At 20th Overall the Kings Select Rasmus Kupari

[Kurrilino]

Once again the point flew over your head.

No no, i understand what you guys try to say and i kinda agree.
It's just that i would like to develop hockey skills before brawling.
Shooting the puck into the corner and than gang wrestle is mind numbing. I don't blame any player for having zero emotions.

 

[Eagle Fang]

I think Kupari's looked pretty good so far with ONT. He skates well, carries the puck well, seems to have pretty good offensive instincts with the puck and shows a little bit of grit (shows some battle along the boards and in the corners). Leads the team in scoring as well. For me, Byfield has been the best forward, but Kupari has been second. I'm not sure if he's top-6 NHL material though.

I know Madden and to an extent, Turcotte have a lot more flash, but Kupari looks more 'finished'. Probably though because he's played against men previously. I think with the previous two, they epitomize ONT's struggles in that they are tremendously skilled (Madden more so), but yet to adjust to the pro game.. which is of course to be expected.

 

[Mats26]

So happy for Kupari, he deserves the credit and ice time he is getting. This is a big development year for him. 8 pts in 27 games last year adjusting to NA ice now has 5pts in 5 games... PPG player so far which is great to see.

I like that Wrobo keeps mentioning what they need more from him, seems the Kings are high on him and want him to be sucessful. He is also showing more confidence in his zone entries and on the PP.

His NHL floor is 3rd line player with 2nd PP duties but I can see him moving up the lineup if he produces at the NHL level.

 

[redcard]

Kupari feels like found money at this point

 

[kilowatt]

Kupari feels like found money at this point

Yeah, he kind of got lost in the shuffle, and now it looks like we have another Kempe on our hands. Even if he tops out as a solid third line contributor, that'd be awesome.

 

[Kurrilino]

With this amazing talent coming up at center, Amadio and Lizotte will be toast very soon.
Villardi is kinda cemented as the 2nd line center

 

[lumbergh]

With this amazing talent coming up at center, Amadio and Lizotte will be toast very soon.
Villardi is kinda cemented as the 2nd line center

Vilardi isn't cemented as anything right now. Kid is struggling to make an impact at the NHL level and showing signs of not having played a lot of hockey over the past two years.

Looking forward to Baby Kempe (Kupari) on the big club some time this season.

 

[Steve Zissou]

Kupari feels like found money at this point

 

[barriers]

Another 2 assists last night giving him 7 points (1g,6a) in 6 games.

 

[Mats26]

Listed as 6'2" 190lbs and can skate, has vision, and competes well. Still pulling for him to be a center for the Kings, we need that size and speed up the middle.

 

[KingsCourt]

really impressed with him, I honestly didn't have much hope for him, but if he can be factor...wow

 

[Axl Rhoadz]

Vilardi isn't cemented as anything right now. Kid is struggling to make an impact at the NHL level and showing signs of not having played a lot of hockey over the past two years.

Umm, did you watch the last two games? Vilardi has looked awesome...

 

[Statto]

Vilardi isn't cemented as anything right now. Kid is struggling to make an impact at the NHL level and showing signs of not having played a lot of hockey over the past two years.

Looking forward to Baby Kempe (Kupari) on the big club some time this season.

Kupari has offensive upside beyond Kempe (who I’m a big fan of) and like him will end up wing. I’ve never had concerns as I never expected him to develop and quicker than he has. If anything I’m surprised at how quickly he’s gotten going following his knee injury.

As for Vilardi, it’s exactly that; He’s missed a huge amount of hockey and it’s going to take time to build consistency and to be able to play genuine 2C minutes at the right pace with the stamina he needs. They are easing him into the role nicely and his icetime/role is gradually increasing as the season progresses. There is no reason to rush things and it seems to be paying off with his recent performances. I fully expect there to be further ups and downs as expectations increase, but he will get there.

 

[ru4reals]

Another 2 assists last night giving him 7 points (1g,6a) in 6 games.

Did Markus Phillips change teams during the game...cuz that defense on that 2 on 1 was sure Markus Phillip-ish. LMAO. Dude did a fly by. Anyways, sick play by Kupari, kid has skills really pulling for him.

 

[Kurrilino]

Vilardi isn't cemented as anything right now. Kid is struggling to make an impact at the NHL level and showing signs of not having played a lot of hockey over the past two years.

Looking forward to Baby Kempe (Kupari) on the big club some time this season.

Not sure we are talking the same player here.
Villardi looks fantastic out there. He shows stuff we haven't seen for years.
His passes the the open areas are refreshing to watch.
If this is his struggling state, he will have a monster career.

 

[Mats26]

Relax eveyone..Vilardi is just teasing us. He dominates a shift with his body positioning and board play, then we wait for another shift and makes slick passes, then another shift we see him drive hard and take a shot on net, then we wait until we see him in the next game. lol

He'll be fine, just needs a reset at times...like someone said.. it's conditioning, not for lack of talent, he hasn't played that many games in the last few years.... I bet he'll become a monster in the 2nd half.

 

[lumbergh]

Not sure we are talking the same player here.
Villardi looks fantastic out there. He shows stuff we haven't seen for years.
His passes the the open areas are refreshing to watch.
If this is his struggling state, he will have a monster career.

I'm talking about Vilardi. You must be talking about Villardi. Two totally different players.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

To be fair, I think you're all talking about the same player.

At this stage, Vilardi is extremely inconsistent shift to shift, never mind game to game. And he's got game changing/breaking talent, thats undeniable. He also has a lot to learn and is still leaving a lot of fundamentals to be desired, and that's okay too. Gotta take the good with the bad and this is the perfect season in which to do so.

I'm as ride-or-die GV as it comes but these are normal young player mistakes/lapses/issues to be working through and I trust in both his ability AND his hunger to do so. I'm also glad the org is managing his minutes--as infuriating as it can be--because it's pretty clear the rigors of the pro game are going to take some time to get used to (the guy had never played more than what, 40 games across a season before? This year is PERFECT).

Now, back to Kupari...lol.

 

[Jericho111091]

I just have a feeling Kupari will be a winger at the NHL level, would like to see a line of Kempe-Vilardi-Kupari at some point. Seems like it could be fun to watch

 

[cyclones22]

Kupari seems to be really coachable because his on ice philosophy seems completely different from last season. The time off seemed to have helped him in that regard as he was not a disher last season at all. It's hard to beat defenders one v one and if you do, there's typically another one waiting for you. Kupari wasn't really playing the team concept in his first AHL season. Now he's really embracing player center and is checking all of the boxes. Last season, I would've said winger 100%. Now I'm not so sure if he's not a center at the NHL level. Kupari has shown the ability to be a playmaker and uses his speed well to backcheck. Anyone know what his face off numbers are?

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

Kupari seems to be really coachable because his on ice philosophy seems completely different from last season. The time off seemed to have helped him in that regard as he was not a disher last season at all. It's hard to beat defenders one v one and if you do, there's typically another one waiting for you. Kupari wasn't really playing the team concept in his first AHL season. Now he's really embracing player center and is checking all of the boxes. Last season, I would've said winger 100%. Now I'm not so sure if he's not a center at the NHL level. Kupari has shown the ability to be a playmaker and uses his speed well to backcheck. Anyone know what his face off numbers are?

Same, he was as much of a puckhog as I've seen in pro hockey before, haha. Now he seems to be using great vision. But I do think he compares to Kempe in that he's the guy that lugs the puck through the neutral zone and he dishes at the very last moment. I see him a bit more as a C now but your mileage may vary--he's got better size than I thought he'd have, which is nice. But he's not a big boards guy.

 

[DoktorJeep]

Rasmus is looking good. Still, he’s realistically 2-4 years off from making a consistent top 6 impact at the NHL level. I think he’ll get NHL games at wing, but if he continues to lead at the AHL level, he becomes very strong as a trade able asset, given the number of prospects competing for top six spots down the road.

 

[Mats26]

Rasmus is looking good. Still, he’s realistically 2-4 years off from making a consistent top 6 impact at the NHL level. I think he’ll get NHL games at wing, but if he continues to lead at the AHL level, he becomes very strong as a trade able asset, given the number of prospects competing for top six spots down the road.

If he continues to lead the AHL by mid season he will make other prospects tradable assests. I don't see him leading the league but leading the team in scoring...yes. He will get a look on the Kings later this year.

 

[Mats26]

Well with JAD out for a while... Kupari called up on the Taxi Squad.

 

[Peter James Bond III]

""""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"""

Now, this was stated in 2017, when Rasmus was 17 years old...and when Puljujarvi was 19. If Rasmus
lands somewhere between Puljujarvi and Aho, that won't be horrible...but hopefully, closer to Aho!

A lot has happened over 4 years, so should really pay no mind to this, other than Rasmus was pretty
highly regarded as being one of the best in Finland, at 17. It's hard to believe he's still only 20.

It's awesome to soon have a roster without the Amadios and Luffs...and push all others to be better.
The Kupari's, Turcotte's, Byfield's, Madden's are coming for your spot! Yes, Kaliyev, Fagemo and Thomas say hi too.