VANCOUVER 鈥� Vancouver Canucks defenceman Erik Brannstrom offered forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki some advice as the two walked to the rink for the Swedish rookie鈥檚 first NHL game Tuesday night.
鈥淚 just told him to have fun,鈥� said Brannstrom. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only hockey. He鈥檚 played so many games in his life. Just keep going.鈥�
Lekkerimaki wasn鈥檛 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.
鈥淚t felt pretty good,鈥� said the five-foot-11, 172-pound right-winger. 鈥淚t was a special moment. I tried to enjoy it.鈥�
Making the evening even more special, Lekkerimaki鈥檚 parents Ellinor and Peter were in the crowd watching at Rogers Arena.
鈥淭hat was very good,鈥� said Lekkerimaki. 鈥淭hey鈥檝e been there since day one.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t was a great opportunity, just to do my thing,鈥� 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.
鈥淭here鈥檚 definitely a lot there to like,鈥� said Tocchet. 鈥淗e鈥檚 a smart player. When he has the puck, there鈥檚 not a lot of panic. He鈥檚 just going to get better. There鈥檚 a lot of stuff to build off.鈥�
Lekkerimaki also earned praise from Canuck forward J.T. Miller who had two assists during the game.
鈥淗e played really well today,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淗e makes a lot of little subtle plays and he played fast.
鈥淗e seemed to be in the right spot most of the time. I鈥檓 very impressed and hopefully he can get more and more comfortable as we go.鈥�
Elias Pettersson scored a power-play goal for Vancouver and assisted on Brannstrom鈥檚 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.
鈥淚鈥檓 very happy for him,鈥� said Pettersson. 鈥淗e's earned it. Had some good plays, was close to getting a quick breakaway there on a pass from Miller.
鈥淗e looked good. I鈥檓 excited to see what he does next.鈥�
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.
鈥淚t was just a game,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 just worked hard.鈥�
With his first game under his belt, Lekkerimaki knows where he needs to improve his play.
鈥淚 think I need to get stronger on the puck, get more shots,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 a shooter, so I want to shoot the puck more. I鈥檓 here for a reason, so just play my game.鈥�
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 13, 2024.
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
