Canucks prospects: Lekkerimaki lets it fly at WJC, Brzustewicz hits 50

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It’s the newest version of the tracker, the place we’re tallying up the efforts of the Vancouver Canucks’ highest-profile prospects enjoying on the world junior event and past:

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Jonathan Lekkerimaki

Shoot first, ask questions later.

That’s been the mentality for Jonathan Lekkerimaki on the world juniors — and it’s working wonders for the 2022 first rounder.

Lekkerimaki used his huge shot to attain his third aim of the event in a barnburner on the Scandinavium in Gothenburg as Finland outlasted arch-rival Sweden 5-4 in a shootout to wrap up Group A play for the 2 sides.

After the Finns took a 2-0 lead in a tight-checking first interval, Sweden discovered its legs within the second and turned the rating round.

First, it was Isac Born with a aim three minutes into the body, then it was Lekkerimaki with an influence play snipe to tie the sport at two a couple of minutes later.

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Lekkerimaki additionally scored Sweden’s lone shootout marker, making a transfer to his forehand and snapping the puck into the web with authority.

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The Huddinge product has 12 photographs on aim by 4 video games, and loads of others which have whistled simply extensive or struck iron.

As we’ve seen this event, Lekkerimaki’s affect on the sport prolonged past his elite capturing potential, with the 5-foot-11, 172-pound right-shot winger making sensible, heads-up performs all through the sport, shifting the puck with precision and gaining benefits together with his fast arms and faster ft.

The 19-year-old’s defensive play has additionally been efficient, with Lekkerimaki utilizing his wheels to seek out the correct place and an lively follow disrupt puck-carriers.

It was these wheels which led to Born’s first tally, as Lekky outskated and outmuscled a Finnish defender on a rush up the ice to ascertain possession and begin the scoring sequence.

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Lekkerimaki and linemate Noah Ostlund had been closely relied upon by head coach Magnus Havelid on this one, with Lekkerimaki (21:16) and Ostlund (23:14) main the forwards in ice time.

The duo, which performed collectively at Djurgarden in Sweden’s second-tier Allsvenskan, definitely have chemistry — as we noticed in additional time on a slick give-and-go, which ended with Lekkerimaki’s blocker-side shot stopped by the Finnish goaltender.

Lekkerimaki finishes the group stage with three targets, two assists and a plus-3 score in 4 video games, topping his complete output (1G, 3A) in seven video games finally yr’s event.

It is a participant who’s wanting increasingly more able to make the leap to North America as soon as his resurgent season is completed.

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Finland wanted the win to clinch a start within the quarterfinals. Sweden topped Group A with a 3-0-1-0 report and faces both Latvia or Germany within the subsequent spherical.

Tom Willander

The Sweden-Finland recreation was a wild one.

Simply not when Tom Willander was on the ice.

The Canucks’ Eleventh-overall choose at this previous summer time’s draft posted one other plus-2 score as he and companion Theo Lindstein (St. Louis, 2023, Rd. 1) soaked up waves of strain with calm, competent defending.

Willander, 18, was dialed in defensively all through the affair, sustaining place and killing Finnish forays earlier than they change into five-alarm fires.

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Willander additionally notched a secondary help on Sweden’s first aim, shifting the puck throughout the blue-line for some extent shot and a rebound marker.

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The help offers him two factors (1G, 1A) in two video games.

The Stockholm product added a shot on aim and skated for over 21 minutes, second amongst Swedish defenders (Axel Sandin Pellikka topped the staff in ice time with 24:48).

Willander, whose plus-8 score by 4 event video games is tied for fourth general, three again of Group USA defender Zeev Buium, has been a two-way power to this point and is wanting each bit just like the blue-chip defensive prospect the Canucks thought they snagged on the draft.

Elias Pettersson

A sufferer of circumstance, certain.

However a sufferer towards Finland nonetheless.

Elias Pettersson went a team-worst minus-3 towards the Finns as he and companion Mattias Havelid had been on the ice for all 4 of the opposition’s targets.

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The sport began nicely for the bodily stay-at-home defenceman, with Pettersson dumping two completely different Finnish gamers within the nook early within the first interval.

However the hassle would begin to mount. Finland’s first aim got here off a faceoff, with the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Pettersson partly blocking a shot, which squirted to Finnish ahead Tommi Mannisto, who completed in entrance.

The 19-year-old then acquired his stick on a shot try later within the first interval, however the puck popped out to a different Finnish participant, inflicting a scramble within the crease and one other aim.

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Finland’s third aim got here off a set play following a faceoff, which Pettersson couldn’t do something about. However the Canucks prospect had a front-row view of Finland’s tying aim with underneath two minutes left to play within the third, which was scored off one other scramble in entrance of the web.

It wasn’t a wholly poor defensive exhibiting for the Vasteras native. Pettersson battled in entrance of the web and made a few good desperation performs. However with Sweden in search of a report fourth-straight shutout, it was Pettersson’s pair which was the weak hyperlink.

That being stated, Pettersson had been rock strong up till this recreation, main the staff in ice time within the first two video games of the event.

EP2 finishes the group stage with no level and a minus-2 score.

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Hunter Brzustewicz

He’s midway to creating it 100.

Along with his friends away on the world juniors, standout prospect Hunter Brzustewicz continued to maintain enterprise at dwelling this previous week, notching an help in every of his two video games performed for Kitchener to keep up his lead because the OHL’s high scorer on the halfway level of the common season.

In case you want the reminder: Brzustewicz is a defenceman — and a really productive one at that.

Saturday’s 5-2 win at Owen Sound was the stronger of the 2 video games for the Canucks’ 2023 third-round choose, with Brzustewicz firing six shot on course and going a plus-3 general.

The help was a factor of magnificence, with the 6-foot, 190-pound right-shot D-man enjoying an ideal give-and-go with ahead Matt Ellinas, who scored on a tap-in in entrance.

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With forwards Carson Rehkopf (SEA, 2023, Rd. 2) and Filip Mesar (MON, 2022, Rd. 2) starring for his or her respective Canadian and Slovakian sides on the world juniors, the league-leading Rangers are Brzustewicz’s staff to steer in the intervening time.

Brzustewicz has seven targets, 50 assists and a plus-26 score in 36 video games this season.

Sawyer Mynio

The Seattle Thunderbirds could also be seeking to the longer term with a giant commerce the opposite day.

Sawyer Mynio seems to be extra involved with the right here and now.

The 18-year-old left-shot defenceman, taken by the Canucks within the third spherical this previous summer time and promptly signed to an entry-level deal, had a aim and two assists on Saturday, however the Thunderbirds misplaced once more — their fifth defeat in a row.

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Mynio, who went a minus-2 within the 5-4 loss to the Everett Silvertips, scored his aim on a one-timed slap shot from the correct faceoff circle.

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He has eight targets, 15 assists and a minus-5 score enjoying for the sinking Thunderbirds, who earlier within the week shipped out star ahead Gracyn Sawchyn (FLO, 2023, Rd. 2), and two others for undrafted ahead Nathan Pilling and a boatload of WHL draft picks.

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Mynio is a clean skater who’s adept at defending the push and has good hockey sense.

Elsewhere: Vasily Podkolzin scored his eighth of the season for the Abbotsford Canucks in an exhilarating 4-3 additional time win towards the rival Calgary Wranglers on Thursday, rifling a rebound into the web halfway by the second interval to offer the visiting Canucks a 2-1 lead.

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Veteran defenceman Matt Irwin was the unlikely hero in additional time, scoring his second of the sport to seal the deal after scoring his first as a Canuck earlier within the recreation.

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The Canucks and Wranglers performed once more on Friday night time, with Calgary shutting out the guests 5-0.

Podkolzin’s aim is his third within the 15 video games since his return from a scary head damage he suffered when he was slammed to the ice towards the Colorado Eagles in late October.

The 22-year-old ahead has 16 factors (8G, 8A) and a good score in 21 video games this season.

Abbotsford is 17-9-2-0 and in fourth place within the AHL’s ultra-competitive Pacific Division.

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