For a team that made it pretty far into the playoffs last season and did not have a first or second-round pick at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, the Vancouver Canucks have several prospects to keep an eye for this upcoming season. Some are easier to watch than others, but there are several high-level prospects playing in North America that most Canucks fans should keep their eyes on.
Jonathan Lekkerimäki, RW, Abbotsford Canucks (American Hockey League)
Jonathan Lekkerimäki will finally make his triumphant voyage to North America on a full-time basis as he will be playing in the AHL and possibly the NHL for the entirety of the 2024-25 hockey season. Lekkerimäki was drafted 15th overall by the Canucks in the 2022 NHL Draft in Montreal.
Lekkerimäki has seen steady development since being drafted. Last season, he was loaned to Örebro HK and scored 31 points in 46 games along with representing Sweden at the World Juniors where he scored 10 points in seven games and helped his country secure a silver medal.
Lekkerimäki then made his way to North America after his season concluded and played six games with Abbotsford to get a taste of North American hockey before flying back to Europe to play at the World Championship where he sadly did not play a game. He is a dynamic winger with a lethal shot especially when on the powerplay. His skill set should translate well at the next level and should be a great watch at Abbotsford games this season.
Another Swedish player from the 2022 Draft, Elias Pettersson was selected in the third round out of Örebro HK. He isn’t a point producer by any means as his highest point total last season was 14 when he played for Västerås IK of HockeyAllsvenskan. But his lack of scoring is made up for by his defensive ability. He is a mean and nasty defensive defenceman who can play hard down low in the defensive zone. He is also great at staying defensively sound and splitting up 2-on-1 chances when he needs to. Pettersson made the jump to North America at the end of last season like Lekkerimäki and played in eight regular season games for Abbotsford and one playoff game. A full year of him playing in the AHL will be extremely beneficial to his development and should be fun to watch in Abbotsford.
Sawyer Mynio, Defence, Seattle Thunderbirds (Western Hockey League)
Sawyer Mynio is an interesting prospect that Vancouver selected in Round 3 of the 2023 Draft in…
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