Prospect Info: 2020 3rd Rd Selection - #64 OA (via OTT) - RD Topi Niemela (Karpat) - 6'0 163

[Carltons Cup]

Do they not feed these Euros? What do they eat there? Has COVID dwindled their food supply?

 

[Ashdown2]

Absolutely love this pick. Still raw but looks really good in the pro levels already without any muscle on him.

im pretty sure this statement can be said about 90% of draft picks lol
just saying

 

[stickty111]

Uh oh.

This gonna make some people mad

My ignore list is coming in handy during draft times.

 

[Byron Bitz]

The height starts at 6 and ends there

 

[Nooodles]

So we took a player who looks like a steal and should have gone in ealy 2nd (Hirvonen) + a RHD who's comparable to Schneider for Kleven.

LOL

fire Dubas indeed.

 

[1specter]

How posters will evaluate the pick:

1) does he shoot right
2) how much he weighs/height

All jokes aside, I like what I've seen from him albeit via YouTube clips. Seems to be ranked higher on a lot of lists (38, on Bobby Macs). Bonus all these kids are playing hockey right now as well.

1) Is he 6 ft or more?
2) Is he a defenseman?
3) If so, does he shoot right?
4) Is he Canadian?

Unfortunately, because Topi doesn't meet criteria #4, he is a certified bust. Unfortunate.

 

[aingefan]

A+.

 

[Once]

Wanted Niemela. Great pick.

 

[JJTT]

156 pounds. Holy smokes. Needs to add significant weight to that frame.

He was listed as 6'0 and 164lbs a year ago. Probably closer to 180lbs now.

 

[IrishInOntario]

I like the kid's skill level... But 160lbs? Hopefully he has grown. Even 30lbs from now he's going to get brutalized by the cycle in the playoffs and struggle to clear the front of the net.

I'm not a big "size" guy, and I understand that it's easier to get it already matured, rather than at 17-19 in the draft, but at what point do you just have a system full of the same kids that play a soft game?

Again, love the skill level, but if this is essentially Sandin light, how many of those guys can you have on one d-core?

 

[Anthrax442]

People on facebook losing it "we are allergic to players from ontario"

 

[Once]

These guys just turned 18, how many athletes are 185 - 200 lbs at that age with an average-sized frame?

Willy is a prime example, guy was tiny on draft day and is a mountain now.

 

[Mugzy97]

Absolutely love this pick. Still raw but looks really good in the pro levels already without any muscle on him.

Agreed, looks like a 4-5 year project that could pay off.

 

[willmma]

I got the news alert from The Score which has him at 5'10
This tweet has him at 5'11
Vince McMahon has him at 6'0

Which is it?

 

[Green Snow Storm]

Reminds me a lot of Rangers first rounder Nils Lundkvist when he was drafted in 2018. Let's hope his development goes as well.

 

[Ulysses31]

Great pick again. Loving this draft.

Scouch and Dubas in Cahoots!

 

[Coaches Coroner]

im pretty sure this statement can be said about 90% of draft picks lol
just saying

you can say 90% of draft picks have looked good at the pro level? You might need some work on your math.

 

[Rob Brown]

People on facebook losing it "we are allergic to players from ontario"

A friend of mine is saying the same thing to me. Best to ignore it.

 

[al secord]

A lock it. A lot.

 

[janesy12]

I got the news alert from The Score which has him at 5'10
This tweet has him at 5'11
Vince McMahon has him at 6'0

Which is it?

Always trust Vince McMahon.

 

[Patmac40]

im pretty sure this statement can be said about 90% of draft picks lol
just saying

For an undersized 17-year-old dman playing pro? Not really. And those who fit that description are usually picked higher.

 

[tmlms13]

I'm not one of those we need more size guys, but he is going to need to put on 40+ lbs to simply survive a forecheck in the playoffs. Let alone be effective.

 

[Rants Mulliniks]

These guys just turned 18, how many athletes are 185 - 200 lbs at that age with an average-sized frame?

Willy is a prime example, guy was tiny on draft day and is a mountain now.

Yeah I don't get people. At that age your metabolism is through the roof and weight (proper weight) is more the exception than the norm. Most will fill out.

 

[Guy Boucher]

A steal.

 

[Macallan18]

Do they not feed these Euros? What do they eat there? Has COVID dwindled their food supply?

They are still recovering from WW2 rationing