After getting blown out by the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday 7-3, the Vancouver Canucks announced a few roster moves on Sunday. The biggest one is the long-awaited recall of top prospect Jonathan Lekkerimaki from the American Hockey League (AHL). They also called up Ty Young and sent down Arturs Silovs, Arshdeep Bains, and Nils Aman, likely to continue accruing cap space and get all three some playing time as the Abbotsford Canucks play against the Bakersfield Condors tonight.
General Manager Patrik Allvin announced today that F Arshdeep Bains, F Nils Åman and G Artūrs Šilovs have been assigned to Abbotsford (AHL) and F Jonathan Lekkerimäki and G Ty Young have been recalled from Abbotsford (AHL).
— Vancouver Canucks (@Canucks) November 10, 2024
Lekkerimaki might be on his way to making his NHL debut on Tuesday against the Calgary Flames. It probably would have happened against the Oilers if he hadn’t tweaked something recently, but barring another setback, he should get that rookie lap in a couple of days. Before his minor injury, he had been on a tear with Abbotsford, scoring five goals and seven points in seven games, showcasing his NHL-caliber shot and propensity to shoot the puck. The 2022 first-round pick will likely suit up alongside Elias Pettersson (his linemate throughout training camp and the preseason) or JT Miller in the top six after the upper-body injury to Brock Boeser. He will also see time on the power play since four of his five goals this season in the AHL have been scored on the man advantage.
As for Young, he won’t be in Vancouver for long. Silovs will probably start against the Condors and then get called up before the game on Tuesday. Bains and/or Aman will likely get the same treatment since they have been shuttled up and down between the AHL and NHL lately to get as much cap space as possible to use before the trade deadline.
