Canucks: Why your attention should be on these five at the Young Stars tournament

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The Abbotsford Canucks have a new bench boss in highly respected Manny Malhotra, and reason for optimism with a potentially packed and young AHL roster.

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The Canucks finished their 2023-24 regular-season slate with an 8-1-1 flurry before being swept in the second round of the playoffs.

Many in the mix will be at the annual four-team Young Stars tournament in Penticton this weekend. Canucks prospects get their first test Friday against the Edmonton Oilers in a 7:30 p.m. encounter at the South Okanagan Events Centre.

For Abbotsford general manager Ryan Johnson, who doubles as a Canucks assistant GM, the four-day exercise is more about acclimation to systems than winning, but there’s always a curiosity about who competes and commands the spotlight.

Replacing departed head coach Jeremy Colliton with Malhotra was job No. 1 for Johnson to set the foundation. The former Canucks centre, who spent the last four seasons as a Toronto Maple Leafs assistant after three seasons as a Canucks assistant, was always the target for Johnson.

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“He was at the top of the list and I couldn’t be happier,” Johnson said Thursday. “With who he is and the experience he’s had, we felt it was a home run. This is his first opportunity to be a head coach, and I always felt this is something he was going to do and be very good at.

“We’re going to have an extremely young team again, but that doesn’t change our expectations. There’s a good balance between youth and winning.”

The Canucks’ 25-player roster has youth and older players in defenceman Akito Hirose, 25, and forwards Max Sasson, 24, and Arshdeep Bains, 23, who are expected to lead by example.

“We’ve got guys with experience of NHL games, and the focus is players coming over from Europe and newly drafted players,” said Johnson. “How do we insulate a young group and what does this set them up for? You want some experience and momentum in how it’s performing.”

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Here are five players to watch, with Johnson’s quotes:

1. Jonathan Lekkerimaki

RW, 20, Acquired: 2022 NHL draft, 15th overall.

The game: Strong Swedish Hockey League season with 31 points (19-12) in 46 games for Orebro HK, 10 points (7-3) in seven world junior championship games with Sweden, and two points (1-1) in six AHL games.

Teased of future potential April 6 at Abbotsford with his first goal. Got into position and found an opening in the high slot, took a pass and quickly fired a hard and accurate wrist shot far side.

The quote: “Getting (AHL) games at the end of the year, you gain a level of comfort. He thrives in situations just because he’s so calm and collected. He was poised and confident with the puck when he came to Abbotsford.”

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2. Josh Bloom

LW, 21, Acquired: Trade with Buffalo, February, 2023

The game: Tough transition to pro last season. Played in AHL, ECHL and OHL and scored Memorial Cup winner for Saginaw. Had just one assist in 14 games in Abby and scratched seven times. Had 40 points (17-23) in 34 OHL regular-season games and 11 points in playoffs.

The quote: “A guy who skates the way he does with a high compete level and can really shoot the puck, it was more about making sure that he understood that at the pro level, it doesn’t happen every shift. Sometimes, you’ve got to manage the game and set it up for the next line. We’re not tying to limit skill but not to sacrifice the team.”

3. Anthony Romani

RW, 19, Acquired: 2024 NHL draft: 162nd overall

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The game: Passed over in the previous draft, the hotshot piled up 58 goals and 111 points last OHL season in 68 games with North Bay Battalion. Maybe Romani can become a budding Matt Cooke, who was a sixth-rounder in the 1997 draft.

The feisty OHL winger had 45 goals and 95 points with the Windsor Spitfires in the 1996-97 season. He played 1,046 regular-season games for four NHL teams by grinding and developing total game.

The quote: “We want to encourage Romani to do what he does well. You get excited with highly-skilled guys who have a unique talent. Do what got him here and taking another step with other details of the game going back to junior.”

4. Elias Pettersson

D, 20, Acquired: 2022 NHL draft, 80th overall

The game: At 6-foot-2 and 194 pounds, the left-shot defender had a physical presence in his first Canucks prospects camp, was sound positionally and moved pucks with authority. Managed 14 points (3-11) in 34 Allsvenkan league games in Sweden last season and then had two assists in six AHL outings.

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The quote: “He fits the part in so many ways. Even some of the small details, he really impressed us in short order in Abbotsford and got comfortable. He’s a player that’s hard to play against and you can win with.”

5. Sawyer Mynio

D, 19, Acquired: 2023 NHL draft, 89th overall

The game: Kamloops native exploded for 53 points (16-37) in 63 games last season with Seattle Thunderbirds thanks to a sneaky point shot. Played in all situations and invited to Team Canada’s world junior hockey summer showcase.

The quote: “An elite skater who can break out pucks. Makes forwards better to get on attack. High compete kid who plays with some snarl in small-area games. Doesn’t like people going through his crease. ”

bkuzma@postmedia.com

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