LD Sami Niku (2015, 198th, WPG)

[Sticktape]

I didn't see a thread for him, but from what I've read in various different threads recently he probably deserves his own. Smooth skating D man with very respectable numbers as a 20 year old last season (5+22) in Finland. I've seen people saying he's the first call up if injuries happen or even a dark horse to make the Jets. I hadn't even heard the guy's name before he signed his ELC, and now I'm hearing his name everywhere.

Jets fans, fill the rest of us in.

Click to read more...

 

[Whileee]

Underrated. Shouldn't have fallen to the 7th round. Very good skater with good vision and puck skills. Decent in his own end, but still needs to get stronger.

He's likely to spend most of the season in the AHL. His future depends on how he develops and Enstrom's play and future plans. I think he could get some NHL games this year as an injury replacement, but don't expect him to push for a roster spot until next season.

He's been compared to Vatanen. Doesn't seem as dynamic offensively to me, but maybe will be better defensively.

 

[Gargyn]

Underrated. Shouldn't have fallen to the 7th round. Very good skater with good vision and puck skills. Decent in his own end, but still needs to get stronger.

He's likely to spend most of the season in the AHL. His future depends on how he develops and Enstrom's play and future plans. I think he could get some NHL games this year as an injury replacement, but don't expect him to push for a roster spot until next season.

He's been compared to Vatanen. Doesn't seem as dynamic offensively to me, but maybe will be better defensively.

Outside of their nationality, nothing really similar between Niku and Vatanen. Vatanen definitely pushes the offence more and also has a very hard shot. Niku is more like Matt Niskanen.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

hes awesome... ive been a fan for a while now. Hopefully he has a real impressive AHL season

 

[PG Canuck]

Finally a thread on him. Well deserved too. He should have a good year with the Moose.

 

[lakai17]

He'll turn out better than Enstrom

 

[Whileee]

He'll turn out better than Enstrom

I think that's a longshot, but it would be a home run for the Jets if he did.

 

[CorgisPer60]

I think that's a longshot, but it would be a home run for the Jets if he did.

Enstrom was also drafted in the 7th round. >_>

I'm really pulling for Niku. He's played against adults for 3 years now, and he was JYP's best defenseman last year. I'm expecting him to hit the ground running with the Moose this year, because that back end really needs a good puck mover. >_>

 

[lomiller1]

I've seen people saying he's the first call up if injuries happen or even a dark horse to make the Jets.

The team probably has him behind Poolman and Nogier for injury call-up, but he may leapfrog Nogier pretty quickly. Niku better than Nogier and a year younger, but I could see them leaving him in the AHL for the full year to work on the defensive side of the game.

The Jets don’t have a veteran to put at #8 in their overall depth chart so it’s a safe bet at least 2 and maybe all 3 of these (Poolman, Nogier, Niku) get some time on the NHL roster this year.

 

[Bjornar Moxnes]

Why was he drafted so late?

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

He isn't really Vatanen calibre of a player. Markus Nutivaara is a good comparison imo.

 

[Whileee]

He isn't really Vatanen calibre of a player. Markus Nutivaara is a good comparison imo.

I really like Nutivaara, so I'd be happy with that. Still, Niku was more productive at an earlier stage than him.

 

[JJTT]

Wasn't really that high on him for the past few seasons but his everytime I saw him last season, he looked really good. His defensive game has improved tremendously over the past 1,5 years and he has finally starting to produce points. Terrific skater too.

Still, he looks really skinny for his frame, probably needs at least a season down in the AHL but I think he should have a career at the NHL level down the line.

Highlights from last season

 

[Whileee]

Actually reminds me quite a bit of Morrissey, though I think Morrissey plays with more bite. Niku is a very fluid and agile skate with good quickness and speed, he is very poised with the puck and makes terrific passes, and he has a good shot with some nice offense to his game. He's really developed well and looks to have real NHL potential.

 

[Ippenator]

Actually reminds me quite a bit of Morrissey, though I think Morrissey plays with more bite. Niku is a very fluid and agile skate with good quickness and speed, he is very poised with the puck and makes terrific passes, and he has a good shot with some nice offense to his game. He's really developed well and looks to have real NHL potential.

I think this is a pretty good description on Niku at the moment. The only question marks for me about him are his lack of physicality and intensity. Of course if his strengths are good enough, he could have a real shot in making it in the NHL. But I do definitely see that he needs first at least one full season in the AHL. Hopefully he can improve his weaknesses already enough during that time.

 

[mazmin]

He's the PMD the Jets will need on the left side when Enstrom's done. He has a crucial year of development with the Moose this season. I'm happy that it looks like the Moose will finally be decent this season.

He'll play the majority, if not all, of the season in the AHL with the Moose. He'll probably have Poolman or Nogier as his defensive partner.

 

[Whileee]

I think this is a pretty good description on Niku at the moment. The only question marks for me about him are his lack of physicality and intensity. Of course if his strengths are good enough, he could have a real shot in making it in the NHL. But I do definitely see that he needs first at least one full season in the AHL. Hopefully he can improve his weaknesses already enough during that time.

Two seasons ago I remarked that Morrissey had the skills and smarts to play at the NHL level, but he lacked urgency and aggressiveness in his game in his own zone. The coaches noted that, too. He played a very "cool" game, and he tended to hang back and not react with enough bite when the other team had the puck in his zone. He needed to play more like Duncan Keith - challenging opponents quickly and aggressively. Morrissey went down to the AHL for a season and worked on that, and when he came to training camp last season he was a much better player in his own zone. He still had the skating and puck movement, but he was much quicker and more aggressive defensively in his own zone. I think that's what Niku needs to develop. I think a year or more in the AHL will allow him to develop that, and he could be a really good NHLer once he does.

 

[Mathmew Purrrr Oh]

3rd in D points in AHL
1st in rookie D pts/gm
7th in all D pts/gm

absolutely dynamic and heady as a mofo - you can tell he's already been playing in men's pro for yrs

Button having Logan Stanley ahead of him is disgraceful

 

[Zaddy]

I forget, why was he drafted so low again? Size? Attitude issues? Can't remember.

Either way, looks like a huge mistake right now. Jets on point with their drafting as usual. That 2015 draft looks amazing for them. They could get like 6 NHLers out of that draft. Crazy.

 

[PG Canuck]

3rd in D points in AHL
1st in rookie D pts/gm
7th in all D pts/gm

absolutely dynamic and heady as a mofo - you can tell he's already been playing in men's pro for yrs

Button having Logan Stanley ahead of him is disgraceful

Holy shit..that was a tremendous rush. Good to see he is doing well.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

I forget, why was he drafted so low again? Size? Attitude issues? Can't remember.

Either way, looks like a huge mistake right now. Jets on point with their drafting as usual. That 2015 draft looks amazing for them. They could get like 6 NHLers out of that draft. Crazy.

Can't be his size,he is 6 feet tall, 195 lbs
He is your typical modern young Finn, so no attitude issues either,
some players just get overlooked for no reason.

 

[FinPanda]

Finns weren't that big in 2015 Draft. It was a quite weak group overall. Some will turn out better than others. And I didn't forget we had Aho and Rantanen in this draft. But from what I remember, Aho went a lot earlier than he "should" have. Aho turned out amazing as we all know. I think it was just easier to pick Swedes, Americans or Canadians in the later rounds so Niku (and Nutivaara) dropped. Happy to see him do very well.

 

[ijuka]

His shot was very weak at least back in the day(Not sure what it's like right now). So maybe that was a factor.

 

[PG Canuck]

Tied 2nd in pts among defensemen
1st in pts among U24 defensemen
2nd in pts/game among U24 defensemen (for players who have played min. 10 games)
7th in pts/game among ALL AHL defensemen (for players who have played min. 10 games)

Impressive to say the least. Offense isn't everything, but he's clearly having an impact on games.

 

[PG Canuck]

His shot was very weak at least back in the day(Not sure what it's like right now). So maybe that was a factor.

Not sure if it is weak as I haven't watched him consistently, but he has 9 goals - that is 4 more goals in 12 less games than he had in Liiga last year.

If it's weak, he has amazing accuracy and knows how to get his shot through. If his shot has improved, look out.