Canucks’ Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Elias Pettersson To Stay In North America
The Vancouver Canucks will be adding two top prospects to the fold next season, with forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki and defenseman Elias Pettersson both set to move to North America, shares their Swedish club, Örebro HK (Twitter link). The pair both joined the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks following the end of Örebro’s season, each recording two points through six and eight games respectively. They’re now set to stay in North America, providing a major boost to Vancouver’s depth chart.
It’s likely that both players report to Abbotsford for the start of next season, though Lekkerimäki could be poised to rival an NHL spot. The 19-year-old winger was prolific in the SHL this season, netting 19 goals and 31 points through 46 games. It was the most a U20 player has produced in the SHL since Emil Bemstrom put up 35 points in 2018-19 and Elias Pettersson (the forward) recorded 56 points in 2017-18. Lekkerimäki earned the SHL’s ‘Rookie of the Year’ award with the performance, joining a talented list of winners including Nicklas Backstrom and William Eklund. Lekkerimäki maintained the strong production internationally as well, recording seven goals and 10 points in seven World Juniors games and five points in five friendly matches with Sweden’s U20 club. While his skillful, shoot-first style will need some refining before it’s fully NHL-ready, there’s no doubt that Vancouver is happy with the value they landed when they drafted Lekkerimäki 15th overall in 2022.
And while Pettersson – a third-round selection in 2022 – doesn’t offer the same ceiling as his Örebro teammate, his development has been just as worth following. Pettersson is an impressively fluid defender, keeping up with play well despite his 6-foot-4, 209-lbs frame. He’s aggressive in all aspects, using an active stick and physical presence to shut down opponents when defending the rush, and jumping at the bits to join the offensive rush whenever he can. Pettersson is reliable on the puck and finds teammates well, though he’s still refining his ability to be patient when creating scoring chances. He seemed to be adjusting to the AHL well at the end of the year, and could be poised for a big season next year should he add a bit more discipline.
Morning Notes: Brindley, Soucy, Reichel, Rangers
Team USA has added Columbus Blue Jackets prospect Gavin Brindley to their World Championship lineup, per Steven Ellis of the Daily Faceoff (Twitter link). Brindley becomes the fourth collegiate athlete to join the squad, stepping into a room with World Juniors teammates Will Smith, Ryan Leonard, and Trey Augustine. The quartet played a major role in USA’s drive towards the 2024 World Juniors Gold Medal – and they’re now rewarded with an opportunity with the Men’s National Team. Brindley isn’t expected to line up for USA’s Monday matchup against Team Slovakia, instead joining Leonard and Matt Kessel as the team’s healthy scratches.
Brindley is continuing to have a fruitful off-season, signing his entry-level contract and making his NHL debut in early April. He received 12 minutes of ice time but wasn’t able to change his stat line. With Columbus’ season ending soon after, Brindley’s scoring this season was limited to the 25 goals and 53 points he managed in 40 games with the University of Michigan. He also added 10 points in seven World Juniors games.
Other notes from around the league:
- The NHL Department of Player Safety is expected to hold a hearing for Vancouver Canucks defenseman Carson Soucy, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Soucy could be facing punishment for cross-checking Edmonton Oilers star Connor McDavid in the face, after McDavid was knocked over by Nikita Zadorov, during a late-game scrum. Soucy has been suspended once in his career, receiving a one-game booking for charging Conor Garland in March of 2021. He was also assessed a $2,500 fine for a roughing penalty in November of 2022. It will likely be Noah Juulsen who steps in should Soucy miss any time. Juulsen has played in one postseason game this Spring, recording a -1 in 11:24 of ice time. Juulsen is coming off a career-high 54 NHL appearances this season, though he only managed seven points.
- Team Germany has also made a lineup addition, bringing in Chicago Blackhawks forward Lukas Reichel, per Ellis (Twitter link). Reichel has been a key piece of Germany’s international presence, recording 11 points in 13 games across the last two World Championships. He also joined the team at the World U18 Division 1-A Championship in 2019 and the World Juniors in 2020. Reichel is coming off an up-and-down year, scoring just 16 points in 65 NHL games. He’ll look to reestablish his scoring spark in the familiarity of international play, with five games remaining on Germany’s slate before the quarter-finals.
- The New York Rangers welcomed forward Filip Chytil back to practice on Monday, after he missed Game 4 with an illness. Blake Wheeler is also progressing from injury, upgrading to a full-contact jersey, shares Vince Mercogliano of USA Today Sports (Twitter link). Both Chytil and Wheeler should slot right back into the lineup, should both be cleared to play, likely bumping Jonny Brodzinski and Will Cuylle back to the skybox. Wheeler made a strong impact on the Winnipeg Jets’ first round run last season, scoring six points in five games to bring his career playoff scoring up to 45 points in 65 games.
Evening Notes: Chytil, Myers, Ryan, Holm
New York Rangers centerman Filip Chytil stepped back out of the lineup for Saturday’s Game 4 due to what the team described as an illness, shares Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Rangers head coach Peter Laviolette previously dubbed Chytil as a “game-time decision”, per Mollie Walker of The New York Post (Twitter link).
Chytil made his long-anticipated return from a concussion during Game 3, marking his first time in the lineup since November. He recorded one shot and one hit and 12 minutes of ice time, looking well-adjusted to the pace of play after such a long absence. Laviolette shared that Chytil wasn’t experiencing any injury-related issues Game 3 and that his absence came after he woke up not feeling well on Saturday morning.
Jonny Brodzinski stepped into the lineup in Chytil’s absence, taking on a role previously occupied by Matt Rempe – though both wingers skated during pre-game warmups. Brodzinski has just one Stanely Cup Playoff appearance entering Game 3, having appeared in a First Round loss with the Rangers in the 2022 postseason. He scored a career-high 19 points this season, adding 25 points in 16 AHL games, giving him plenty of momentum coming into Saturday’s decisive matchup. Chytil’s status, and thus the security of Brodzinski’s lineup spot, seems to be up in the air as the Rangers look to break the barrier into the Third Round.
Other notes from around the league:
- Vancouver Canucks defenseman Tyler Myers is questionable for Game 3 against the Edmonton Oilers due to an undisclosed injury, shares TSN’s Farhan Lalji (Twitter link). Myers has held a big role for the Canucks throughout the playoffs, averaging nearly 20 minutes of ice time through seven appearances, though he’s still searching for his first point of the Spring. Lalji mentions that Noah Juulsen would likely be the favorite should Vancouver need to fill in for Myers, though the squad also brought up six defenders as part of a large group of black aces recalled on Friday. The Canucks will need to stay stout on defense, currently tied 1-1 with the Oilers after a 4-3 overtime loss on Friday.
- There will be no Department of Player Safety discipline for Oilers forward Derek Ryan, following a spear to Vancouver’s Nils Hoglander’s nether region, shares Vancouver-based reporter Irfaan Gaffar (Twitter link). Both Ryan and Hoglander were assessed minor penalties on the player – Ryan being booked for slashing and Hoglander for interference. Ryan has appeared in four playoff games this year, recording one assist and averaging 8:26 in tice time as Edmonton’s fourth-line centerman. He should maintain that role headed into Game 3.
- The Colorado Avalanche’s goaltending room continues to dwindle, with Arvid Holm agreeing to a three-year contract with the SHL’s Rögle BK. Holm spent the year searching for ice time in Colorado’s minor league system – recording six wins and an .887 save percentage in 12 AHL games and two wins and a .907 in four ECHL games. It was his third season in the AHL, with Holm’s .911 save percentage in 35 games last season representing his best year. He’ll now return to the SHL, where he totaled 55 career games prior to his move to North America. Holm will join a Rögle lineup that just went on a fantastic playoff run, largely thanks to strong performances by Christoffer Rifalk. Rifalk has been Rögle’s starter for the last five seasons and should hang onto the role ahead of Holm next season.
Canucks Recall 13 Black Aces Ahead of Game 2
The Vancouver Canucks have brought up reinforcements from the minor leagues following the Abbotsford Canucks’ elimination from the AHL playoffs, recalling 13 players (Twitter link). The full list includes forwards Arshdeep Bains, Linus Karlsson, Danila Klimovich, Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Vasily Podkolzin, Aatu Räty, and Max Sasson; defenders Nick Cicek, Matt Irwin, Cole McWard, Elias Pettersson, and Christian Wolanin; and goaltender Zach Sawchenko.
The list features four of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks top five scorers, following the team’s elimination from the AHL’s Pacific Division Finals at the hands of the Ontario Reign. Abbotsford went on a strong postseason run after tying for fourth in the AHL in goals scored during the regular season. Now, their best and brightest will bolster a Vancouver lineup that’s currently up 1-0 on the Oilers. Thatcher Demko is the only Canuck currently out with injury, likely keeping any of today’s recalls from slotting into the lineup right away. But the team will have a wide array of options to choose from should they need a fill-in – ranging from highly-skilled prospects in Lekkerimäki and Räty, to hard-nosed forwards Bains and Podkolzin, to rangy defenders Irwin and Pettersson.
While Podkolzin, Bains, Karlsson, and McWard have each played in NHL games this season, the former is the only one to earn a significant role. Podkolzin played in 19 games and recorded two assists this season, averaging just under 11 minutes of ice time. He’d likely be the first bet for a fill-in should Vancouver need a forward, while Irwin – the only member of the list with Stanley Cup Playoffs experience – likely leads the defenders.
Pettersson (Illness) Will Play Tonight
- After missing Tuesday’s practice due to illness, Canucks center Elias Pettersson will play tonight in their series opener, mentions Thomas Drance of The Athletic (Twitter link). Head coach Rick Tocchet also ruled out any speculation that the illness designation was covering up an injury. Pettersson had a strong regular season with 89 points in 82 games but was quiet in the first round, being held to just three assists in six contests against Nashville.
Snapshots: AHL, Bennett, Lekkerimaki
The AHL will remain under stable leadership for next season and beyond. Current league president and CEO Scott Howson was on an expiring contract entering next season, but the AHL’s Board of Governors announced today that he’s agreed to a multi-year extension.
Before assuming his current role in 2020, the 64-year-old Howson was a mainstay in NHL front offices. Nearly a decade after his brief playing career concluded in 1986, Howson was appointed as the general manager of the Oilers’ AHL affiliate, then in Cape Breton, in 1994. He continued in the role when Edmonton reached an affiliation agreement with the Hamilton Bulldogs in 1996, and he was eventually promoted to an AGM role with the Oilers’ NHL staff in 2000.
He got his first shot as an NHL GM after helping construct the Edmonton squad that reached the 2006 Stanley Cup Final, signing on as the Blue Jackets’ GM for 2007-08. He lasted there for more than five seasons until he was fired shortly into the lockout-constricted 2012-13 season. Howson then immediately returned to Edmonton as a pro scout and eventually became their director of player development in 2017 before leaving for his AHL president/CEO role during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Other news and notes from around hockey:
- Panthers forward Sam Bennett remains out for Game 2 against the Bruins tonight as Florida looks to tie the series. But the top-six center may not miss much more time with his upper-body injury and could return when the series shifts to Boston for Games 3 and 4, per The Hockey News’ David Dwork. Bennett, 27, had a goal and assist against the Lightning in the first round before leaving with injury partway through Game 2. He’s now missed more than two weeks of action but has officially been upgraded to day-to-day.
- Canucks top forward prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki is back with AHL Abbotsford for their playoff run, the team confirmed today. Lekkerimäki, 19, was assigned to Abbotsford in March to make his North American professional debut but was loaned to the Swedish national team in mid-April in advance of the 2024 World Championship. He didn’t make the cut for the final roster, though, and will suit up in a must-win Game 3 tonight against the Ontario Reign to keep their season alive. The 2022 first-round pick had a goal and an assist for Abbotsford during his earlier brief stint.
Pacific Notes: Demko, Karlsson, Kraken
Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff is reporting that Vancouver Canucks goaltender Thatcher Demko will be out of the lineup through at least game 4 of the Canucks second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers. The netminder is making progress and is back on the ice skating, but his earliest return would be for game 5.
The 28-year-old hasn’t played since suffering a lower-body injury in game 1 of the Canucks first-round series against the Nashville Predators. His work in practice thus far has consisted of skating sprints, working side-to-side, and some work on his butterfly. The Vezina Trophy finalist hasn’t taken part in any live drills as of yet, but if he continues to progress it could happen sooner than later.
In other Pacific Division notes:
- Vegas Golden Knights forward William Karlsson told reporters today that his hamstring bothered him through the first round of the playoffs and caused issues with his skating. The lower-body issue didn’t keep Karlsson out of the lineup, but it certainly limited the 31-year-old’s effectiveness as he posted just two assists in seven playoff games after registering 30 goals and 30 assists in 70 regular season games. Karlsson has three years remaining on his eight-year $47.2MM contract and will likely continue to be a middle-six option for Vegas next season.
- Geoff Baker of The Seattle Times writes that the Seattle Kraken ownership group continues to discuss a new umbrella company that would encompass the Kraken, major projects, as well as a potential NBA team in Seattle. The NBA is eyeing expansion in the near future and the city of Seattle as well as Las Vegas are reportedly among the frontrunners to land an expansion team. Seattle has been without an NBA team since the SuperSonics moved to Oklahoma City back in 2008, but with the Kraken making moves to form an umbrella company it would put them in a good position to enter into NBA expansion.
Afternoon Notes: Faksa, Demko, Kampf
The Dallas Stars will be adding forward Radek Faksa back to the lineup ahead of Sunday’s Game 7, head coach Peter DeBoer confirms to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). Faksa was injured late in Game 2, leaving with an injury that remains undisclosed. He’s been a game-time decision in all four games since – finally getting upgraded to game-ready this weekend. Faksa is coming off his second 19-point season in the last three years and hasn’t been able to change his stat line in two postseason appearances so far.
Faksa’s return will bump young winger Ty Dellandrea back out of the lineup. The 23-year-old has scored one goal in four appearances this series, adding to the three goals he managed in 15 playoff games last season. Interestingly, he’s still searching for his first postseason assist. He’ll now move to a skybox that will also feature Mason Marchment, who DeBoer confirmed remains out with an undisclosed injury. While Faksa’s return is timely ahead of a Game 7 that’s sure to be gritty, it’s the 20-goal-scoring Marchment that could bring substantial reinforcements in Round 2. He has one goal in two playoff games so far this Spring.
Other notes from around the league:
- To no surprise, Vancouver Canucks head coach has ruled Vezina-finalist Thatcher Demko out of the second round’s Game 1, per Sportsnet’s Brendan Batchelor (Twitter link). Demko is missing time with a knee injury suffered ahead of the first round’s Game 2. He carries a week-to-week designation and isn’t expected to return any time soon, although he is traveling with the team. Arturs Silovs has risen to notoriety in Demko’s place, posting his first career shutout in the series-clinching Game 6. Silovs should remain Vancouver’s starter until Demko is ready to suit up again. He’ll be backed up by Casey DeSmith and Nikita Tolopilo.
- Toronto Maple Leafs forward David Kampf has been added to Team Czechia’s roster ahead of the 2024 IIHF World Championship, shares the team (Twitter link). Kampf’s season just came to a close, as Toronto was bested by the Boston Bruins in Game 7. Kampf posted just one goal in seven playoff appearances – matching his measly 19 points in 78 games during the regular season. He’ll have to put that tough loss behind him, now headed towards his second appearance at Worlds. Kampf previously posted three points in six games during the 2022 World Championship.
NHL Announces Finalists For 2024 Lady Byng Trophy
The NHL continues to announce the finalists for their end-of-season awards. Today, they revealed the three contenders for the Lady Byng Memorial Trophy, given annually to “the player adjudged to have exhibited the best type of sportsmanship and gentlemanly conduct combined with a high standard of playing ability”. The finalists are Maple Leafs center Auston Matthews, Canucks center Elias Pettersson, and Hurricanes defenseman Jaccob Slavin.
This is the third time that Matthews is up for the award, having finished second in voting in 2019-20 and third in 2020-21. The 26-year-old led the NHL in goals for the third time in four years this season, notching a career-best 69 along with 107 points, also a new personal best, helping lead Toronto to their eighth straight playoff appearance. He had 20 penalty minutes this season despite having the seventh-most ice time among all NHL forwards; that PIM total was the lowest among the NHL’s top-15 scorers.
Pettersson, meanwhile, is up for the award for the first time and is the first Canucks nominee in franchise history. While the 25-year-old saw his numbers dip this year compared to last season, he still managed to finish third on Vancouver in goals (34), assists (55), and points (89). Pettersson took just six minor penalties this season and finished 19th in total ice time for forwards.
As for Slavin, he’s a finalist for the Lady Byng for the third time. He won in 2020-21 and finished second in voting the following year. The 30-year-old has yet to reach the 20-PIM mark in a single season in his nine-year career and was assessed just four minors this season for the second straight year. Slavin logged just shy of 21 minutes a night on the back end for the Hurricanes, one of the top defensive units in the NHL this season. His penalty minute total is the lowest among players who logged at least 1,600 minutes of ice time this season.
The award was voted on by members of the Professional Hockey Writers Association at the end of the regular season. The winner will be revealed next month.
NHL Announces Finalists For 2024 Jack Adams Award
The Jets’ Rick Bowness, the Predators’ Andrew Brunette and the Canucks’ Rick Tocchet are this year’s finalists for the Jack Adams Award, the league announced Friday. The honor is given to the head coach who “contributed the most to his team’s success.”
We’ll have a first-time winner for the fifth year in a row. Last year’s recipient was Bruins bench boss Jim Montgomery, who led Boston to the best regular season in league history (.823 points percentage) since the Canadiens’ 60-8-12 (.825 points percentage) run in 1976-77.
Bowness, 69, is by far the most veteran option among the finalists. A good portion of his 30-plus years behind an NHL bench has been spent as an assistant, but he’s still managed 310 wins and 803 regular-season games coached as a head coach. After guiding Winnipeg to only its second 100-point season in franchise history with a 52-24-6 record, Bowness is the first Jets/Thrashers coach to be nominated for the Jack Adams in franchise history.
Brunette is also gunning for his first Coach of the Year honor despite holding less than two full seasons as a head coach. Both have yielded great results, though, guiding the Panthers to the 2022 Presidents’ Trophy after taking over for John Quenneville early in the season. He was back in a head coaching role this year, taking over behind the Predators’ bench and guiding what many viewed to be a fringe team to a 99-point season, including a franchise-record 18-game point streak from Feb. 17 to March 26. Nashville’s 47-30-5 record placed them in the first wild-card spot in the Western Conference, returning to postseason play after missing out in 2023.
The 60-year-old Tocchet rightfully gets a nod here in his first full season as head coach of the Canucks. Vancouver was arguably the league’s most surprising team this season, especially considering their level of dominance. They weren’t just a playoff team like some had hoped for at the beginning of the year – they were one of the best in the league for long stretches, finishing with a 50-23-9 record and their first division title in 11 years. The Canucks’ 109 points were their most since hitting 111 in the 2011-12 campaign.