In a recent interview with Swedish media outlet hockeysvierge, Vancouver Canucks rookie Jonathan Lekkerimäki dove into a number of topics on the heels of scoring his first NHL goal in his second NHL game against the New York Islanders on Thursday night. Let’s dive into what he had to say.

Lekkerimäki played seven games with the Abbotsford Canucks before earning a call-up from the AHL to the NHL. He scored five goals and added two assists in those AHL games. Lekkerimäki made his NHL debut against the Calgary Flames this past Tuesday,

“It was special, and I got goosebumps. Really fun. I was a little nervous, but mostly I just enjoyed it,” Lekkerimäki said of playing in his first game and doing the traditional rookie solo lap to start warmups. “I was a bit nervous about falling (laughs), but it went well and was just fun.”

“I think it went pretty well,” Lekkerimäki said when asked to summarize how his debut went. “I focused on playing simple at first and then tried to build on it more and more. My confidence is growing, so it felt good.”

Although he didn’t get on the scoresheet, Lekkerimäki looked promising in his debut and was often in the right spots both offensively and defensively, as highlighted in the latest edition of The Tape. In his second game, Lekkerimäki found the back of the net with a one-timer off the rush after a pass from JT Miller:

“It happened early in the game,” Lekkerimäki said of his first NHL goal. “My thought wasn’t necessarily to score but just to get it on net. I was shocked when I saw it went in, but it was awesome.”

As for his first impressions of the North American game and his expectations moving forward, Lekkerimäki said:

“The offensive play is more about getting to the net and taking a lot of shots, which I think suits me well… We’ll see. I’m taking it day by day and just trying to live in the moment. I want to enjoy this but also take some time to relax away from hockey.”

Lekkerimäki also talked about some people on the team that he’s gotten to know and learn from: namely Elias Pettersson and Daniel and Henrik Sedin.

“He [Pettersson] is a big role model for me, just the way he carries himself on the ice and everything else. It’s been both fun and comforting to have his support. The same goes for (Nils) Höglander and (Erik) Brännström… Henrik and Daniel Sedin are also at almost every practice. I’ve had good conversations with them too, which has been great.”

Finally, Lekkerimäki made it clear he’s already felt the love from Canucks fans even if the on-ice results for the team haven’t been stellar.

“We’ve got amazing fans, and there’s been so much excitement during my first two games. I really like it here. It’s great that there’s such a big passion for hockey.”

Lekkerimäki is set to play in NHL game number three tonight when the Canucks take on the Chicago Blackhawks at home. Check out today’s edition of Scenes from Morning Skate by clicking here!