Top tier:
Vesalainen, Välimäki, Heiskanen and Tolvanen
2nd tier:
Jokiharju, Vaakanainen and Luukkonen
3rd tier:
Salo and Kotkansalo
4th tier:
Nyman, Ikonen, Heponiemi, Oksanen, Pajuniemi and Räsänen.
Still long ways to go, but this is how I see things right now. Vaakanainen, Salo and Oksanen are perhaps a little lower on my list compared to some others, so I’ll try to offer an explanation to those.
I think Vaakanainen’s performance at the recent WU18C’s left something to be desired. The worst game for him was of course the Russia match where he got benched after causing several turnovers, but he had weaker moments in other games as well. He has skill and good wheels, but as it stands he’s lacking consistency as a puck mover. Furthermore, he’s a tad soft in his own end and I don’t think he’s that exceptional defensively. It’s worth noting that Rautakorpi selected Heiskanen, Jokiharju and Välimäki to the U20 camp, but left Vaakanainen out. I don’t know the reason for this, but perhaps I’m not the only one who thinks Vaakanainen could do better...
Salo has average wheels, average hands and average size. He’s a solid D with character, but I think there are quite a few Finnish prospects in this draft with higher upside than him. I don’t understand why Future Consideration and Hockeprospects have him ranked as a 1st rounder right now.
Oksanen has vision and skill, but he lacks courage, situational toughness and isn’t a fast skater. After Puljujärvi joined the U18 team at the World Championship’s, Oksanen became disposable and was often just the 13th forward. Not a good sign, especially when you consider the fact that he missed the cut-off date for 2016 draft by just ten days.
Nyman, Ikonen and Heponiemi are small and lightweight right now, but have a good amount of skill. A late growth spurt and one of them could end-up being a coveted prospect in the upcoming draft. And that’s not to say that Heiskanen, Jokiharju or Tolvanen wouldn’t benefit from a late growth spurt as well…
I love Moilanen as a player, but fast, tenacious, little wingers like him tend to loose some of their effectiveness once they move up to play against men. I’m not sure if he’s much of a NHL prospect right now.
Is there a Finn in this draft with #1D NHL upside? Hard to say for sure, but my guess would be no.
Tolvanen certainly has a sharp wrister, but I have no idea how his shot stacks up against other snipers in this draft.