I haven't been nearly as impressed with Kupari as I thought I would be after the U18's last year. On the prospects board at least one finnish poster has expressed reservations about his hockey sense, and Kupari hasn't done very much to prove him wrong in that regard. It's worth considering that this might have something to do with him not being physically ready for Liiga. He pretty much just has to wait for someone else to get him the puck, at which point it's obvious that his skills are Liiga ready. But because he cannot win a puck battle he does a lot of drifting. In last night's game I saw him try to drop a shoulder on someone, and it didn't go well. I would probably avoid physical confrontation if I were him, too.
Kotkaniemi is managing the transition to Liiga much better, even if he has been equally unproductive for the last couple weeks.