Lekkerimaki named WJHC MVP, headlines tournament All-Star team
Jonathan Lekkerimaki was named the Most Valuable Player at the 2024 World Junior Championship on Friday.
Lekkerimaki was tied for the tournament lead with seven goals en route to Sweden's silver medal.
The Vancouver Canucks prospect also headlined the tournament All-Star team, as voted on by media at the event:
| Player | Position | Country | NHL Rights |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jonathan Lekkerimaki | F | Sweden | Vancouver Canucks |
| Cutter Gauthier | F | United States | Philadelphia Flyers |
| Jiri Kulich | F | Czechia | Buffalo Sabres |
| Theo Lindstein | D | Sweden | St. Louis Blues |
| Lane Hutson | D | United States | Montreal Canadiens |
| Hugo Havelid | G | Sweden | Undrafted |
Cutter Gauthier led the United States in scoring with 12 points at the tournament. He's joined on the All-Star team by Lane Hutson, who played the most minutes at the tournament for the Americans.
Theo Lindstein, who was an injury addition just before the tournament for Sweden, led defenders with eight points at the event. Sweden netminder Hugo Havelid started the tournament with back-to-back shutouts against Switzerland and Canada.
Jiri Kulich is the only player named to the All-Star team who didn't play in the gold-medal game. The Czechia star was tied for the tournament lead in scoring with 12 points and was also tied for third in goals with six.
The top positional awards were selected by the IIHF directorate. Gauthier earned top forward honors, Detroit Red Wings prospect Axel Sandin Pellikka was named as top defenseman, and Havelid was recognized as the top goaltender.