It’s prepping to be a busy few weeks for Vancouver Canucks’ rookie Jonathan Lekkerimäki, who will be reportedly representing the club at the 14th annual NHLPA Rookie Showcase.
The event, presented by Upper Deck and the NHLPA, will be held at the MedStar Capitals Iceplex in Arlington, Virginia, on Wednesday, September 4th, 2024, and will feature 33 NHL prospects and rookies.
The showcase offers the league’s top young stars an opportunity to be photographed and recorded while showing off their on-ice skills amongst their peers. In addition, they will take part in various promotional materials.
While Aatu Räty attended the event as a member of the New York Islanders in 2022, defenceman Quinn Hughes was the last Canuck to participate in the event in 2019.
The young Swede will join an impressive list of fellow rookies, including 2024 first-round pick Macklin Celebrini (Sharks) and fellow countrymen Noah Östlund (Sabres) and Liam Öhgren (Wild).
The Canucks originally selected Lekkerimäki with the No. 15 overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. The Tullinge, Sweden product collected 19 goals and 31 points in 46 SHL games with Örebro HK in the 2023-24 regular season.
The weekend after the Rookie Showcase, Lekkerimäki is expected to the club at the 2024 YoungStars tournament in Penticton, BC, from September 13-16. From there, he will attend his first official NHL training camp as a North American skater from September 19-22.
The following NHL prospects and rookies will also attend the event:
Marek Alscher (Panthers), Lian Bichsel (Stars), Gavin Brindley (Blue Jackets), Seamus Casey (Devils), Nikita Chibrikov (Jets), Easton Cowan (Maple Leafs), Nate Danielson (Red Wings), Josh Doan (Utah Hockey Club), Dalibor Dvorsky (Blues), Ivan Fedotov (Flyers), Cutter Gauthier (Ducks), Gage Goncalves (Lightning), Lane Hutson (Canadiens), Nikolai Kovalenko (Avalanche), Artyom Levshunov (Blackhawks), Logan Mailloux (Canadiens), Matvei Michkov (Flyers), Ivan Miroshnichenko (Capitals), Logan Morrison (Kraken), Shakir Mukhamadullin (Sharks), Bradly Nadeau (Hurricanes), Frank Nazar (Blackhawks), Zack Ostapchuk (Senators), Vasily Ponomarev (Penguins), Matt Rempe (Rangers), Olivier Rodrigue (Oilers), Will Smith (Sharks), Fedor Svechkov (Predators) and Akil Thomas (Kings).