C Rasmus Kupari - Karpat, Liiga (2018, 20th, LAK)

[Raccoon Jesus]

Yep, he's in his D+2 now, he's 20. Though he had the setback with his knee he was leading the AHL in scoring from a basement team before a taxi call up. He's paid his dues enough to earn a cup of coffee. If he stays its' because he blows the doors off; if not, he goes back down to dominate, no harm done. I'ts pretty much the ideal situation.

 

[Mats26]

What a year for Rasmus so far. Came back from the torn ACL and used the COVID pause to rehab and came back stronger. Right now he is playing like our next big AHL prospect to make the jump, and rightfully so. I still feel he needs more time on the farm, just to develop more chemistry with our other prospects and have Wrobo help his overall power game. That Madden-Kupari-Kaliyev line is fun to watch though.

We should always look at the bigger picture, but I feel he will get a game here soon on the Kings.

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

I think with the labels of skill/speed/hands people assume he's small/fragile but that's not the case either. He's pretty big for those abilities. Someone mentioned 6'2" even though everything else says 6'1". Don't get me wrong he's not a power forward but he's not a waterbug.

 

[Osprey]

I know we're all eager to see what these guys can do in the NHL but, other than Vilardi who was drafted earliest, was elite at a younger age, and has paid his dues; I need to see these guys destroy all in the AHL first. We have the luxury of taking our time...we might as well take it. We aren't going to be the next Buffalo or Ottawa or Edmonton.

Yeah, I don't understand it, either. The Reign are really struggling and need these kids a lot more than the Kings do. The priority should be helping improve the Reign, IMO, not continually gutting them to try to improve the Kings this season, which will do nothing but hurt their draft position even more.

I recognize the benefit of rewarding a kid like Kupari and giving him a taste of the NHL, but why not do it when the Reign are off for a few days, so that he doesn't miss any games? A week ago, the Reign played on a Sunday and then didn't play again until the following Saturday. Wouldn't that have been the better time to give him his cup of coffee? Instead, it looks like he'll be with the Kings this weekend, when the Reign have games on both Saturday and Sunday. It doesn't make much sense.

 

[barriers]

Expected to make his NHL debut tonight

 

[Captain Clutch]

Yeah, I don't understand it, either. The Reign are really struggling and need these kids a lot more than the Kings do. The priority should be helping improve the Reign, IMO, not continually gutting them to try to improve the Kings this season, which will do nothing but hurt their draft position even more.

I recognize the benefit of rewarding a kid like Kupari and giving him a taste of the NHL, but why not do it when the Reign are off for a few days, so that he doesn't miss any games? A week ago, the Reign played on a Sunday and then didn't play again until the following Saturday. Wouldn't that have been the better time to give him his cup of coffee? Instead, it looks like he'll be with the Kings this weekend, when the Reign have games on both Saturday and Sunday. It doesn't make much sense.

I understand your opinion but disagree, Kupari has played parts of 3 seasons at the pro level, he's healthy, plays a 200 foot game and is too good for the AHL. I agree with the Kings decision to give him his cup of coffee, if he makes an impact, he stays, otherwise, he heads back to the Reign. I personally think he's good enough to be the Kings 3C today but we'll see soon enough.

 

[Osprey]

I understand your opinion but disagree, Kupari has played parts of 3 seasons at the pro level, he's healthy, plays a 200 foot game and is too good for the AHL. I agree with the Kings decision to give him his cup of coffee, if he makes an impact, he stays, otherwise, he heads back to the Reign. I personally think he's good enough to be the Kings 3C today but we'll see soon enough.

I don't think that you understood me. I said that I agree with giving him a cup of coffee, just not this very moment. Last week, when the Reign were off for 5 days, would've been a better time.

 

[pepperjack]

Rasmus gets his first NHL goal!

 

[Mats26]

Huge boost in confidence after his goal. I think he is underated even among Kings fans.

 

[wings5]

Huge boost in confidence after his goal. I think he is underated even among Kings fans.

The question is does he steal a spot in the Kings lineup next season from Byfield or can they pencil them both in. Benefit is Kupari can play wing as well.

Side question is Rasmus more of a common Finnish name or Swedish?

 

[Eye of Ra]

Side question is Rasmus more of a common Finnish name or Swedish?

rasmus is pretty common name in both sweden and finland.

 

[wings5]

rasmus is pretty common name in both sweden and finland.

I noticed alot of Swedes with this name then when looking at Kupari, Ristolainen also came to mind for Finns with the name Rasmus, good to know

 

[Raccoon Jesus]

The question is does he steal a spot in the Kings lineup next season from Byfield or can they pencil them both in. Benefit is Kupari can play wing as well.

Side question is Rasmus more of a common Finnish name or Swedish?

So far in extreme pencil next year looks like Kopitar-Byfield-Vilardi-JAD. I don't see anyone wrestling C away from Byfield, but i could see Vilardi or Kupari moving to wing. JAD too because he's so versatile, but he's proven to be an excellent responsible C. Kings also have more C options like Turcotte, Thomas--some of these guys are gonna get traded or move to wing and I feel like Rasmus plays a 'winger game' more than all of them.

 

[OKR]

Side question is Rasmus more of a common Finnish name or Swedish?

It’s actually common in both, as well as Denmark, Estonia and Norway.

 

[Zub]

Huge boost in confidence after his goal. I think he is underated even among Kings fans.

Is he going to get on the roster this coming season?

 

[wetcoast]

So far in extreme pencil next year looks like Kopitar-Byfield-Vilardi-JAD. I don't see anyone wrestling C away from Byfield, but i could see Vilardi or Kupari moving to wing. JAD too because he's so versatile, but he's proven to be an excellent responsible C. Kings also have more C options like Turcotte, Thomas--some of these guys are gonna get traded or move to wing and I feel like Rasmus plays a 'winger game' more than all of them.

Respectfully, as a Canucks fan, this post makes me sick on how well the Kings have drafted in recent times.

I mean since 2017 and EP our best center prospect was Madden who also is now a King prospect.

 

[wetcoast]

Is he going to get on the roster this coming season?

I can see him playing some games as an injury call up but there are too many contracts in the way and for his development playing time might be more important.

A switch to wing might accelerate the process though.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

For you fans that have watched him more over the last two seasons, what do you think he projects as?

Ceiling? Floor? Most probable outcome? And what player is he most similar to?

 

[Lt Dan]

For you fans that have watched him more over the last two seasons, what do you think he projects as?

Ceiling? Floor? Most probable outcome? And what player is he most similar to?

He was injured in the WJC and has surgery for his ACL in early 2020
Rasmus Kupari to Undergo Surgery to Repair Torn ACL

He had a pretty good comeback year last season, but he really lost a little more than a year of development between the ACL and Covid

I really suck at comparisons, so I will defer

#4 Rasmus Kupari
At number four, we have center Kupari. He is an immensely talented player who’s a joy to watch. An amazing skater with silky mitts, he loves having the puck on his stick. Very elegant in the way he skates and stickhandles. If I had to describe his play in one word, it would be “smooth.” He has a high-end playmaking ability that makes him a threat whenever he’s on the ice. There’s still work to be done defensively, especially in the corners and along the boards, but he’s a very intelligent player who keeps himself in good defensive positions. I doubt he’ll ever be a Selke candidate, but he’ll also be far from a liability defensively. His coach with Karpat considers him “a mix of Jesse Puljuarvi and Sebastion Aho.”

After a rough 2019/20 where he struggled to find points during his first AHL season and suffered an ACL tear at World Juniors, he had a nice bounce back in 2021. His 23 points in 32 games were good for third on the Reign. He also featured in seven NHL games, picking up one goal. If he can continue developing, there’s no reason he can’t be a consistent 60-point player in the NHL. He’ll likely split time between the NHL and AHL to start next season but has a good chance to claim a spot on the team by the end of next year.

https://thehockeywriters.com/la-kings-top-prospects/

 

[Yog S'loth]

He hasn't shown a ton of talent or IQ, and he's had a very serious knee injury.

I don't even consider him among the Kings forward prospects.

If he shows something someday and manages to make the NHL, great. Until that happens though, I don't worry much about it. The entire Kings 2018 draft was probably a waste of time.

 

[Artorius Horus T]

He hasn't shown a ton of talent or IQ, and he's had a very serious knee injury.

I don't even consider him among the Kings forward prospects.

If he shows something someday and manages to make the NHL, great. Until that happens though, I don't worry much about it. The entire Kings 2018 draft was probably a waste of time.

Well...aren't you a positive dude........

Obviously i disagree with you, we all have opinions and i respect yours but...you are wrong, in my mind.

He has worked his ass off, past 12+ months to become a better hockey player, in every single area.
Has improved loads, since he was drafted, he is still very young, he is way stronger as well, with and without the puck.

RK is one of Finland's best kept hockey secrets, many have forgotten him and he will surprise many next season.

 

[bland]

For you fans that have watched him more over the last two seasons, what do you think he projects as?

Ceiling? Floor? Most probable outcome? And what player is he most similar to?

Kupari will most likely be the first of the Kings prospects to be traded. He has yet to create an identity or claim a role, and shuffling between center and wing may show some versatility, but the problem is that by not staking a claim in either position he is falling behind higher level prospects at both positions on the depth chart.

He has very good straight ahead speed, a flyis, pleasant stride, but a limited offensive arsenal that is held to either streaking down the wing and beating defenders wide, or without the puck he likes to hide and cut across horizontally between the circles. Cut those off and he is limited in creativity and effectiveness.

He is very similar to the Kings Adrian Kempe in that he shows flashes of skill but doesn't really fit in well with other players. Very much an individual out there. High end potential would be similar to Silfverberg. Think of him as potential middle six winger who always leaves you wanting more because the consistency doesn't match the ability.

 

[Herby]

Kupari will most likely be the first of the Kings prospects to be traded. He has yet to create an identity or claim a role, and shuffling between center and wing may show some versatility, but the problem is that by not staking a claim in either position he is falling behind higher level prospects at both positions on the depth chart.

He has very good straight ahead speed, a flyis, pleasant stride, but a limited offensive arsenal that is held to either streaking down the wing and beating defenders wide, or without the puck he likes to hide and cut across horizontally between the circles. Cut those off and he is limited in creativity and effectiveness.

He is very similar to the Kings Adrian Kempe in that he shows flashes of skill but doesn't really fit in well with other players. Very much an individual out there. High end potential would be similar to Silfverberg. Think of him as potential middle six winger who always leaves you wanting more because the consistency doesn't match the ability.

We shouldn't hold it against Kupari if he has to switch positions because the Kings ridiculously went C in the 1st round in 2017 (and 2nd round), 2018, 2019 and 2020, traded one of their best trade assets for another C prospect and then signed a veteran 2C for the next half decade while also having Kopitar under contract for another two seasons. The logjam could have been prevented by having a more diversified prospect pool.

The Kings are going likely to have to move 2-3 of those five high pick centers to the wing, minimizing the value they used to draft them, or as you mentioned trade a few of them at a reduced value from where they were drafted, but tough to call it the prospects fault. Whichever one transitions best to the wing likely stays in the organization, so far none of them have shown an ability to effectively be wingers yet.

Kupari can be a top 9 in the modern NHL where you need 3 lines capable of scoring, he showed nice offensive ability in the AHL, but I agree with you he is more like a Kempe caliber player, which isn't horrible for a guy taken where he went in the draft.

 

[Rorschach]

Kupari will most likely be the first of the Kings prospects to be traded. He has yet to create an identity or claim a role, and shuffling between center and wing may show some versatility, but the problem is that by not staking a claim in either position he is falling behind higher level prospects at both positions on the depth chart.

He has very good straight ahead speed, a flyis, pleasant stride, but a limited offensive arsenal that is held to either streaking down the wing and beating defenders wide, or without the puck he likes to hide and cut across horizontally between the circles. Cut those off and he is limited in creativity and effectiveness.

He is very similar to the Kings Adrian Kempe in that he shows flashes of skill but doesn't really fit in well with other players. Very much an individual out there. High end potential would be similar to Silfverberg. Think of him as potential middle six winger who always leaves you wanting more because the consistency doesn't match the ability.

He may be a guy we offer but since he's so non-descript as you say, other teams probably won't be calling for him.

 

[JohnLennon]

Surprised this many Kings fans are down on Kupari... Considering how well he bounced back from surgery last year and how much raw talent he has, he has all the tools needed to be an effective top 6 forward and an exciting one at that.