Welcome back to the <em>Blackfish Prospect Report.</em>

Here, we bring you a weekly jam-packed report on all things Vancouver Canucks prospects. This week, we are heavy into the AHL, with the farm team dressing in four games over the week. However, we did see a couple of Swedes come up big, as well as some third-tier pro (ECHL) prospects continue to play solid hockey.
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Let's dive right in.

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<h1>Abbotsford Canucks</h1>
<img class="alignnone wp-image-133485 size-full" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Abby.png" alt="" width="1633" height="680" />

The main event, aka the Abbotsford Canucks, had themselves a long week, taking on four games in just six nights. True to form, there was a bit of everything: the good, the bad and a balanced 2-2-0-0 record. However, if there's a storyline to highlight this week, it has to be the young guns <strong>Jonathan Lekkerimäki</strong> and <strong>Aatu Räty</strong> breaking out of their shells in a big way.

Deployed together on the top line and top powerplay units, Lekkerimäki and Räty combined for an impressive 11 points over the four games.

For Lekkerimäki, this surge had been brewing; he’s been shooting like a madman since his debut on October 25th

After six games, he’s now tied for second among AHL skaters in goals (4) and is third in points (6). Oh, and he's absolutely torching the competition in shots. He’s clocked in a league-leading 35 shots on goal during that span (October 25th and on), which sits just one shy of the league leader overall. And finally, Lekkerimäki has finally been rewarded for his relentless offensive push.

The floodgates opened for him earlier in the week as the Canucks hosted the Tucson Roadrunners. After letting off several half-wall one-timers, doe-dragged rush shots and quick snaps from the slot, Lekkerimäki's first goal came courtesy of a tap-in at the net front. Stationed at the net front, he slotted home an easy one after the puck jumped out to him.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1851484753645723994

From there, he went on a run. He followed up with another goal in the very next game, added an assist after that, and closed out the week with two goals in Sunday night’s game, marking his first multi-goal effort of the season.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1851816746765922492

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852884628224483718

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1853250594859048993

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1853251307962020055

If there’s one thing that’s becoming certain, it’s that Lekkerimäki’s average of five shots per game (not an actual average) is not going anywhere. Half-wall, rush, no matter where—he’s letting it rip, and now that he’s tasted success, things could get spicy.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852937244631560260

On the defensive end of things, Lekkerimäki sports a minus-5 rating. It's not great, sure, but context matters here. The team has struggled collectively, conceding 31 goals already this season (sixth most), and only three regular forwards are in the positives when it comes to plus-minus. Defensively, there’s work to do from a player standpoint, but this is far from an isolated Lekkerimäki issue and isn't necessarily indicative of his play, thus far.

Skating alongside Lekkerimäki on the top line was Aatu Räty, who had himself a week with six points, catapulting him to the top of the Abbotsford scoring standings.

Räty’s big moment came on Saturday night, where he exploded for three points, including two goals—one of which was a fantastic shorthanded effort.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852896294286872800

He added two more assists in Sunday’s match, both on Lekkerimäki’s goals. The first was a perfectly timed one-touch feed after receiving a pass from Christian Wolanin. The second? It was all Aatu. He laid a punishing body check in the corner to force a turnover, then quickly found Nils Aman, who set up Lekkerimäki for the tally (see both above).

Räty is arguably the most critical piece of the Canucks' forward group right now. He’s averaging about 22 minutes per game and is being trusted in every situation—top line 5v5, powerplay, penalty kill, and dominating the faceoff circle with just under a 60% success rate. Unfortunately for Abbotsford, there is a strong potential that he will earn a call-up by the time this report comes out.

It was short-lived, but <strong>Danila Klimovich</strong> led the team in scoring before Lekkerimäki and Räty’s offensive explosion over the weekend. Though we haven't been given a reason for his absence, Klimovich missed both weekend games.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1851825370221396392

In the games he did play earlier in the week, however, Klimovich grabbed two assists, including one on <strong>Max Sasson's</strong> first of two goals. Sasson pulled off an impressive one-timer by batting the puck out of midair, thanks to a nice aerial feed from Klimovich.

On Sunday, Sasson potted his third goal of the year by cleaning up a loose rebound after an Elias Pettersson point shot.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1853257742297059561

Despite some early-season inconsistencies, Sasson has four points—all at even strength so far—though he’s struggled to gain traction in the faceoff circle, hovering below 50%.

Speaking of rookies getting their feet wet, <strong>Ty Mueller</strong> was promoted to the top line for two games, during which he snagged his second career AHL point. Though he was moved back down to the third line afterward, Mueller continues to log time on both special teams, clocking in about 17 minutes per game.

On defence, two 20-year-olds continue to hold their own, and one of them just notched an incredible milestone, with <strong>Kirill Kudryavtsev</strong> scoring his first AHL goal.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1851482186291224619

While enjoying some powerplay time, Kudryavtsev collected the puck at the blue line and fired a quick snapper that found its way into the net.

If you're looking for a quote, the young Russian is your go-to bet. This kid rarely seems to have off days, and his answers are always top-notch. Give his post-game interview a listen if you want a quick smile.

https://youtu.be/hL8EHh3UsHQ?si=S1l71BD0TAmkAkJx

Meanwhile, <strong>Elias Pettersson</strong> may not have his first goal yet, but he’s dishing out assists, with his latest coming on the Max Sasson goal mentioned above. More impressively, Pettersson leads the team in plus-minus with a plus-5 rating, which puts him second among all U24 defenders league-wide. The brute Swede may not light up the highlight reels, but he’s been a steady and reliable defensive presence, a fixture on the penalty kill, and averaging roughly 17 minutes a night. To sum up his game in a word: Solid.

As for the more established defenders, <strong>Cole McWard</strong> and <strong>Jett Woo</strong>, McWard picked up his first goal of the season, blasting one in off the faceoff—so quickly that the camera actually missed it.

He also grabbed an assist on Kudryavtsev’s goal, giving him three points on the year. While McWard isn’t setting the scoresheet on fire, he provides his usual two-way play and contributes in all situations.

However, it's been a rough start for Woo. He continues to see top pairing minutes alongside Guillaume Brisebois but collectively sports a minus-14 and is not helping their team's cause. Most of that is Brisebois (Woo is a minus-4, Brisebois is a minus-9), but something will have to give with the two.

Finally, in the crease, <strong>Nikita Tolopilo</strong> had been perfect through his first three starts but suffered a mental collapse in his one game over the week. He only saw one start over the four games, allowing four goals on just 11 shots in 20 minutes before being pulled. And so, the goalie carousel spins on.
<h1>Kalamazoo Wings</h1>
Good things are happening down in Kalamazoo, with <strong>Josh Bloom</strong> and <strong>Ty Young</strong> playing excellent hockey out of the gate. Bloom had a goal and an assist in two games on Friday, extending his point streak to all games played. Unfortunately, that streak snapped on Saturday, but he's operating at a point-per-game pace with three goals and two assists.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852611996891676752

It’s still a fantastic start to the season, and he’s doing everything he can to work his way back into Abbotsford’s mix.

In net, Ty Young had another <em>fantastic</em> outing, building off his 38-save debut from the week prior. This time, he stopped 36 of 37 shots, though the team fell short in a 1-0 loss.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852871989675090022

He sports a 1-1-0-0 record, but Young is off to an incredible start. Through his first two games, he posted a 1.01 GAA and saved 74 of 76 shots faced.
<h1>CHL</h1>
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It was a slower <strong>week</strong> across the CHL, but <strong>Riley Patterson</strong> did manage a goal and an assist with a plus-3 rating for the Barrie Colts.

[video width="1280" height="720" mp4="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/riley_patterson_-_3rd_period_8_16_-_8_42-Trim.mp4"][/video]

<b>Vilmer Alriksson </b>returned from an illness and took up a spot on Guelph’s top line but didn’t make much impact on the scoresheet, losing both games in the week.

<strong>Sawyer Mynio, Parker Alcos</strong>, and <strong>Basile Sansonnens</strong> also went scoreless with negative ratings.

<strong>Anthony Romani</strong> remains sidelined with a broken clavicle.
<h1>NCAA</h1>
<img class="alignnone wp-image-133483 size-full" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/NCAA.png" alt="" width="1638" height="340" />

The streak had to end at some point, and unfortunately, <strong>Tom Willander’s</strong> five-game point streak was snapped this week. However, he rebounded quickly with a beautiful cross-ice assist in his very next game.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852880243452989529

He was an absolute workhorse over the weekend, nearly hitting 27 minutes of ice time on Saturday as Boston University’s most-utilized player over the two-game stretch.

With the assist, he's now up two goals and six points, leads the team in plus-minus (plus-4) and sits second on the team with 14 blocked shots.

<strong>Daimon Gardner</strong> kept his production rolling with another goal, giving him three points over his last five games for St. Cloud State.

https://twitter.com/SCSUHuskies_MH/status/1852525730179006950

Meanwhile, <strong>Aku Koskenvuo</strong> finally got into the action for Harvard's season opener, stopping 19 of 21 shots, though he ultimately took the loss. This scenario played out often for Koskenvuo last year—keeping the score close but not getting enough offensive support to secure the win. Let's hope the team finds a little more offence this time around.
<h1>Sweden</h1>
<img class="alignnone wp-image-133482 size-full" src="https://publish.canucksarmy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/11/Swe.png" alt="" width="1635" height="182" />

This was the week we’ve been waiting for in the Blackfish Prospect Report, folks.

<strong>Lucas Forsell</strong> finally moved up to Färjestad’s top six -- in regular season action -- and made the most of it—picking up three goals, four points, six shots, and a plus-4 rating across three games. Are we shocked to see him contribute with opportunity? Not even in the slightest.

Forsell’s first goal came on a simple one-hopper from the blue line, but it got the job done.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1851364495190606045

After that, he really got rolling, scoring twice more in the same match—first with a skate-to-stick and snipe on a 2-on-1 and later with a sneaky five-hole shot from a tough angle.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852059324295893269

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852092981140144499

He rounded off his week with an assist. Those were the 21-year-old's first points of the regular season. He sits at a 58% Corsi For, good for fourth on his team. #FreeForsell.

<strong>Melvin Fernström</strong> also made a statement in SHL action, getting some top-six minutes and delivering with a bar-down game-winning goal.

https://twitter.com/davehall1289/status/1852067748505096371

That marks his second goal of the season, with the youngster showing his worth when given the opportunity.

*As a quick note on Fernström's stats, his ledger technically shows 12 SHL games. However, there are three games in which he did not see the ice at all and was used as a substitution. As a result, his ledger should technically show nine games as opposed to 12.*

To round things off in Sweden, <strong>Hugo Gabrielson</strong> kept his strong play going, picking up another two assists for Nybro. The 22-year-old now has six points in his last eight games—steady and reliable production from the Swedish defender.

That's all for this week, Blackfish faithful. The kids are alright, and Abbotsford has a fresh look to it with youth taking centre stage. Until next week!

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