Vancouver Canucks forward Jonathan Lekkerimäki will miss the remainder of the season and requires shoulder surgery, according to a report from Rick Dhaliwal of Donnie and Dhali.

Lekkerimäki has appeared in 13 NHL games with the Canucks this season, and he played in the club’s last five games prior to the Olympic break before being reassigned to Abbotsford to stay fresh during the break. During that time, Lekkerimäki tallied three goals and one assist through five games, bringing his overall AHL season output to 13 goals and seven assists across 21 games. Lekkerimäki did not appear in Abbotsford’s road game against the Henderson Silver Knights on Friday night.

The Canucks originally selected Lekkerimäki with the 15th overall pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. A natural goalscorer, Lekkerimäki has struggled to put together the other elements of his game required to be an effective contributor at the NHL level, though Abbotsford head coach Manny Malhotra did note not long ago that Lekkerimäki had taken great strides in those areas this season. Here is what Malhotra had to say, speaking on Canucks Central:

“I think Lekky [Lekkerimäki] has a better understanding now that it’s not necessarily just the production aspect that is going to get him to the next level. It’s the consistency of winning puck battles and being in the right position and being physical in the regards of, you know, going into a corner one-on-one and coming up with a puck… We understand he’s not going to play the same as a D-Petey [Elias Pettersson] perhaps and lay guys out, but the element of being strong on pucks and physically is something that is a very transferable skill and is a necessary skill for the next level.”

There is not yet a timeline for Lekkerimäki’s return to action, but we will be sure to post updates as they become available.