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Canucks prospects Lekkerimäki and Pettersson will suit up in the Five Nation’s Tournament this weekend

Photo credit: Tre Kronor on Twitter

By Dave Hall

Nov 8, 2023, 18:47 ESTUpdated: Nov 8, 2023, 18:46 EST

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International hockey is back!

The Five Nation’s hockey tournament kicked off this morning in Chomutov, Czechia, and will run all weekend long.

As the tournament’s name suggests, it consists of five countries — Sweden, Finland, Czechia, Switzerland and Slovakia — and will see each team play each other once.

The Vancouver Canucks will be represented by two prospects, as Jonathan Lekkerimäki and Elias Pettersson are set to suit up for Team Sweden, who kicks things off on Thursday morning.

For Lekkerimäki, this will be his first appearance on the International stage since last winter’s World Junior Championships.

The 19-year-old sharpshooter is enjoying a stellar season in the SHL, following a disappointing draft plus-one year, riddled with injuries and inconsistent play. With eight goals, he currently sits second (tied) among SHL goalscorers, and his 11 points are already two over what he accomplished in 29 games at the Allsvenskan level last season.

As for Pettersson, this will be his second event sporting a Team Sweden uniform this year, as he took part in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, Massachusetts over July and August. He also took part in last winter’s World Junior Championships, alongside Lekkerimäki.

Petterrson, also 19, was loaned to Västerås (Allsvenskan) earlier in the season, as he was struggling to carve out ice time at the SHL level while playing for Lekkerimäki’s Örebro squad. Since the move, he has averaged 17:59 of ice time and sits third on his team in defenceman scoring with seven points (1G + 6A) through nine games.

This tournament will serve as an audition and opportunity for those hoping to grab invites to the World Junior Championship Team, which Sweden is set to host next month.

As prominent members of Team Sweden’s International squads, both Lekkerimäki and Pettersson have a very strong chance of sliding in for their final shot at a World Junior Gold Medal.

Here is Team Sweden’s schedule (Pacific Standard Time):

Thursday, November 9th, 6:00 AM vs Switzerland

Friday, November 10th, 9:30 AM vs Slovakia

Saturday, November 11th, 9:30 AM vs Czechia

Sunday, November 12th, 4:00 AM vs Finland

Of course, we will have you covered with all the clips and updates here at CanucksArmy!