Jonathan Lekkerimaki - Arrived in Abbotsford
- Thread starter Mr. Canucklehead
- Start date
PuckMunchkin
Very Nice, Very Evil!
Will be interesting to see how this goes.
Im not 100% sure he is physically ready for the grind of AHL.
Im not 100% sure he is physically ready for the grind of AHL.
Just consider it his intro to the smaller ice. Allows him to get a bit acclimated to less time and space.
Baby Pettersson
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Nucker101
Foundational Poster
- Apr 2, 2013
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I don’t think Boeser has to worry. Tocchet isn’t gonna give this kid an easy ride imo.Boeser rn
Why? He played the entire season the SHL, where most of the guys are at least four or five years older. Maybe not as physical a league as the AHL, but I'm pretty sure more than a few veteran guys took runs at him over there.
Both D-Petey and Lek like to play with a bit of an edge. I don't think the physical play will be a big challenge for either of them. On the other hand getting used to quicker decision making will take some time.
strattonius
Registered User
Its an enormous jump from the SHL to the AHL physically.
A way more condensed schedule; more physical hockey due to the smaller ice surface; and the players are bigger and better.
It's going to be the biggest jump in play Lekkerimaki has ever experienced in his career.
The biggest jump for younger players is the difference in physicality and overall fatigue of the schedule in the AHL compared to Europe elite leagues. Kind of surprising you would ask why to be honest.
Not speaking for @VanJack but I took it as a response to the goon/dirty hitter comments not the overall physicality of the league.
sting101
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- Feb 8, 2012
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its a way bigger jump from junior to pro
The smaller rink and a more robust game will be an adjustment. JL taking on defenses wont be much different at all.
The adjustment to the boards and then possibly a playoff series/s which has a wear down your opponent component which amps up physical contact would be my only concern.
That said he's ready it's just a matter of what does he stand to gain by playing a few non meaningful games AHL vs just practicing and then playing in the Worlds
It's more important that he gets experience then be able to train after asap.
Just managing odds of injury potential. Other than that lets gooooo
My concern is how he will adjust to the bright lights, big city aspect of Abbotsford. Temptations abound for a young man with means.
Just A Bit Outside
Playoffs??!
- Mar 6, 2010
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Kid is going to need time and likely, alot of it.
Given how long it has taken Hog and Pod to get consistent minutes at the NHL level, let alone the likes of Raty, etc in the AHL, one should not expect immediate returns.
Good they are bringing him over now because he needs to adjust to the NA game.
He has some great attributes, especially offensively.
But the pace of the game and specifically, the defensive side, is something that will take a fair amount of adjustment.
Given how long it has taken Hog and Pod to get consistent minutes at the NHL level, let alone the likes of Raty, etc in the AHL, one should not expect immediate returns.
Good they are bringing him over now because he needs to adjust to the NA game.
He has some great attributes, especially offensively.
But the pace of the game and specifically, the defensive side, is something that will take a fair amount of adjustment.
VintageBure
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- Jun 7, 2018
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The small ice will be an adjustment; I won’t be too worried if he doesn’t like eight it up to end the year. Next year should be more definitive
I was hoping he'll be able to chip during this year's playoff run, but I guess that's pushing it. Let the kid play in AHL and take time to ready himself.
Abby is down a top-six forward with the recall of Bains to Vancouver.....Come on Colliton and the Canucks.....make it happen for Lekkerimaki this weekend in Colorado!
Huggy43
Registered User
Look at how Anton Rodin faired in the AHL compared to the SHL. It’s a pretty big jump physically.
If Lekerimakki had played the entire year in the Swedish Jr. Leagues, then it would be understandable that you wouldn't want to throw him off the deep end in the AHL.
But in checking the SHL scoring leaders, there's a ton of former NHL'ers and AHL'ers playing in this league. Must confess I haven't seen a single SHL game this season, and only the odd YouTube highlight.
But given the number of NA pros playing in Sweden, is the SHL really light-years behind the AHL? And would it be as much an adjustment to the AHL for Lekerimakki as some posters seem to think it is?
But in checking the SHL scoring leaders, there's a ton of former NHL'ers and AHL'ers playing in this league. Must confess I haven't seen a single SHL game this season, and only the odd YouTube highlight.
But given the number of NA pros playing in Sweden, is the SHL really light-years behind the AHL? And would it be as much an adjustment to the AHL for Lekerimakki as some posters seem to think it is?
It’s definitely a jump but it shouldn’t be a whole different level for him. NA ice and more physicality is the main difference. The skill level is pretty similar but the AHL still does have the edge.
Bleach Clean
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- Aug 9, 2006
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Per 2021's NHLe, the SHL is a stronger league than the AHL:
That said, the smaller ice is going to be an adjustment for Lekkerimaki. Quicker decision making required.
Was this just for 2021? Also what variables did they use? If it’s just for prospects then that’s a whole different discussion. Not really the best metric to use when measuring the entire skill level of the league.
there’s also a significant amount of 17-20 year olds that play in the KHL/SHL/Liiga/Czech than the AHL. Every team has at least 2-3 U20’ers playing for them. I’m going to go ahead and assume that graph took U22’s of all of those leagues and averaged out the NHLe among them.
that graph also doesn’t account for whether the league is a higher scoring league or not.
You can definitely make a case that the SHL more or less is about the same or better than the AHL. However going with this graph, I have a hard time believing the Czech league is better than the SHL and the Liiga (with the recent 15 team expansion that has diluted talent considerably) and the NLA (high offense no defense league) is better than the AHL. Especially when you consider many AHL’ers go over to these leagues and produce considerably more.
vadim sharifijanov
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- Oct 10, 2007
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