WATCH: Canucks prospect Jonathan Lekkerimäki snipes home first goal at 2023 World Juniors

Jonathan Lekkerimäki wasted little time before finding the scoresheet in Team Sweden’s first game of the 2023 World Junior Championship.

Sweden made quick work of Austria, winning by a final score of 11-0. The final shot total was 51-13 in favour of the Swedes.

One of those 51 shots was this absolute snipe from Lekkerimäki, who was the Vancouver Canucks’ 15th overall selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.

Lekkerimäki’s goal was Sweden’s fifth of the game on their 29th shot. Defenceman Elias Pettersson, the Canucks’ third round selection of the 2022 Draft, recorded an assist on Sweden’s fourth goal of the game. He also showed some solid work on the defensive side of the ice, and Faber will have a full recap with a breakdown of what we saw from the Canucks’ prospects dropping later today.

After his goal, Lekkerimäki added an assist early in the third period to extend Sweden’s lead to 9-0. It was a commanding victory for the Swedes and a strong showing for the Canucks’ top two prospects at this tournament. It will be interesting to see how they fare against a stronger team, as they play Germany tomorrow morning at 10:30 AM Pacific.

Another Canucks prospect was in action today, as goaltender Aku Koskenvuo got the start in Finland’s first game against Switzerland. The Finns lost in overtime by a final score of 3-2, with Kosknevuo making 24 saves on 27 shots.

For the full schedule of Canucks prospects at this year’s World Junior Championship, click here.