Team Finland's Artturi Lehkonen celebrates his goal past Team Canada goaltender Zachary Fucale with teammates Juuso Ikonen, left, and Aleksi Mustonen, right, during second period preliminary round hockey action at the IIHF World Junior Championship Monday, December 29, 2014 in Montreal. The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Lehkonen to a three-year, two-way contact on Sunday.THE CANADIAN PRESS/Paul Chiasson
May 08, 2016 - 2:11 PM
MONTREAL - The Montreal Canadiens signed forward Artturi Lehkonen to a three-year, two-way contact on Sunday.
The 20-year-old Finland native scored 16 goals and 17 assists in 49 games this season with HC Frolunda of the Swedish Elite League.
"Artturi is a young forward who enjoyed success at a very young age playing in a highly competitive league in Sweden," Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin said in a statement. "He has shown a remarkable attitude since we selected him in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. Over the past few years, his progression has been excellent, and he has gained valuable experience."
Montreal selected Lehkonen 55th overall in 2013 and he's taken part in the team's development camp for the past three summers.
The six-foot, 174 pound winger led the league in post-season goals and had 19 points in 16 games to help HC Frolunda win the Swedish league championship. Lehkonen also broke a team record previously held by Daniel Alfredsson for playoff points.
Lehkonen helped Finland win gold at the 2014 world junior championship, captured bronze in 2013 and was the team captain in 2015.
"We are proud to see him make the jump to another level, and we look forward to seeing him compete for a spot with our team at training camp in September,” Bergevin added.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2016