RedBaronIndian
Registered User
- Jul 9, 2010
- 2,319
- 3
To be fair to Friedman, that was not his impression but rather the impression relayed to him by his source.
Fair enough. I just finished reading his article. Other exception I take to that article
25. Draft eligibles who struggled: Rasmus Ristolainen (Finland) got biggest criticism. "Wasn't sharp, didn't like to get hit and took rough penalties." Countryman Alex Barkov didn't dominate as was hoped: "Still a stud... but was not nearly the 200 foot player I expect."
Ristolainen was the best Finnish defender ahead of drafted guys like Pokka and Maata. He is now being thought of as a top 10 draft prospect for 2013 draft due to his showing in the tournament.
27. Draftees who looked good: Alex Galchenyuk (Montreal) -- "Stud." (Every NHL executive loves that word.) Mikhail Grigorenko (Buffalo). Joel Armia (Buffalo): "Most pure sniper I've seen in awhile... makes goalies look silly with release and reach... when motivated he was like man with boys." Yaroslav Kosov (Florida): "Played both ends of rink and didn't give up. Looks like a smart pick." Tomas Hertl (San Jose): "gained a step. Excellent vision, hard to contain." Got mixed reviews on Filip Forsberg (Washington).
Armia had a very up and down tournament. When he was on he was lights out, but most of the other times he was very selfish with the puck and tried to do too much himself without utilizing his linemates. Many Finnish fans felt that he should have been benched because of this. I remember this very clearly and even commented on it in the FIN vs SUI GDT.