At 20th Overall the Kings Select Rasmus Kupari

[LastWordArmy]

Scouting Report

Rasmus Kupari Scouting Report: 2018 NHL Draft #14

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[damacles1156]

Rated to go 20th overall. I am fine with this pick. A project kind of, need to work on his wrist shot the most. Tremendous speed and puck skills is a +

 

[KingsHockey24]

With the 20th overall pick the Kings select Leonardo DiCaprio

 

[Rorschach]

Vilardi
Kupari
Anderson-Dolan

Future centers looks bright.

 

[Kingsfan1]

Vilardi
Kupari
Anderson-Dolan

Future centers looks bright.

McKenzie mentioned him projecting as a Right Winger and Blake also said he adds speed to the wings . So he won’t be center

 

[damacles1156]

Vilardi
Kupari
Anderson-Dolan

Future centers looks bright.

He won't be a Center in the NHL.

 

[kingsholygrail]

Needs to work on his wrist shot you say? He'll fit right in.

 

[Rorschach]

He won't be a Center in the NHL.

McKenzie mentioned him projecting as a Right Winger and Blake also said he adds speed to the wings . So he won’t be center

Center plz?

 

[onlyalad]

We will see how I think goes in 3 years.

 

[Kingspiracy]

Seems a good pick, just what we are after, a speedy skilled forward. Welcome to La Kupari

 

[ScoreZeGoals]

I'm ok with the pick. There were players I liked better there at 20, but it wasn't a reach

 

[LAKings88]

Played against men.

Finns have a nice program as of late.

Skilled, fast, and shifty.

Nice to have him in the fold. Hope he continues to get better and better.

 

[Ziggy Stardust]

 

[damacles1156]

He is not small, if that was what people were worried about.

 

[Vino]

I don't like this pick at all. Kupari can really skate, but I'm not sure that he has enough hockeysense or guts to be an effective NHL-player. But wait and see.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Here's his HF thread for what it's worth. I always like reading these especially given the input from his countrymen (and rivals, heh).

https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/c-rasmus-kupari-karpat-fin-jrs-2018-20th-lak.2190051/

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Some good insights re: context in that thread.

He's been playing with terrible players all season without any PP time, averaging only 10 minutes per game. It's just not fair to look at his stats.

Reasons he is ranked high:

-Good size(6'1) and lots of room to bulk up.
-One of the fastest skaters in the draft.
-Plays a mature game already and positions himself well on the ice
-Rarely makes mistakes
-Can play every forward position.
-Very slick hands and elite puck handling ability.
-Good wrist shot.

Good report here: Rasmus Kupari - NHL entry draft 2018 prospect report October 2017 | Pucks for Breakfast

He has 17 year old Sebastian Aho numbers in Liiga. Cmon. He's a great skater with good hands, has a lot of potential. He will get a proper chance next year.

 

[Peter James Bond II]

Rasmus Kupari at eliteprospects.com

He is a mix of Jesse Puljujärvi and Sebastian Aho, Mikko Manner (Kärpät HC) 2017

Slick Finnish forward, very dangerous with the puck on his stick, always a threat offensively, ISS Hockey 2017

At the Hlinka Memorial, he was Finns leading scorer with 2 goals 5 assists in 4 games...outscored Kotkaniemi, who had 4 pts.
So, when he plays with same age peers, excelled.

Hlinka Memorial:

Finland U18 at eliteprospects.com

Well, Kings need elite speed and skill...could be a player in 2-3 years.

 

[regulate]

 

[goosh]

Very pleased with the Kupari pick.

Side note- not that it matters now, but it seems like Isac Lundestrom was the other forward the Kings had on their list, at least based on how Futa characterized him. Also a good skater, but maybe less of a ceiling in terms of offensive potential.

 

[Mara]

Last season Kupari's team had a lot of trouble with the 3rd line. There was no real (or healthy) center for it and the wings were at times manned with some of the worst offensive players in the league. In comes Kupari who, as the season progressed, secured a spot on the 3rd line and put up OK numbers, considering the players he had to work with. However it was clear that he wasn't 100% ready to play against men, his lack of muscle and difficulties in defense eventually lead to him being dropped in the playoffs for a more experienced player.

It's not easy to evaluate him based on last season given the unusual situation of playing with subpar linemates in a championship winning team, but next season is going to be different. Now that he has experience playing with men and another summer under his belt he's going to be given a proper chance. He'll be playing in an offensive role with plenty of PP time in a system where the players have a lot of freedom to make the plays they want.

By November-December you should get a pretty good picture of his current level, at least based on his production.

 

[kilowatt]

 

[Reclamation Project]

I'll give him a Koivu/Selanne pass.

 

[Kingspiracy]

Thats one f***en ugly tshirt the kid is sporting, better burn that before he arrives

 

[Zegs2sendhelp]

Another good pick, jealous was hopin he would fall to us.

2nd year in a row you guys grabbed who i wanted... kupari and vilardi should be good pieces goin forward.