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 all the things 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 superb one for Lekkerimäki, who performed in additional video games this season than in some other yr of his younger hockey profession.
“I used to be staying in Stockholm for probably 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 time coaching has been at one other degree 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 achieved that.
“I attempt to eat all the things I can. I believe it’s been actually good,” mentioned Lekkerimäki.
Lekkerimäki has labored carefully with the Canucks’ growth crew on enhancing his play within the soiled areas and credit Samuelsson, Manny Malhotra, and the Sedins for sharing their expertise and experience.
“It’s important to be sensible, too. You may’t simply be robust,” mentioned Lekkerimäki on what he has discovered about taking part in within the soiled areas. “It’s important to determine it out, learn how to suppose forward of the defenders and all that. However I’m feeling good, I’ve been working so much 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 mother and father. That was an important second and an important reminiscence for me and my household. It was only a good yr general, 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 mother and father have been getting a bit nervous from all of the TV time they have 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 good points 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 discovered 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 present Abbotsford a 3-1 lead within the sequence.
There’s nonetheless loads of room for enchancment in Lekkerimäki’s sport, however he feels a superb summer time of coaching and household time in Sweden has him able to hit the bottom working as he returns to Vancouver, a spot that seems like a second house.
