Confirmed with Link: 2nd round - #35OA - LW Sebastian Aho - Karpat (FIN)

[TheOllieC]

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=152111

Click to read more...

 

[HisIceness]

Ahoy Aho.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Missed out on Marner with our 1st rounder, so we need to fill the "small, skilled winger" quota.

Jokes aside, it could end up being a decent pick. At the very least, it's another skilled forward in a prospect pool that has very little.

 

[Navin R Slavin]

Another Finn! Hurrah!

 

[A Star is Burns]

Lots of strange picks at the top of the 2nd round. There were definitely some guys on the board I would have liked to take a chance on, but I don't know much about this kid. Hopefully he'll be a good one.

 

[Vagrant]

I don't know why but I always keep reading his name as "a-hole."

 

[DaveG]

I like this pick a lot actually. The guy is most definitely skilled. I think the consensus was that we would take a PF here so this comes as a surprise but this kid has upside. He scored at a fairly comparable pace to Rantanen as one of the youngest players in the draft.

 

[nobuddy]

Skilled wingers are a huge need in our system. Boom. Got one. Bingo bango bongo.

 

[Unsustainable]

Sebastian is an awesome name.

That's all I got.

 

[Francis10]

No knowledge of this kid at all but a head scratcher with a lot of top picks left. Bittner, Sprong, etc.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Sebastian is an awesome name.

That's all I got.

Bye, bye Little Sebastian....

 

[Joe McGrath]

Canes official Instagram posted a video of the Swedish Aho.....

 

[Buenos Necas]

Bye, bye Little Sebastian....

Yes.

 

[raynman]

Dammit I had that song stuck in my head for MONTHS.

 

[Blueline Bomber]

Come on, we draft a tiny guy named Sebastian and that's NOT the first song that pops into your head?

 

[AD Skinner]

Ignacious Crustaceous Sebastian

 

[Vagrant]

Come on, we draft a tiny guy named Sebastian and that's NOT the first song that pops into your head?

Mine was actually "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid, but I am bit deranged.

 

[GoldiFox]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=102970657&postcount=467

Detailed report on Aho. Sounds a bit like Leo Komarov.

 

[sheriff bart]

Don't know much about this one. I was expecting a move towards bigger forwards, but I honestly think once you get to the 2nd round, it's "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" time. We need some skilled guys.

 

[Simah]

I've seen majority of Aho's games last season since he plays in Kärpät (the team I support) so I can probably provide some insights of his abilities.

First of all Aho is a really smart and defensively responsible player for player who is only 17yo. Kärpät had quite lot of offensive talent in their team last year including promising youngsters like Jesse Puljujärvi (possible TOP5 pick in 2016 Draft), Saku Mäenalainen (lead goal scoring in WJC 2014). Also Kärpät had pretty stacked offence in general so when Aho cracked the lineup last season it alone can be considered as an achievement of some sort. From those three youngsters (Aho, Puljujärvi and Mäenlainen), Aho was the one who got the most playing time. And his play elevated one step during playoffs which is a pretty positive sign. Aho basically displaced former Sharks prospect and NHLer Lukas Kaspar from the second line and Kaspar had had pretty good seasons in KHL. Although Kaspar play sucked in playoffs....

Aho lacks a bit of size but his not a midget and may still even gain few inches. Despite of his size his playing style is pretty gritty and he's not afraid going in to board plays against much larger defenders. His skating is pretty good but should probably work his top level speed but overall decent skater with good balance. Has really good hands and hockey IQ which makes it possible to play him in various roles from defensive third line to scoring line role. Not the best shooter and anyway clearly a pass-first short of guy. He probably has a potential to be 2nd line playmaking winger with great defensive instinct but I would think that Aho is a guy who will make steady progress instead of huge development jumps so it could mean that it could take 3-5 years before he is NHL ready.

Next year Kärpät doesn't have that stacked offence so there should be a place for Aho in a scoring line with power play minutes. So next year is great time to see whether he really has NHL potential in him because at least he will be getting enough ice time to prove it.

 

[Unsustainable]

I would have taken Bittner probably.

But I'll give him a shot

 

[Simah]

http://hfboards.mandatory.com/showpost.php?p=102970657&postcount=467

Detailed report on Aho. Sounds a bit like Leo Komarov.

Well in my opinion Aho's play is pretty far off from Komarov's. The best NHL comparisons I can think of are Jussi Jokinen and Alex Tanguay. He actually reminds a lot of Ville Peltonen (former NHLer) but I don't know if anyone of you are that familiar with Peltonen.

 

[GoldiFox]

Well in my opinion Aho's play is pretty far off from Komarov's. The best NHL comparisons I can think of are Jussi Jokinen and Alex Tanguay. He actually reminds a lot of Ville Peltonen (former NHLer) but I don't know if anyone of you are that familiar with Peltonen.

We appreciate your first-hand knowledge.

Sounds like he has a lot of room to grow, especially as one of the younger players in the Draft.

 

[HisIceness]

Mine was actually "Under the Sea" from The Little Mermaid, but I am bit deranged.

This was a favorite of mine when I was about 2 or 3.

 

[myrsky]

I've seen majority of Aho's games last season since he plays in Kärpät (the team I support) so I can probably provide some insights of his abilities.

First of all Aho is a really smart and defensively responsible player for player who is only 17yo. Kärpät had quite lot of offensive talent in their team last year including promising youngsters like Jesse Puljujärvi (possible TOP5 pick in 2016 Draft), Saku Mäenalainen (lead goal scoring in WJC 2014). Also Kärpät had pretty stacked offence in general so when Aho cracked the lineup last season it alone can be considered as an achievement of some sort. From those three youngsters (Aho, Puljujärvi and Mäenlainen), Aho was the one who got the most playing time. And his play elevated one step during playoffs which is a pretty positive sign. Aho basically displaced former Sharks prospect and NHLer Lukas Kaspar from the second line and Kaspar had had pretty good seasons in KHL. Although Kaspar play sucked in playoffs....

Aho lacks a bit of size but his not a midget and may still even gain few inches. Despite of his size his playing style is pretty gritty and his not afraid going in to board plays against much larger defenders. His skating is pretty good but should probably work his top level speed but overall decent skater with good balance. Has really good hands and hockey IQ which makes it possible to play him in various roles from defensive third line to scoring line role. Not the best shooter and anyway clearly a pass-first short of guy. He probably has a potential to be 2nd line playmaking winger with great defensive instinct but I would think that Aho is a guy who will make steady progress instead of huge development jumps so it could mean that it could take 3-5 years before he is NHL ready.

Next year Kärpät doesn't have that stacked offence so there should be a place for Aho in a scoring line with power play minutes. So next year is great time to see whether he really has NHL potential in him because at least he will be getting enough ice time to prove it.

I, too, watched most of his games last season, and there are a couple of points I disagree with.

-He's better than just a "decent skater". Maybe not McDavid-level good, but he's still very agile and skating is one of his strengths.

-"Anyway clearly a pass-first short of guy." No, just no. When I think of "pass-first" players, I think of players like Joe Thornton or Henrik Sedin, not Sebastian Aho. Aho, in my opinion, is more of a goal scorer, and I expect that his goal to assist ratio will be pretty balanced down the road.