Canucks prospects: Crew Sweden to check native allegiances at world juniors

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It’s the newest version of the prospects tracker, the place we tally up the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks’ highest profile prospects:

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‘Tis the season for world junior hockey and Crew Sweden is about to check some native allegiances.

That’s as a result of the Tre Kronor characteristic three Canucks prospects on the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship, with Jonathan Lekkerimaki, Tom Willander and the opposite Elias Pettersson set to check their mettle for the host nation beginning on Boxing Day in Gothenburg on the 12,044-capacity Scandinavium.

The Swedes will compete in opposition to defending champions Canada and archrival Finland in a stacked Group A, which additionally consists of Germany and Latvia.

So what’s going to it’s? Pink and white, blue and yellow or one thing in between? Whichever group you’re backing, they’ll be a favorite, alongside an uber-talented USA squad.

Let’s get to the prospects taking part in on the massive match:

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Jonathan Lekkerimaki

For Jonathan Lekkerimaki, the third time might be the appeal on the U20 showcase occasion.

Two years in the past, as a 17-year-old, the sharpshooting winger went and not using a aim in seven video games. He adopted it up, nevertheless, two months later by topping the U18 match in scoring (6GP, 5G, 10A) en path to a gold medal overcome the U.S. — after which tallied seven targets in 26 SHL video games to propel him to a fifteenth total choose on the 2022 NHL draft.

Finally yr’s match, Lekkerimaki scored as soon as and added three assists in seven video games, coming off a concussion from a number of weeks prior. The gifted 5-foot-11, 172-pound right-shot ahead didn’t make excuses in an unique interview in mid-January, saying he “needed to be higher on puck battles and dealing onerous on the ice.”

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However that was then and that is now, and the Huddinge product has regained his scoring kind, notching 10 targets in 24 SHL video games, simply 4 again of the league lead.

Lekkerimaki’s elite shot was evident within the final recreation he suited up for his Orebro squad, with the 19-year-old ripping his fast and highly effective wrister into the online from a pointy angle to tie the Dec. 9 recreation at two halfway by the third interval.

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Lekkerimaki, a high quality playmaker in his personal proper, added a major help, hitting a linemate in stride within the slot with a precision go just some moments earlier than his aim.

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Lekkerimaki shall be given each probability to succeed at this yr’s match as one of many stars for a robust Swedish facet.

In a pre-tournament warm-up recreation in opposition to Switzerland on Tuesday, the Canucks prospect began on the primary line — alongside former Djurgardens linemate Noah Ostlund, taken a choose later on the 2022 draft by Buffalo — and performed the left facet half-wall on the primary energy play unit.

Lekkerimaki performed with tempo however didn’t muster a lot offence and went and not using a aim in a 4-2 win.

To have a profitable match, ‘Lekky’ might want to make the most of his harmful shot, be tougher on pucks and get himself into the slot — which we didn’t see a lot of ultimately yr’s occasion.

Factor is, he’s a unique participant this time round, as he stated confidently in these pages in late September.

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“Extra explosive. Sooner and greater. Every part.”

Tom Willander

In the end, a high defensive prospect to trace on the massive match.

With all due respect to EP2, Willander has all of the instruments to be an affect participant for the Canucks someday. The 2023 first-rounder is a breakout machine, has a motor that by no means quits and a burgeoning offensive recreation that might make him a reliable two-way menace within the NHL.

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His head coach at Boston Faculty, Jay Pandolfo, loves what he sees so removed from the 18-year-old freshman, telling CHEK-TV’s Donnie & Dhali present earlier this month that the 6-foot-1, 179-pound right-shot D-man has come as marketed to the storied NCAA program.

“A really aggressive participant, excellent defensively … performs in a short time, he’s an excellent skater. Very athletic, so we’ve been very pleased with Tom,” stated Pandolfo.

Willander, who has three targets, 5 assists and a plus-13 score in 15 video games this season, skated on the second defensive pairing in Tuesday’s warm-up win over the Swiss and notched a secondary help early within the second interval.

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It stays to be seen the place Willander strains up when the puck drops for actual on Boxing Day in opposition to Latvia with first-pair defenceman Axel Sandin Pellikka not suiting up on Tuesday, however all indicators level to a second pairing position.

Willander wasn’t part of the facility play on Tuesday however did characteristic on Sweden’s penalty kill.

Elias Pettersson

Improvement is rarely linear, particularly for younger defencemen.

Finally yr’s world junior match, Elias Pettersson was wonderful. The 2022 third-rounder was sturdy on his skates, took care of the entrance of the online and performed heavy minutes to go a plus-4 with three assists in seven video games. Pettersson, a 6-foot-4, 205-pound left-shot D-man, then completed the season sturdy within the SHL, going a plus-6 in 43 video games.

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This season, some early scratches with a contending Orebro facet led to Pettersson getting loaned out to Vasteras of the second-tier Allsvenskan, the place the 19-year-old is taking part in in all conditions for his hometown group.

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Pettersson skated on the third pairing in Tuesday’s warm-up win, in addition to being part of the penalty kill.

Somebody should come out of the Sweden lineup for Sandin Pellikka on Boxing Day, and Canucks followers are hoping it’s not their man.

Pettersson has one aim, eight assists and a minus-4 score in 17 video games this season with Vasteras.

Hunter Brzustewicz

He’s out to show Crew USA flawed for leaving him off their world junior roster — and doing a fairly good job of it.

Since being snubbed by the Stars and Stripes in early December, Hunter Brzustewicz continues to hit the scoreboard, registering 11 factors (1G, 10A) within the seven video games since.

With 55 factors in 34 video games heading into the OHL’s Christmas break, the 19-year-old defenceman is tied for the league lead in factors with Kitchener Rangers teammate and Crew Canada ahead Carson Rehkopf.

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However amid all of the laurels, Brzustewicz nonetheless has an off recreation as soon as in awhile, as we noticed on Dec. 15 in a 6-3 loss in opposition to fellow Canucks defensive prospect Kirill Kudryavtsev (2022, Rd. 7) and the Soo Greyhounds.

Regardless of selecting up two assists, the 6-foot, 190-pound right-shot D-man had an unsightly giveaway in his personal zone within the first interval, gifting the Greyhounds an early Christmas current.

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Brzustewicz then had one other blip later within the recreation, turning the puck over whereas exiting his zone on the facility play. A Greyhound ahead discovered Kudryavtsev leaping into the frenzy and the Canucks prospect transformed on a short-side snipe for his fourth aim of the season.

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The Michigan product advised Postmedia a few weeks in the past that the important thing to his consistency this season has been a renewed “drive and capturing mentality on a regular basis,” making his sub-par outings few and much between. In reality, Brzustewicz has gone and not using a level in solely 4 of 34 video games this season.