Jonathan Lekkerimaki handed big test in International Competition

Vancouver Canucks top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki left North America just over a week ago after a brief stint in the AHL to prepare for the 2024 IIHF World Hockey Championship.

Sweden's training camp for the tournament began on Monday. Today, they'll play Finland in the first of four exhibition games between the two nations over the next week.

For Thursday's game, Swedish head coach Sam Hallam has given Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki a significant role, putting him on the top line with Leon Bristedt and Linus Johansson.

Note: the following was translated from Swedish.




It's great that Jonathan Lekkerimaki has been given a significant role, even though it's only an exhibition game. His role may get smaller in the coming weeks as more NHL players commit to playing for Sweden at the World Championship, but there's no doubt he'll still be an essential piece to the roster.

Lekkerimaki and Sweden will kick off their 2024 IIHF World Championship schedule on Friday, May 10th, against the United States, who are expected to have Cole Caufield, Trevor Zegras, and Brady Tkachuk, among others, on their roster. The puck drop for that game is set for 11 a.m. PT/8 p.m. Czechia time, and fans can watch the tournament on TSN.