Lekerimiäki is a pure scorer from Sweden.
The first round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft was wild.
Consensus number one pick Shane Wright turned out not to be the consensus at all, falling all the way to fourth overall. The Montreal Canadiens turned around and dealt with the New York Islanders to add Kirby Dutch from the Chicago Blackhawks. The San Jose Sharks traded up from 11th overall for three picks.
The Vancouver Canucks were rumored to be involved in a potential deal with the Islanders before they made a deal with the Canadiens, but it never materialized. Instead, the Canucks stayed right where they started at 15th overall.
With the pick, the Canucks selected Jonathan Lekerimaki.
“We were excited that he was going down.”
Lekkerimäki is an elite right wing goalscorer from Djurgårdens IF in Sweden, splitting his time last season between the J20 Nationell and the SHL. At Nationell, Lekkerimäki dominated, scoring 20 goals and 35 points in just 26 games, second only to teammate Liam Jogren in points per game.
The difference between Lekkerimäki and Öhgren is that Lekkerimäki was produced in the SHL, scoring 7 goals in 26 games.
Lekkerimäki was rated No. 8 overall by Bob McKenzie and International Scouting Services, with most public draft rankings expecting him to be a top-10 pick. Accordingly, it was a surprise when he fell to the Canucks at No. 15.
“We rated him a little bit higher and we were excited that he was going down,” Canucks general manager Patrick Alvin said.
Lekkerimäki is still only 17, turning 18 later this month, giving him a longer path to develop than some of the older players in the draft. This will give him time to add more strength to his 5’11” frame, which is one of the criticisms of his game. He is expected to play next season in the HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden’s second-tier men’s league.
“A lot of these younger players need to get stronger,” Alvin said. “He’s an experienced, smart player who is playing at a professional level this year. We are in no rush to overcome it.”
“He has one of the fastest releases in the entire draft.”
Lekkerimäki can score any way you want, with an array of NHL-caliber shooting options.
“Catch-and-release, one-timer, wrist shot, snapshot, slap shot — Lekkerimäki has the tools for every occasion, and they’re all already high-end to elite even by NHL standards,” reads his scouting report from Elite Prospects . “You watch him shoot the puck and it’s obviously perfect.”
Like most great goaltenders, Lekkerimäki is adept at adding some pre-shooting trickery — pretending to freeze a defenseman or goaltender, pulling the puck in his skates to change the angle, or pushing the puck wide, a more unexpected move for goaltenders to calculate.
“He has one of the fastest releases in the entire draft this year,” Will Scouching said. “Pucks hit his stick and it doesn’t take long for him to change angles and get the puck off his stick.”
The puck just bounces off Lekkerimäki’s stick at times and he has the speed and accuracy to beat goalies from distance, but that’s not his only offensive weapon. He also has slick hands that he can use to strip goaltenders tight or sneak through opponents to get to scoring areas in the middle of the ice.
“He has a smooth, smooth step.”
An important factor is that Lekkerimäki can handle the puck at speed — he doesn’t coast when making moves, but can combine his fluid skating with the puck in the pocket.
“He has a smooth, fluid stride that carries him quickly through all three areas of the ice, and as his speed increases, his skills remain at a high level,” reads his scouting report from Draft Pro Hockey. “He is capable of carrying the puck at full speed, forcing the opposition to back off quickly, giving him time and space to create chances.”
This makes him a dangerous threat in transition. As he adds strength, his skating should also improve as he could use a bit more speed.
On top of that, Lekkerimäki has decent vision and playmaking ability for a player who is ostensibly a sniper. His puck handling allows him to hold onto pucks until he finds the best passing option, often spinning down below the goal line before tucking the puck into the slot for a great chance.
Lekkerimäki showed more of this playmaking side of his game at the 2022 U18 World Cup, where he led the tournament in scoring with 5 goals and 10 assists in 6 games, winning the gold medal with Sweden.
Areas where Lekkerimäki needs to improve
Offensively, the biggest question for Lekkerimäki is whether he will be able to regularly get to the interior to use his shot. Some of his habits off the puck are a bit harsh: He doesn’t always get to the soft spots of the ice at the right time for his teammates to find him with the puck. Before Lekkerimäki can score regularly in the NHL, he must adjust his game away from the puck because those pockets of soft ice are smaller and harder to find.
There are also some concerns on the defensive end of the ice, as he struggles in puck battles and isn’t always as involved in the defensive zone as he should be. That’s not unusual for a goal-scoring winger, of course, and his ability to move the puck upfield will help him command possession even if he won’t win any Selke Trophies.
With his handles and shot, Lekkerimäki could potentially put up enough goals that it doesn’t matter how he plays defense, but he’ll have room to develop that side of his game before he gets to the NHL.
Lekkerimäki is an incredibly exciting player that Canucks fans can watch develop as he will produce highlight plays for years to come.
Scoring goals in the NHL is tough — Lekkerimäki has the potential to make it look remarkably easy.
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