Arturri Lehkonen doesn’t get a ton of attention or respect for his contributions with the Colorado Avalanche. After Wednesday, however, all eyes will be on him as Team Finland defeated Switzerland to advance to the semi-finals in the Olympics.
The game-winner was by none other than Lehkonen, who had a terrific shot in overtime.
Lehkonen has two goals and three assists in the Olympic tournament. He’s been all over the ice in each game, making noise everywhere. He also boasts a plus/minus of +4, along with five other players in the tournament.
Thankfully, the Swiss did not have any Avalanche players on its team, so in this particular instance, the loss did not send any Avs players home on Wednesday.
Finland came onto the scene late in the game, with their first two goals coming in the third period. Switzerland’s two goals happened in the first, with nobody scoring in the middle frame.
Lehkonen has to feel great about himself in a tough, gritty battle. He saw a Dallas Stars player (Miro Heiskanen) and Carolina Hurricane (Sebastian Aho) get the first two goals up on the board. Of course, they are all teammates in this tournament, but on NHL ice, they are heated rivals. They put those feelings aside on Wednesday night, and it paid off.
Back in North America with the Avalanche, Lehkonen is a quiet guy who puts the production on the ice game in and game out. He lets his play do the talking. In 55 games this season for Colorado, he has 19 goals and 23 assists. He has a tremendous plus-minus of +34, and is on pace to obliterate his career-high in shots in a season (176).
Lehkonen has done it all. He’s won his teams so many different games in the past, as you can see with this post by Peter Baugh.
If there is one word to describe Arturri Lehkonen, especially in 2025-26, it’s “clutch.” Colorado is fortunate to have him, and while we can’t wait to see him back in and Avalanche sweater, we wish him so much good luck as his journey in the 2026 Olympics continues with Team Sweden.