Lehkonen: Ready to get going again

MONTREAL - When home is on the other side of the world, you appreciate every single second you have back in your native country during the offseason.

That's certainly been the case for Artturi Lehkonen this summer, who returned to Finland shortly after the 2017-18 campaign came to a close.
"It's fun being home. I like being around. It keeps me grounded after a long year," said the 23-year-old left-winger ahead of his third NHL season. "You take a little breather when you get back here and you see friends. It's great to see friends and family, especially grandparents."

Nevertheless, Lehkonen is eagerly anticipating his return to Montreal and the start of a brand new year - especially after dealing with a lower-body injury last season that forced him to miss 16 straight games between mid-November and late December.
"I'm excited, for sure. I feel ready. I'm definitely waiting for it to come and I've been looking at dates when to travel back to Montreal and get things going again," mentioned Lehkonen, who registered 12 goals and 21 points in 66 games last year. "This has been a long summer, way too long, in my opinion. We definitely want to bounce back this year and get back into the playoffs."

From a workout standpoint, Lehkonen was back in the gym with trainer and physiotherapist, Viljo Niemeläinen, at Turku's Sport Science Lab (SSL) for a fifth straight year.
Improving his core strength was a primary focus over the last several months, according to the young Finn.

On the ice, Lehkonen took part in skating sessions with some of Finland's top NHL stars. He also worked with a figure skating coach twice per week, too.
"I've been skating with Rasmus Ristolainen, Mikko Koivu and Patrik Laine. And, Antti Raanta has been in net for us," said Lehkonen. "I grew up with Ristolainen and played with him for years, so it's always good to see him and catch up. He chirps me and I chirp him back. It's fun."
Meeting up with Jesperi
In early July, Lehkonen met with the Canadiens' most recent first-round pick, countryman Jesperi Kotkaniemi, in Turku.
Kotkaniemi was in town for Ruisrock, a local music festival.
"He told me that he was coming to the festival, so I said that we should hook up and chat for a little while," explained Lehkonen. "It was nice to get to know him and get the first meeting out of the way."

No doubt Lehkonen will serve as a tour guide, of sorts, for the 18-year-old centerman when the pair arrive in Montreal in early September.