The Athletic's Scott Wheeler released his 100 drafted prospects list.
Lekkerimaki and Willander make the list at 32 and 45. If these seem familiar, Wheeler and Pronman recycle a lot of their work to pump these things out. I felt both of these write-ups were new, though.
Lekkerimaki and Willander make the list at 32 and 45. If these seem familiar, Wheeler and Pronman recycle a lot of their work to pump these things out. I felt both of these write-ups were new, though.
It has been an up-and-down (or, more appropriately, a down-and-up) couple of seasons since the draft for Lekkerimaki, but last year was a serious upswing back to where he belongs on talent. After a disappointing post-draft season that included two lackluster performances at the world juniors (first in the summer tournament in Edmonton and then in Halifax) and a challenging regular season in HockeyAllsvenkan, Lekkerimaki really hit his stride in the HockeyAllsvenskan playoffs at the end of the 2022-23 season and that play spilled into last year with strong age-adjusted production in the SHL and a deserved world juniors MVP award. Some of that progression is likely some should-have-been-expected catchup given his late-July birthday. Some of it is good health, after his draft year was impacted by injuries and illness (including a bout with COVID-19). And some of it is natural talent taking over and some important work done on areas of his game that needed it.
Lekkerimaki’s talent is undeniable. He’s dynamic in control and threatening from anywhere in the offensive zone. He can beat you in an instant with a quick catch-and-release or curl-and-drag shot, or hang onto pucks and make things happen himself. He’s got a knack for hitting holes in the net, frequently beating goalies low-blocker and five-hole. He’s got A-level hands, a deceptive release, a lethal one-timer and a slyness to his game that allows him to get to spots to score with and without the puck. He’s going to have clear power-play upside at the next level because of all of those things. He has slowly become more threatening on a consistent basis at five-on-five against men, coming and going less in games, fading to the perimeter in control less, and making sure he’s getting touches by keeping his feet moving more and working to involve himself in the play more. He just played with more intention off the puck and on the forecheck and found more consistency in his approach and consequently his game last season, preparing himself for the jump to North America.
Maybe most important of all, though, he added some more tempo to his game so that he doesn’t have to default to long shots through feet because he can’t attack defenders one-on-one quickly enough. He started to push the pace more. He started to draw more penalties because he was comfortable hanging onto pucks longer and taking some bumps. His skating and tight turns in particular got quicker. He played with a little more fight. He’s still figuring out how to be more consistent and how to make his talent work, and I expect he’ll have some growing pains in the AHL and NHL, but he’s got the skill to figure it out over here, too.
And with all of that progress, he got to crank the puck more and flash that quick release and skill. With the right development and patience, he always had clear upside as a top-six/PP1 finisher — you want the puck in his hands.
Lekkerimaki’s talent is undeniable. He’s dynamic in control and threatening from anywhere in the offensive zone. He can beat you in an instant with a quick catch-and-release or curl-and-drag shot, or hang onto pucks and make things happen himself. He’s got a knack for hitting holes in the net, frequently beating goalies low-blocker and five-hole. He’s got A-level hands, a deceptive release, a lethal one-timer and a slyness to his game that allows him to get to spots to score with and without the puck. He’s going to have clear power-play upside at the next level because of all of those things. He has slowly become more threatening on a consistent basis at five-on-five against men, coming and going less in games, fading to the perimeter in control less, and making sure he’s getting touches by keeping his feet moving more and working to involve himself in the play more. He just played with more intention off the puck and on the forecheck and found more consistency in his approach and consequently his game last season, preparing himself for the jump to North America.
Maybe most important of all, though, he added some more tempo to his game so that he doesn’t have to default to long shots through feet because he can’t attack defenders one-on-one quickly enough. He started to push the pace more. He started to draw more penalties because he was comfortable hanging onto pucks longer and taking some bumps. His skating and tight turns in particular got quicker. He played with a little more fight. He’s still figuring out how to be more consistent and how to make his talent work, and I expect he’ll have some growing pains in the AHL and NHL, but he’s got the skill to figure it out over here, too.
And with all of that progress, he got to crank the puck more and flash that quick release and skill. With the right development and patience, he always had clear upside as a top-six/PP1 finisher — you want the puck in his hands.
One of the better-skating D prospects in hockey, Willander was a beast for the Swedish under-18 team and Rogle’s junior team in his draft year and drove strong two-way results for the Terriers as a freshman and for the Swedish under-20 team last season. He’s a strong-in-all-three-zones defenseman who plays a confident and decisive defensive game that uses his beautiful, balanced skating to swallow up opposing carriers and then push forward or fall back onto his heels and outlet the puck.
He pulls away or retreats from pressure with ease, and excels on exits. His head is always up. He gets his shots through. And then, on top of the pro frame, the skating and the general athleticism, he also just plays the game with an intentionality that is rare in players his age. He looks and operates like a pro out there. His passes are quick and firm and he activates when he can.
Defensively, he’s aggressive on pinches and closing gaps, and rarely mistimes them, taking away the space so well in neutral ice. He made some mistakes that showed his youth at times as a freshman but it was by and large a successful season. Willander doesn’t have dynamic skill or creativity on the puck, and his offensive-zone instincts are still coming, but he projects safely as an NHL defenseman and could become a two-way transition monster in a top-four role. Because of how high a level he defends and skates at, he rarely has bad games and play normally tilts in his team’s favor, even though the offense doesn’t yet pop.
He pulls away or retreats from pressure with ease, and excels on exits. His head is always up. He gets his shots through. And then, on top of the pro frame, the skating and the general athleticism, he also just plays the game with an intentionality that is rare in players his age. He looks and operates like a pro out there. His passes are quick and firm and he activates when he can.
Defensively, he’s aggressive on pinches and closing gaps, and rarely mistimes them, taking away the space so well in neutral ice. He made some mistakes that showed his youth at times as a freshman but it was by and large a successful season. Willander doesn’t have dynamic skill or creativity on the puck, and his offensive-zone instincts are still coming, but he projects safely as an NHL defenseman and could become a two-way transition monster in a top-four role. Because of how high a level he defends and skates at, he rarely has bad games and play normally tilts in his team’s favor, even though the offense doesn’t yet pop.
