Welcome back to another Vancouver Canucks 2024–25 Report Card. Today, we’ll be taking a look at how Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki’s season went as a member of both Vancouver and the Abbotsford Canucks.
This was Lekkerimäki’s first full season with both Vancouver and Abbotsford. Prior to 2024–25, Lekkerimäki’s only experiences on North American ice were the six games he played with the AHL Canucks at the end of the 2023–24 season. His first AHL game of the 2024–25 season was Abbotsford’s home-opener on October 25, during which he tallied an assist and three shots on goal. In his first seven games with Abbotsford, he scored five goals and two assists while tallying a total of 39 shots.
Lekkerimäki stayed in Abbotsford’s lineup until the start of November, as he was called up to Vancouver while the team dealt with injuries. He made his NHL debut on November 12 against the Calgary Flames, putting up two shots in 14:07 minutes played. The game after, against the New York Islanders on November 14, he scored his first NHL goal against Ilya Sorokin with a sweet shot off the rush. He stayed in the lineup for the following three games before being sent back down to Abbotsford.
From mid-November to early January, Lekkerimäki continued playing with Abbotsford, putting up seven goals and three assists in 14 games. This included back-to-back three-point games on December 7 and 8. While he was still shooting at a high rate of around three shots per game, this wasn’t as close to the offence he’d produced at the start of the season. With injuries once again striking the Canucks, he was called up to Vancouver and placed in the lineup on January 6 against the Montréal Canadiens. In a high-scoring 5–4 overtime loss for Vancouver, Lekkerimäki had a goal and an assist in 13:47 minutes played.
Lekkerimäki’s stint in Vancouver’s lineup ended after January 16 and didn’t continue until mid-March. During this time, he continued to build on his offensive successes in Abbotsford, contributing a goal and two assists in his first game back from Vancouver on January 19. He registered a four-game and three-game point streak that were only separated by one game in which he did not get a goal or an assist.
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While Vancouver’s lineup was unsteady throughout the season, Lekkerimäki was able to find some consistency within it towards the end of 2024–25. With a crop of Abbotsford players playing for the Canucks from mid-March to the end of the season, there was enough familiarity in the dressing room for Lekkerimäki to become a little more comfortable with the NHL. By the end of Vancouver’s 2024–25 season, he had three goals and three assists in 24 games. With Abbotsford, he had 19 goals and nine assists in 36 games.
In Abbotsford’s Calder Cup victory, Lekkerimäki was noticeable at a bunch of different points for many reasons. First, he missed three games due to complications from dental surgery early in Abbotsford’s playoff run. Then, he was healthy-scratched for four games, including the team’s Western Conference Championship win. Finally, in his second game back in the lineup during the Calder Cup Final, he potted two goals and also played excellently without the puck on his stick to help Abbotsford take a 3–1 series lead. While many may have expected more from him offensively during this playoff run, Lekkerimäki still showed up when the team needed him most.
Two-Goal Game 4 Performance A Big Momentum Shifter For Abbotsford Canucks’ Jonathan LekkerimäkiFor a while, Vancouver Canucks and Abbotsford Canucks fans alike were intrigued. The AHL Canucks were rolling through the Calder Cup Playoffs with a lineup full of stellar players like Artūrs Šilovs and Linus Karlsson. Virtually everyone not-injured was accounted for — except for one player.
The movement to-and-from lineups can be a bit difficult for a player who is still adjusting to a multitude of things. Positively speaking, Lekkerimäki was able to gain valuable NHL experience while honing his skills in the AHL — but this shifting can also be tough to work with when still trying to learn specific systems and skills. Because of this, Lekkerimäki gets a B- for his rookie season. Though many may have expected a little more from him at the NHL level, he’s still adjusting to AHL and NHL play. With that being said, fans may see an even more dangerous Lekkerimäki come the 2025–26 season.
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