” said the five-foot-11, 172-pound right-winger. “It was a special moment. I tried to enjoy it.”

Making the evening even more special, Lekkerimaki’s parents Ellinor and Peter were in the crowd watching at Rogers Arena.

“That was very good,” said Lekkerimaki. “They’ve been there since day one.”

Lekkerimaki looked comfortable on the Canucks first-unit power play, filling in for the injured Brock Boeser. He had one good scoring chance, firing a low, hard shot that Flames goaltender Dan Vladar managed to block.

“It was a great opportunity, just to do my thing,” he said.

While Lekkerimaki is a man of few words, Canuck coach Rick Tocchet had plenty to say about the fast-skating Swede who had 19 goals and 31 points in 46 games in 2023-24 with Orebo of the Swedish Hockey League.

“There’s definitely a lot there to like,” said Tocchet. “He’s a smart player. When he has the puck, there’s not a lot of panic. He’s just going to get better. There’s a lot of stuff to build off.”

Lekkerimaki also earned praise from Canuck forward J.T. Miller who had two assists during the game.

“He played really well today,” said Miller. “He makes a lot of little subtle plays and he played fast.

“He seemed to be in the right spot most of the time. I’m very impressed and hopefully he can get more and more comfortable as we go.”

Elias Pettersson scored a power-play goal for Vancouver and assisted on Brannstrom’s first goal since joining the Canucks in an Oct. 6 trade from Colorado.

Pius Suter also scored for the Canucks (8-3-3).

Justin Kirkland scored for Calgary (8-6-3).

Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen stopped 28 shots to improve his record to 8-1-2.

Vladar finished with 29 saves for Calgary.

Pettersson likes the potential Lekkerimaki shows.

“I’m very happy for him,” said Pettersson. “He's earned it. Had some good plays, was close to getting a quick breakaway there on a pass from Miller.

“He looked good. I’m excited to see what he does next.”

The Canucks called up Lekkerimaki from the AHL Abbotsford Canucks earlier this week. In seven games with Abbotsford this season he had five goals and two assists. He missed four games with an illness to start the season.

Lekkerimaki said he was both excited and nervous stepping on the ice for his first NHL game.

“It was just a game,” he said. “I just worked hard.”

With his first game under his belt, Lekkerimaki knows where he needs to improve his play.

“I think I need to get stronger on the puck, get more shots,” he said. “I’m a shooter, so I want to shoot the puck more. I’m here for a reason, so just play my game.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.

Jim Morris, The Canadian Press