Born: 2003-06-05
Team: KalPa
Position: Defenseman
Shoots: Left
Height / Weight: 6-2 / 176
NOTES AND OBSERVATIONS FROM THE 2019-20 SEASON
Lehikoinen was part of the U17 national team in a three-game set against Russia in August. He performed well on the fourth pairing as he kept his game simple and got the job done at both ends of the ice. When I saw him play for KalPa U20, he was even more impressive. The 16-year-old defenseman played top-four minutes and his overall game improved a lot towards the end of the season. I particularly like his confidence and awareness in the defensive zone. He has a high-panic threshold and moves the puck well under pressure. He has a heavy slap shot and one-timer, with good wind up, and can get significant power into both of them. He also gets pucks through bodies on net more often than not. His skating and speed aren’t high end, but he moves quite well in all directions and doesn’t fall behind with the play. He maintains good defensive positioning, battles well in the corners and protects the front of the net effectively. He is a stable penalty killer, too. Lehikoinen has upside and I look forward to monitoring his development in his draft year.