Jonathan Lekkerimäki Heats Up; Öhgren’s Early Impact: NHL Prospects In AHL

Each week, FloHockey prospect analyst Chris Peters breaks down notable performances in the AHL that NHL fans should be paying attention to.

Here’s a look at some of the players we were tracking this weekend including a first-round pick whose goal scoring is heating up.

Jonathan Lekkerimäki Is Heating Up On The Power Play

After getting a late start on the season due to illness that had him sidelined for the first few weeks, Lekkerimäki is making up for lost time. The Swedish standout has scored four goals over his last four games for Abbotsford, with a two-tally effort in the Canucks’ recent loss to San Diego.

Lekkerimäki is up to six points through his first six games this season and getting the reps needed to mimic the role he will eventually have a chance to play in Vancouver.

LET HIM COOK 🧑‍🍳

Oh ya, we’re officially on hatty watch 👀 pic.twitter.com/WTRHVdgxQn

— Abbotsford Canucks (@abbycanucks) November 4, 2024

While there is excitement in the production Lekkerimäki has brought to the table, three of his four goals so far have come on the power play. There was little question he would produce in those situations as he has an elite shot and can get it off in a variety of ways, especially when shooting off the pass. However, Lekkerimäki’s path to the NHL will be forged through what he does at five-on-five and improving his play away from the puck, both of which are clearly a work in progress. 

That said, goal scorers thrive on scoring and Lekkerimäki is showing no trouble with doing what he’s expected to do when he has the puck on his stick.

The Canucks are next in action Wednesday night against the Ontario Reign.

Liam Öhgren Makes Immediate Impact In Iowa

The transition for any player to the NHL is often a difficult one, even if they had a taste of it the season prior. That appears to have been the case for Öhgren, who went scoreless in seven games and saw his ice time drop with Minnesota in recent weeks.

The Wild made the decision to send him to Iowa and it did not take long for him to break the drought. In just his second game in the AHL since being sent do Des Moines, Öhgren lit the lamp, er he would have lit it if the shot wasn’t so hard that it left the net faster than anyone had a chance to see it was in. Öhgren knew right away, and after review of the play, the goal was confirmed.

You could see the relief written on his face with breaking the scoring seal.

Minnesota is off to a very strong start in the AHL. If there ever was a time to allow a player to go get some confidence and get some important reps, this is it. There’s no telling how long Öhgren will be down, but if he can’t get the ice time with the big club, he’s got a chance to be a difference-maker for Iowa, which has taken a few big steps forward after a very difficult start to their season.

Öhgren and the Wild have a school-day game on Thursday at 11:30 a.m. ET against the Grand Rapids Griffins.

Konsta Helenius Finding Consistency With Amerks

With goals in each of his last two games, Helenius is starting to find his stride. I was recently talking to an AHL head coach who said consistency is one of the hardest things to achieve as a professional, but it’s critical to being a top performer in the NHL.

Helenius is starting to get there and is making the transition from Finland to North America pretty well. He’s up to four points in eight games so far, has had some success in some shootouts and is averaging close to three shots on goal per game. He’s finding ways to impact the game in more ways than scoring, too, which will only get better as he gets experience and continues to build strength. It’s going to ultimately be a season-long process, possibly even more, but the early returns are promising.

Konsta Helenius with goals in back-to-back games. @AmerksHockey | #ROCvsUTC pic.twitter.com/YNQW8IgtNC

— American Hockey League (@TheAHL) November 2, 2024

The way Helenius is playing over the last few weeks suggests that there could be a real breakout in terms of his points and his overall impact. He hasn’t been physically overmatched and is starting to really find his way in terms of time and space at this level.

The Amerks have a mid-week road tilt with the Cleveland Monsters on Wednesday.

Michael DiPietro Finding Consistency In Bruins Organization

Mikey DiPietro’s odyssey in his hockey career should probably be studied at some point. A tremendous junior goalie in the OHL, he ascended the ranks quickly, even getting an emergency start for the Vancouver Canucks back in 2018-19. He got one normal pro season, where he played in 36 AHL games with the Utica Comets, then he played in just four games total during the pandemic season where NHL teams were using taxi squads. The following year was a struggle and DiPietro eventually was moved to the Boston Bruins.

With the trade and a stint with the Maine Mariners in the ECHL, DiPietro has found stability and this season he’s on track for the best of his pro career with how he has started for Providence.

The 25-year-old netminder has made five appearances so far with a .940 save percentage, but hasn’t quite gotten the goal support to have a more attractive record with three wins and two losses. What’s been important, however, is the consistency he has gotten in net. DiPietro has allowed two or fewer goals in every start so far this season, which includes one shutout against the Sprigfield Thunderbirds.

It’s hard to know what his NHL future looks like at this point, but the best thing to see is that DiPietro is playing, playing well and hopefully enjoying the renaissance of a career that got sidetracked through no fault of his own.

The P-Bruins are on home ice Friday against the Bridgeport Islanders.

Scorin’ Sam Colangelo A Bright Spot For The Gulls

The San Diego Gulls made a tremendous comeback from a 4-1 deficit in the third period against Abbotsford on Sunday. Sam Colangelo had the game-winner for his sixth goal of the season. The former collegiate star is currently leading all rookies in goals in the AHL and is close to a point per game for a Gulls team that has had its ups and downs.

That comeback win was a season highlight though, and Colangelo has been a real bright spot. Anaheim is going to be a fairly young team for a while now, but having prospects like Colangelo who are a little older and have had success at other levels will be a benefit to the team in the long term.

🤩 Star boys 🤩#LetsGoGulls | #ABBvsSD pic.twitter.com/BHzyc4FpCI

— San Diego Gulls (@SDGullsAHL) November 4, 2024

The Gulls have had a heavy schedule to start the season and will get a short breather before hitting the road for an away Saturday-Sunday series against the Tucson Roadrunners.

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