LW Kristian Vesalainen (2017, 24th, WPG)

[MardyBum]

Exact same statline as Granlund's D+1 now.

 

[StatisticsAddict99]

Exact same statline as Granlund's D+1 now.

Just gonna say Button snubbed Vesalainen from his Prospect list... It was a Top 50 Prospect list...

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

Just gonna say Button snubbed Vesalainen from his Prospect list... It was a Top 50 Prospect list...

I had to check it twice to see if I just missed his name. Not only that, but Samberg was ahead of him in the Jets prospects... I mean what? Nothing away from Samberg, but no way in hell he has overtook Vesalainen this season.

 

[StatisticsAddict99]

I had to check it twice to see if I just missed his name. Not only that, but Samberg was ahead of him in the Jets prospects... I mean what? Nothing away from Samberg, but no way in hell he has overtook Vesalainen this season.

Did the exact same thing... I was expecting to see him anywhere from Top 25 to Top 5 and Niku somewhere in the mix... Nope Niku apparently isn’t even top 5 as a prospect on a team that doesn’t have one Top 50 player while the guy is 3rd in points amongst the AHL... I seriously don’t know how Button can miss our guys so much with how much success they’re getting.

 

[Whileee]

2 more goals for Vesalainen. Now up to 19g 19a (38 points) in 41 Liiga games. He's gotten better as the season progresses, with 11g 8a in 15 games since the WJC-20.

With his next goal he'll join a list with just three others in the past 25 years score to 20 goals in Liiga as a u-19 player... Aho, Barkov and Saarela were the others.

 

[JJTT]

Moving to Kärpät for the rest of the season. Kupari finally has someone to play with.

Kristian Vesalainen siirtyy HPK:sta vahvistamaan Kärppien hyökkäystä loppukaudeksi

 

[FinPanda]

Good for him finally play for a good team.

 

[JustaFinnishGuy]

Gotta think he's going to be tried out in the 3rd 1st and to beat Mäenalanen at this point, he's gotta get really hot as soon as possible. Which I doubt since Kärpät has been a 2 line team for the most part of the season, their 3rd has had a rotating C and players so often.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Excited to see him play with Kupari, if that's the case.

 

[TheFinnishTrap]

Good to see him in a different situation. It will be interesting to see how this affects his powerplay efficiency and scoring overall.

 

[JJTT]

Unless something crazy happens he should be playing with Kupari and Karvinen on 5vs5 and along with Leskinen,Heshka,Mäenalanen,Lasu on the 2nd PP unit. That unit has actually been better on the PP lately so he should get plenty of PP time as a main shooter.

 

[Flukeshot]

Really hope he jumps to the AHL next year and gets in some NHL games. I know the Jets have a backlog of forwards and specifically wingers but this guys numbers are impressive.

 

[Snaibberi]

Hate him going to Kärpät and i really cant see any positive sides in this... In HPK he was the big dog and got to play as much he liked. Now in Kärpät he is 2/3rd liner... If i was him i would have refused the loan....

 

[The Winter Soldier]

If Vesalainen turns into anything remotely close to Rantanen, see some resemblances there. How did this kid fall to #24 in this draft? This will be one of the questions people ask automatically, since he was rated as high by Mckenzie's 10 scouts at #15. Jets seem to fall into these players on a regular basis.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

Hate him going to Kärpät and i really cant see any positive sides in this... In HPK he was the big dog and got to play as much he liked. Now in Kärpät he is 2/3rd liner... If i was him i would have refused the loan....

He's not gonna be the big dog in the Jets either. Better get used to climbing up the lineup.

 

[JJTT]

Hate him going to Kärpät and i really cant see any positive sides in this... In HPK he was the big dog and got to play as much he liked. Now in Kärpät he is 2/3rd liner... If i was him i would have refused the loan....

His season would be over in three weeks, how is playing in playoffs worse than sitting at home?

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

crazy thinking for how good, exciting and young the Jets are, that they still have a lot of exciting top prospects that will be pushing for spots over next few years... Chevy is a damn impressive GM and needs more props

 

[Snaibberi]

He's not gonna be the big dog in the Jets either. Better get used to climbing up the lineup.

This is his first full solid year without being tossed around in differend leagues or teams. So it would be good to his development and mental status to get good games under his belt. Theres is the change that his production drop drastically in Kärpät when he gets only 3rd line minutes and plays safe 0-0 game. So whats the good thing in that? I want Vesalainen to world championships as a topline player. Not as a typical finnish 3rd line grinder like 90% of our players were in olympics.

 

[BB88]

Hate him going to Kärpät and i really cant see any positive sides in this... In HPK he was the big dog and got to play as much he liked. Now in Kärpät he is 2/3rd liner... If i was him i would have refused the loan....

Atleast he gets to play big playoff games this year, and gives himself the better chance to earn a Worlds spot.

If Vesalainen turns into anything remotely close to Rantanen, see some resemblances there. How did this kid fall to #24 in this draft? This will be one of the questions people ask automatically, since he was rated as high by Mckenzie's 10 scouts at #15. Jets seem to fall into these players on a regular basis.

I was thinking Carolina at 13 would take a serious look at him.

Should have complimented Aho, Skinner& TT well.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

crazy thinking for how good, exciting and young the Jets are, that they still have a lot of exciting top prospects that will be pushing for spots over next few years... Chevy is a damn impressive GM and needs more props

It's remarkable really how they got him at #24. Jets traded down to keep their roster intact where LV agreed to take Thornburn. Then they get the guy they may have taken at #13. Very close to the Mckenzie ranking at #15.

Cheveldayoff added that he and his staff had Vesalainen as a target when they had the 13th overall selection, before trading that pick to the Vegas Golden Knights on Wednesday.
They were thrilled to get a player they ranked so high in the 24th spot.

And he's going to a place where Laine can show him the ropes. The synchronicity of this pick is beyond ironic.

"He's a big body, he skates really well, and he's got good hands. He's a player that will complement the other aspects of our roster very well," Cheveldayoff said of the 6'3", 209-pound Vesalainen. "He's not one of those guys that is a long-range development guy. He's got a big body, I think he'll be able to put more meat on the bone. But I do think he's a little more physically mature than some of the other players at 18."
Now, he'll join some of his fellow countrymen in the Winnipeg Jets organization, including Patrik Laine, who he played with at the 2015-16 Under-18 event.

"We were up on stage - and I think it was Mark Hillier - I think he said 'Hey Kristian are you going to look forward to passing to Laine?' and he just had a big twinkle in his eye," said Cheveldayoff. "You don't set out to say 'we're going to draft this nationality or that nationality' but it certainly helps when you have players that have flourished in a marketplace, know a marketplace well, and are excited about it. Those are the opportunities that you like to take advantage of."

Cheveldayoff thrilled to select Vesalainen

 

[MardyBum]

Good to hear, playoffs will be good for him. Depending on when they end he can join the Moose in the playoffs or WHC.

 

[Esko6]

If Vesalainen turns into anything remotely close to Rantanen, see some resemblances there. How did this kid fall to #24 in this draft? This will be one of the questions people ask automatically, since he was rated as high by Mckenzie's 10 scouts at #15. Jets seem to fall into these players on a regular basis.

I thought he was physically mature at an early age. Often you see these young prospects dominate against other youngsters because they have a stronger body and then hit a wall when they play against men. I bet some scouts saw that too...

 

[Whileee]

I thought he was physically mature at an early age. Often you see these young prospects dominate against other youngsters because they have a stronger body and then hit a wall when they play against men. I bet some scouts saw that too...

Then he played against men and put up big numbers, so those scouts look wrong at this point.

 

[The Winter Soldier]

The way Chevy was talking in that interview. It sounds like Vesalainen may be NHL ready sooner than later. Obviously the thought of him playing with Laine is a real possibility down the line. Jets top 9 are going to be deep with guys difficult to play against with size and lots of skill.

 

[StatisticsAddict99]

The way Chevy was talking in that interview. It sounds like Vesalainen may be NHL ready sooner than later. Obviously the thought of him playing with Laine is a real possibility down the line. Jets top 9 are going to be deep with guys difficult to play against with size and lots of skill.

I really hope they go for more depth next season. If Vesalainen does have the skill to make it next season with this roster look out NHL.

Ehlers Scheifele Roslovic
Connor Little Wheeler
Vesalainen Lowry Laine
Perreault Hendricks Armia