Vancouver Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s time in North America is being interrupted. The winger will be leaving Abbotsford and heading back to Sweden to play for his country.
It was revealed today that the 5-foot-11 forward will be representing Team Sweden in a series of pre-World Championship warmup games. He will be participating in a pre-tournament training camp which includes four exhibition games. It starts next week on April 14.
Jonathan Lekkerimaki wearing No.8 for Team Sweden as they prepare for the World Championships.
Looks like he will be leaving Abbotsford soon as pre-tournament training starts on April 14. #Canucks https://t.co/imiCvTW8QI
— Noah Strang (@noahstrang_) April 8, 2024
The sniper will be wearing No. 8 in these upcoming exhibition matches. All four matchups will be against Finland, with each country hosting two games.
The big event looming on the schedule is the IIHF World Championships, which will take place from May 10 to May 26. This year’s tournament will take place in Czechia, and Lekkerimäki has a strong chance of being selected for the team.
Canucks prospects have had strong showings at the World Championships in recent years, as goalie Arturs Silovs was named MVP of last year’s event. He has carried over some of that strong play and confidence into this season and has performed admirably at the NHL level when called upon.
Lekkerimäki played six games with the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL, finishing with one goal and one assist. He seemed to pick up more confidence as time went on, recording a point in each of his two most recent games with the team.
WELCOME TO ABBOTSFORD JONATHAN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/uels7XjElY
— X – Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) April 7, 2024
Leaving Abbotsford to return to Europe to prepare for the World Championships was always a possibility for Lekkerimäki.
The winger will be joined on Team Sweden by former Canucks prospect Jonathan Myrenberg. He was traded to the Boston Bruins along with goalie Michael DiPietro for forward Jack Studnicka. The two Swedish prospects are both making their men’s national team debuts.
While this will be the first time the Canucks’ prospect represents Sweden at the highest level, he’s achieved great success playing for his country at lower levels. Lekkerimäki was named MVP of last year’s World Juniors after scoring seven goals.