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Jonathan Lekkerimäki Named MVP As Sweden Captures Silver At The 2024 World Juniors
Jonathan Lekkerimäki, Elias Pettersson and Tom Willander captured Silver at the 2024 World Juniors after Sweden fell 6-2 to the USA. Lekkerimäki was named MVP after finishing the tournament, tied for the lead in goals with seven, and led the tournament with five on the power play. Here is a breakdown of how all three prospects played in the Gold Medal Game.
As he has been all tournament, Lekkerimäki was one of Sweden's best players. He came in clutch with a power play just before the second intermission and finished the game with four shots in 19:42 of ice time. While Sweden fell just short of Gold, he played his heart out and demonstrated to the hockey world how dangerous he can be with the puck on his stick.
Jumping to the blue line, Pettersson made life difficult for any American player trying to get to the front of the net. He was physical all over the ice and was the only Swedish player to finish with a plus rating by the end of the game. Playing 19:13 against the US, he demonstrated the ability not just to slow down the opposition once they are already in the zone but also how strong he is at breaking up the rush and transitioning the puck with an outlet pass.
Lastly, Willander was impressive for a multitude of reasons. He showed off his physical play along the boards and wasn't scared to jump into the rush to create a chance in the offensive zone. Finishing the game with 17:37 of ice time, expect him to play a massive role for Team Sweden at next year's tournament.
Overall, the performances of the three Vancouver Canucks prospects at this tournament were encouraging. Whether it was Lekkerimäki ripping shots from above the faceoff dot or Pettersson and Willander breaking up plays in the defensive zone, all three stepped up to help Sweden win Silver for the first time since 2018. Based on their play over the past few weeks, Canucks fans should be excited as all three showed they have the potential to be difference-makers at the NHL level one day.
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