By Russ Cohen
I always look back at my rankings. After a certain amount of time. As far as Jonathan Lekkerimaki goes, where did I have him ranked? I ranked him sixth. Historically you can say a player can go five slots later than the ranking. But he went 15th. Did Vancouver get great value? I still think so.
At 5’11”, part of the reason he was around was his size. He was 165 pounds at the time. That’s another ding and some didn’t think he was fast enough.
Here are some of my notes on him.
Good wrist shot. Quick trigger passer and can make that seam pass that is very hard to make. Good hockey brain. Deadly on the power play. Will push back in the offensive zone to gain possession.
So, what do I think about him today?
Now 21, he got a taste of the NHL after coming over from Sweden. And played solidly in the AHL scoring 19 goals with 9 assists in 36 games.
His hockey brain gets him in position no matter his speed. His stick is always down, and the puck is off his stick in a hurry. His skating across the grain to make a pass is excellent. According to InStat, 55% of his shots were on goal.
At the NHL level, Lekkerimaki was facing more checking and having to fight through them. He will get stronger and that will help. His defense isn’t there yet, but it has improved.
He doesn’t take many penalties at all. Lekkerimaki still has the chance of being a 30-goal scorer in the NHL.
The Canucks made a solid selection here who is right on schedule. I would still play him for a full season in the AHL unless he rips it up after a few months. Will the Canucks do that? I hope so.
