Lekkerimäki is feeling extra assured as he heads into his second yr with the Canucks. Final yr was his first rodeo in North America, however he’s wanting ahead to getting again on the horse for the 2025-26 season.
“I really feel higher about every part in my sport,” he mentioned. “It’s my second yr now, it’s not my first coaching camp, and I understand how it goes and the way the practices are and the way you play professional and all that. I’ve extra confidence this yr. It was actually good to have had the yr that I had. So yeah, I’m very excited for this subsequent yr.”
The offseason has been a very good one for Lekkerimäki, who performed in additional video games this season than in another yr of his younger hockey profession.
“I used to be staying in Stockholm for essentially the most half, having fun with the solar and the Swedish meals,” mentioned Lekkerimäki. “I spent a while with my household, pals, simply Swedish issues.”
His summer season coaching has been at one other stage than in earlier years. He’s homed in on getting larger and stronger whereas working with a small group in Stockholm. His principal objective was to get larger, stronger, and quicker, and he believes he has completed that.
“I attempt to eat every part I can. I believe it’s been actually good,” mentioned Lekkerimäki.
Lekkerimäki has labored intently with the Canucks’ growth workforce on bettering his play within the soiled areas and credit Samuelsson, Manny Malhotra, and the Sedins for sharing their expertise and experience.
“You need to be good, too. You possibly can’t simply be robust,” mentioned Lekkerimäki on what he has realized about taking part in within the soiled areas. “You need to determine it out, assume forward of the defenders and all that. However I’m feeling good, I’ve been working rather a lot throughout the season and the offseason. Hopefully, I can preserve getting higher on the boards.”
Trying again on the 2024-25 season, Lekkerimäki spoke about his NHL expertise and what that meant to his household.
“It was a dream and really particular to attain my first NHL objective in entrance of my dad and mom. That was a terrific second and a terrific reminiscence for me and my household. It was only a good yr total, taking part in some NHL video games and taking part in some significant video games within the AHL. So, yeah, fairly good, it was cool.”
He later joked that his dad and mom had been getting a bit nervous from all of the TV time they had been getting.
After a season the place he performed extra video games than ever earlier than, the 21-year-old is trying to construct on his beneficial properties and success final season. He scored 19 targets in 36 regular-season AHL video games, along with scoring three targets in 24 NHL video games.
He realized how robust playoff hockey is with the Abbotsford Canucks and got here up clutch in sport 4 of the Calder Cup Finals, scoring two targets, together with the game-winner in a 3-2 victory to offer Abbotsford a 3-1 lead within the sequence.
There’s nonetheless loads of room for enchancment in Lekkerimäki’s sport, however he feels a very good summer season of coaching and household time in Sweden has him able to hit the bottom working as he returns to Vancouver, a spot that appears like a second residence.
