VANCOUVER — The Vancouver Canucks have signed forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Saturday.
Lekkerimäki recently completed his season with Djurgårdens IF of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden, where he helped lead the team to a finals appearance.
His 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) across 15 games tied him for fourth in the league in post-season scoring. The 18-year-old had three goals and six assists in 29 regular-season games.
Lekkerimäki helped Sweden win gold at the under-18 world championship in 2022, leading the tournament in scoring with 15 points (five goals, 10 assists) in six games.
He was also part of the bronze-medal winning Swedish squad at the world junior championship that year, contributing one goal and three assists in seven outings.
The five-foot-eleven, 172-pound winger was taken in the first round (15th overall) of the 2022 draft by the Canucks.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2023.
The Canadian Press