Vancouver Canucks, Jonathan Lekkerimaki reach three-year deal

VANCOUVER – The Vancouver Canucks say they have signed last year’s top draft pick to a three-year entry level contract.

General manager Patrik Allvin says the NHL team and forward Jonathan Lekkerimaki have reached a deal.

The Canucks drafted Lekkerimaki, who plays right wing, 15th overall in the first round of the 2022 NHL entry draft.

The Swedish international completed the 2022-23 season with Djurgardens IF of HockeyAllsvenskan in Sweden, helping the team reach the seventh game of the league’s final playoff series.

In 29 regular-season games with Djurgardens, he recorded nine points and four penalty minutes before suffering a regular-season ending injury in February.

Internationally, he helped lead Sweden to a gold medal at the 2022 International Ice Hockey Federation Under-18 World Championship where he led the tournament in scoring with 15 points in six games.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2023.