Prospect Info: #73 OA - Defenseman Vili Saarijarvi, USHL (Signed to ELC, Post 136)

[JJTT]

Great news!

Yeah. With Kärpät signing Hakanpää he would've been 7th-8th defenseman here. Best for both sides this way.

 

[ChadS]

Probably the best option for him, should get a lot of ice time in Flint.

This would have been an interesting case because they had 4 years to sign him + three years of ELC. And if anyone, Saarijärvi is a guy who needs a lot of time to develop. How many years will his ELC slide? Is it two?

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Signed to ELC per Finnish newpaper Iltasanomat

http://www.iltasanomat.fi/nhl/art-1435812171262.html

Nice! They must have a lot of faith in this kid to sign him as a 5'9, 160 lb waif.

I'm assuming that means he'll play in the OHL instead of Finland?

 

[JJTT]

Nice! They must have a lot of faith in this kid to sign him as a 5'9, 160 lb waif.

I'm assuming that means he'll play in the OHL instead of Finland?

Nothing confirmed yet but I think so.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Nothing confirmed yet but I think so.

Seems to make sense.

Sort of like: contract in Finland, but no NHL contract means that he'll have to honor his contract in Finland. But his contract in Finland likely has an NHL release clause, so the Wings sign him in order to use the release clause to allow him to play in the OHL.

Still, it's a very bold gesture to sign him so early. I like it.

 

[Jussi]

Seems to make sense.

Sort of like: contract in Finland, but no NHL contract means that he'll have to honor his contract in Finland. But his contract in Finland likely has an NHL release clause, so the Wings sign him in order to use the release clause to allow him to play in the OHL.

Still, it's a very bold gesture to sign him so early. I like it.

Finland and most European countries have a transfer agreement with the NHL and that puts an automatic release clause in contracts.

 

[InjuredChoker]

The Production Line ‏@TPLhockey 29m29 minutes ago
For those keeping score at home, Vili Saarijarvi is waiver exempt until September 2021, unless he hits an NHL GP threshold.

 

[DRW204]

Gonna be fun to watch this kid literally grow up (looks like he still is 13-14 lol) . Seems like a good kid and eager to play the game and excel.

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Ryan Kennedy ‏@THNRyanKennedy 20m20 minutes ago

Red Wings tell me Saarijarvi has not signed yet, but talks are progressing

 

[StormSurge9]

Probably the best option for him, should get a lot of ice time in Flint.

This would have been an interesting case because they had 4 years to sign him + three years of ELC. And if anyone, Saarijärvi is a guy who needs a lot of time to develop. How many years will his ELC slide? Is it two?

I'm about 95% sure two years is the correct answer.

Him joining Flint would be great news, as I would get at least two live viewings when they head up here to Guelph.

 

[SoupNazi]

 

[Konnan511]

Very Griffins-esque:

 

[TheRatPoisoner]

Anyone have an idea as to why he was signed so quickly?

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

Anyone have an idea as to why he was signed so quickly?

If they didn't sign him, he would have had to honor his contract in Finland. But he wanted to play in NA, and the Wings wanted him to play in NA too.

Somebody said Karpat is super, super deep, and so he wouldn't have gotten much icetime.

 

[TheRatPoisoner]

If they didn't sign him, he would have had to honor his contract in Finland. But he wanted to play in NA, and the Wings wanted him to play in NA too.

Somebody said Karpat is super, super deep, and so he wouldn't have gotten much icetime.

Ah I see. That makes sense then. Thanks

 

[OldnotDeadWings]

Twenty-five years Karmanos had the club in Plymouth, I think just one Wings' prospect played there, Tomek Valtonen. Coincidently, a highly-rated Finn that Plymouth took in the Import Draft. Let's hope this works out better. I get the feeling the Wings pulled a few strings to get Flint to draft Saarijarvi. I doubt Flint drafts him without knowing that Detroit would get him signed quickly.

 

[TheRatPoisoner]

Twenty-five years Karmanos had the club in Plymouth, I think just one Wings' prospect played there, Tomek Valtonen. Coincidently, a highly-rated Finn that Plymouth took in the Import Draft. Let's hope this works out better. I get the feeling the Wings pulled a few strings to get Flint to draft Saarijarvi. I doubt Flint drafts him without knowing that Detroit would get him signed quickly.

Yeah. It's too much of a coincidence for there not to be any communication between the two teams.

 

[DRW204]

Vili Saarijarvi 71: So the Wings signed Vili Saarijarvi at the development camp.

Should they have done so?

Well, first and foremost, it's to control his playing future, and second, despite the fact that he's 5'10," not 5'9," and about 175 pounds...

Yeah. Yeah they should have, and I'm glad they did. Even on first glance, he's fleet-of-foot, he's got great positioning, his PACE is at pro level, not USHL level, and he looked better than anybody not named Dylan Larkin out there today. Saarijarvi can pass on the fly and pass where he wants the puck to go, not just where the puck should be when he's making the pass, his shot is hard and he has no problems whatsoever dealing with bumps and grinding. He reminded me of Joe Hicketts last summer, except that Saarijarvi has far better offensive skills, and again, that PACE is something that only stands out if you're really damn good. I was that impressed with him.

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comment...-of-the-red-wings-2015-summer-development-cam

 

[Henkka]

If they didn't sign him, he would have had to honor his contract in Finland. But he wanted to play in NA, and the Wings wanted him to play in NA too.

Somebody said Karpat is super, super deep, and so he wouldn't have gotten much icetime.

This.

Also his signing bonus from ELC is bigger than total yearly salary in Finland, so staying at North America is pretty much no-brainer.

 

[Henkka]

I'm about 95% sure two years is the correct answer.

Him joining Flint would be great news, as I would get at least two live viewings when they head up here to Guelph.

Is this Flint team now more favourable for Wings than it was during Karmanos ownership? Who is the owner now?

 

[Unfriendly Ghost]

http://kuklaskorner.com/tmr/comment...-of-the-red-wings-2015-summer-development-cam

That's awesome. Malik is gonna Malik, but that's a pretty glowing recommendation.

 

[The Zetterberg Era]

Is this Flint team now more favourable for Wings than it was during Karmanos ownership? Who is the owner now?

Any team not owned by Karmanos will be more favorable to the Wings more than likely.

 

[nik jr]

from this video, seems like saarijarvi will play in OHL.

 

[SpookyTsuki]

Anyone have an idea as to why he was signed so quickly?

hes the next superstar of course

 

[sarcastro]

That's awesome. Malik is gonna Malik, but that's a pretty glowing recommendation.

I was thinking the same thing. Malik has had more than his share of strange crushes that end up doing nothing, but it's all we have to work with at this point and it's encouraging in context.