The Montreal Canadiens have signed 2013 2nd round draft pick (55th overall) Artturi Lehkonen to a three-year, entry-level contract, the team announced Sunday.
The 20-year-old winger has spent the last two seasons playing for Frölunda in the SHL, where he put up 16 goals and 33 points in 49 regular season games this season. He also stepped up when it counted, scoring 19 points in 16 postseason games and 12 points in 13 games in Champions League play. Frölunda won their fourth SHL title this year and their first CHL title.
“We are very pleased to have reached an agreement with Artturi Lehkonen. Artturi is a young forward who enjoyed success at a very young age playing in a highly competitive league in Sweden,” said general manager Marc Bergevin. “He has shown a remarkable attitude since we selected him in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Over the past few years, his progression has been excellent, and he has gained valuable experience. We are proud to see him make the jump to another level, and we look forward to seeing him compete for a spot with our team at training camp in September.”
Lehkonen has enjoyed success from a very young age in the Finnish Liiga and SHL, though it hasn’t served to answer questions about whether he could make the jump to North America with less than stellar speed and physicality.
