2016 Draft: 8th Pick: Aapeli Rasanen

[Bryanbryoil]

Rasanen looks less physically mature than McPhee. As he gets older, faster and stronger we can get a better look at what he might be able to do at the next level. I like that he isn't afraid to play around the net.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

a couple things I noticed from that Video, he seems to think the game at a very high level.

Good positioning, makes quick, smart plays and has good judgement about where to be on the ice. Next he looks like he could be, if things went really well, a Finnish version of Tomas Holmstrom. A guy who will just battle infront and make life terrible for the opposing goalie and defensemen.

I know nothing is certain, but he looks like he has the hockey sense to make the NHL, imo.

 

[Albatros]

This guy seems to be pretty smart. He was on a Finnish money podcast where he talked about investing and studying economics in Usonia.

Might have the academic ambition to actually graduate?

 

[Stud Muffin]

Omg please don’t bring politics here, I see enough of people on twitter who aren’t Americans bitching about American Politics.

 

[Soli]

Omg please don’t bring politics here, I see enough of people on twitter who aren’t Americans *****ing about American Politics.

Right, no politics discussions here. But, I think @Albatros is merely trying to highlight that Rasanen is relatively well spoken on topics beyond hockey.

Erm.... NERD!!!

I'm sure we can look past US politics and continuing discussing Rasanen's thirst for knowledge in a constructive manner.

 

[Jimmi McJenkins]

Saw that on my twitter feed as well. Definitely enhances me view of the prospect and the person.

 

[nightfighter]

He's got a great grasp of English writing. Get him over here to tutor puljujarvi for a bit.

 

[Albatros]

Yeah, I mean his opinions are his own and that's all there's to say about their content, but I can't easily recall other European prospects that would have been similarly outspoken after one year of college hockey in North America. Quite a character.

 

[Hockey Nightmare]

Maybe his rhetorical skills can talk the team out of losing...

 

[McDaddy]

He's got a great grasp of English writing. Get him over here to tutor puljujarvi for a bit.

Very good Enlglish for living in Finland his whole life..

 

[Jumptheshark]

I have him challenging for a job in 2021

 

[PaPaDee]

Very intriguing prospect. How long do we have his rights?

 

[Outofbodyinhungary]

This guy really stood out to me last world juniors in the game against us, was looking at his stats, what’s happened to him? 0.5 ppg last year for ncaa and this year only 2 points in 12 games. Bad team? Or just not playing as good?

 

[Jersey Fan 12]

Foregoing his senior season at BC to begin his pro career in Finland with KalPa Kuopio.

Does he still fit in the Oilers' plans (not yet signed) or is this more of a move in light of the uncertainty here in North America with the pandemic?

 

[Jumptheshark]

Foregoing his senior season at BC to begin his pro career in Finland with KalPa Kuopio.

Does he still fit in the Oilers' plans (not yet signed) or is this more of a move in light of the uncertainty here in North America with the pandemic?

I think it is a stepping stone for him. While he is foregoing in final year, I believe he will still graduate as he will be doing uni in Finland while playing..
He is my dark horse pick to surprise a few people and I hope we keep his rights for two more years

 

[Fourier]

This is the kind of prospect that you need to keep your eye on. He could develop into a very good fourth line center.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

I think it is a stepping stone for him. While he is foregoing in final year, I believe he will still graduate as he will be doing uni in Finland while playing..
He is my dark horse pick to surprise a few people and I hope we keep his rights for two more years

If Oilers has any interest to keep Aapeli Räsänen
then Holland better sign him this coming off season ( whenever it is ).
Because if Oilers won't sign him this year Räsänen's player rights will expire.

 

[HockeyHistorian]

I'm getting my first look of him in years and he is looking very good (for who he is and what he does). Could become a solid bottom-sixer in the NHL. Smart guy both on and off the ice as well, he writes a column in one of Finland's biggest newspapers. Kinda reminds me of Luke Glendening, whom Holland seemed to love, although I think he is better offensively than Glendening though, but that's a very small feat. One assist today thus far.

EDIT: Interesting to see what happens with his rights in the off-season.

 

[SwedishFire]

Seems like smart guy.
I have faith in him.

 

[780il]

Can see him becoming a really good 4c. Nice player to keep around and see what he becomes. I like the Glendening comparison, makes sense.

 

[NJ Fan 12]

If Oilers has any interest to keep Aapeli Räsänen
then Holland better sign him this coming off season ( whenever it is ).
Because if Oilers won't sign him this year Räsänen's player rights will expire.

I thought that too since he was drafted in 2016.

But CapFriendly still lists him on Edmonton's reserve list. My guess is that since he was an NCAA player the Oilers have until August of what would have been his senior year to sign him.

Several other articles have discussed him as an Oilers' prospect so that's the only explanation that I can see.

 

[Delicious Pancakes]

I would like to see the Oilers sign him. Depending on the situation with the AHL next year maybe he can come over and play in Bakersfield or maybe they sign him and loan him back to KalPa for a year.

 

[Samus44]

Omg please don’t bring politics here, I see enough of people on twitter who aren’t Americans bitching about American Politics.

I manage to not engage in topics and conversations that don't interest me, perhaps you can do the same. I think forums and mediums like this are increasingly becoming an important part of social interaction and culture. Technology has "made the world smaller" but despite that has made many of us less diverse thinkers and more divided than ever before as we've become more and more specialized in out interests and abilities. Because of this I think if you have a forum of respectful decorum there's no reason not to take advantage and approach different topics that come about through natural discourse.

No longer are we primarily influenced by our geographic neighbors and communities but rather increasingly in their steed by new more specialized communities populated by those with a preexisting commonality as distance is no longer a barrier. Specialized communities like HFboards. This is terrific for those interested in the various topics these communities represent. The problem is they're distant from the rest of the world, they fail to humanize us in the same way everyday happenstance does as the narrowness, the specialization of topic, provide little insight into the person beyond that one aspect/interest. I believe this lack of humanization, this distance and increased role of specialization in our daily lives and topics (jobs, interests), is why we see an increasing divide in values in our country and the rise of fundamentalism that threatens our very way of life. Things have become black and white.

I believe the goal in these communities should be to be a place where self expression is encouraged enough that we can on occasion reach beyond just the periphery of whats topical to humanize ourselves and find value outside of just the topic. I believe it's essential to civility that in these new mediums we don't just find value in the topic but the people as well. As such remaining topical shouldn't be the only motivation of such a forum IMO. Unlike Twitter real conversational depth and community are present here so I don't see why one would limit the potential of these social interactions to bring us together. It's not like the hockey world has a ton going on. Of course getting too far off topic needs to be kept under control but an occasional lane change isn't something to be feared and IMO is something we're going to need more of as we continue shrinking our world.

 

[Stoneman89]

A younger version of Ira Pakarinin?

 

[nafrelio]

I manage to not engage in topics and conversations that don't interest me, perhaps you can do the same. I think forums and mediums like this are increasingly becoming an important part of social interaction and culture. Technology has "made the world smaller" but despite that has made many of us less diverse thinkers and more divided than ever before as we've become more and more specialized in out interests and abilities. Because of this I think if you have a forum of respectful decorum there's no reason not to take advantage and approach different topics that come about through natural discourse.

No longer are we primarily influenced by our geographic neighbors and communities but rather increasingly in their steed by new more specialized communities populated by those with a preexisting commonality as distance is no longer a barrier. Specialized communities like HFboards. This is terrific for those interested in the various topics these communities represent. The problem is they're distant from the rest of the world, they fail to humanize us in the same way everyday happenstance does as the narrowness, the specialization of topic, provide little insight into the person beyond that one aspect/interest. I believe this lack of humanization, this distance and increased role of specialization in our daily lives and topics (jobs, interests), is why we see an increasing divide in values in our country and the rise of fundamentalism that threatens our very way of life. Things have become black and white.

I believe the goal in these communities should be to be a place where self expression is encouraged enough that we can on occasion reach beyond just the periphery of whats topical to humanize ourselves and find value outside of just the topic. I believe it's essential to civility that in these new mediums we don't just find value in the topic but the people as well. As such remaining topical shouldn't be the only motivation of such a forum IMO. Unlike Twitter real conversational depth and community are present here so I don't see why one would limit the potential of these social interactions to bring us together. It's not like the hockey world has a ton going on. Of course getting too far off topic needs to be kept under control but an occasional lane change isn't something to be feared and IMO is something we're going to need more of as we continue shrinking our world.

Your intelligent writing style reminds me of Aapeli Rasanen's - one of our Oiler prospects who we like to talk about from time to time in certain threads on these hockey forums. Is that you Aapeli?

In all seriousness, I have some similar values as you and long for discourse and connection with others about important topics for the purpose of mutual influence and personal growth, especially in such polarizing times. That said, I also value discourse that stays on topic so if I have a particular interest there, I know I won't have to sift through too much other stuff. It would be pretty easy to derail any of these threads towards more important topics, but it can make the thread a waste of time for people if they have no interest in the "rabbit trails".