NotProkofievian
Registered User
- Nov 29, 2011
- 24,586
- 24,800
Now that us Finns have had some continued success on the prospect front, it appears that we don't have to make a huge deal about every prospect who might one day reach the NHL.I can't remember last time when a possible 1st round prospect playing in Finland has got so little hype from the Finns.
Ok, maybe Vaakanainen too last year. I think it's quite nice actually lol.
It's nice and quiet but wait until he kills it at WJC and the mainstream media hype train gets goingI can't remember last time when a possible 1st round prospect playing in Finland has got so little hype from the Finns.
Ok, maybe Vaakanainen too last year. I think it's quite nice actually lol.
To be honest, I've seen him talked more about by the Fins than Kupari (atleast around here).I can't remember last time when a possible 1st round prospect playing in Finland has got so little hype from the Finns.
Ok, maybe Vaakanainen too last year. I think it's quite nice actually lol.
To be fair, I think that apart from Hlinka, Kotkaniemi has just been more impressive than Kupari.To be honest, I've seen him talked more about by the Fins than Kupari (atleast around here).
Yeah, I know. I meant like more posts here. Kotkaniemi has been better than Kupari for sure. It's nice and quiet here. There was like 10 years without any top prospects from Finland. I am quite young and I haven't followed hockey that much before Granlund.To be honest, I've seen him talked more about by the Finns than Kupari (atleast around here).
Also, there was a long stretch where the 1st round prospect from Finland was probably the best Finnish prospect that year. With your recent uptick in production of good prospects, there is no need to really hype up the next hope. Its been a long time since Toni Rajala was the best player. The last 2 years have been really good producing two or more guys who went in the first that were playing in Finland (Laine, Puljujarvi, Borgstrom, Heiskanen, Vaakanainen) on top of the guys playing outside the country (Juolevi, Vesalainen, Jokiharju)
So true.It's nice and quiet but wait until he kills it at WJC and the mainstream media hype train gets going
To be fair, I think that apart from Hlinka, Kotkaniemi has just been more impressive than Kupari.
To be fair, I think that apart from Hlinka, Kotkaniemi has just been more impressive than Kupari.
Well, he managed just fine with his skating in the last U18 WJC tournament as an underager. And his skating is already better than it was then.I just don't trust his skating skills. That is what is making him a question mark for the international tournamanet like the World Juniors.
Well, he managed just fine with his skating in the last U18 WJC tournament as an underager. And his skating is already better than it was then.
I’m pretty sure he will do well at the U20 WJC already this year. But it’s good to remember that he will be there still a double underager and he can still play even in the next U18 WJC too. So it’s good to have still some realism with the expectations for him.
Well, at least, he's showing progress.
Yeah it is the skating that is somewhat concerning. It is not like Kotkaniemi wouldn't accelerate quickly or wouldn't be mobile or agile, but it is the top speed where he loses against pro players. Well that and incomplete physical side of course but that is something that time should fix but I wouldn't be completely sure about the skating technique.Skating is the concern with Jesperi, to be fair. It just looks weird. I started watching his Liiga play after his initial burst of production and there was a pretty clear reason why he wasn't putting up points for about a month. He was just late on most plays. That hasn't really been the case lately, at least in my opinion. He's getting looks every game now.
Yeah it is the skating that is somewhat concerning. It is not like Kotkaniemi wouldn't accelerate quickly or wouldn't be mobile or agile, but it is the top speed where he loses against pro players. Well that and incomplete physical side of course but that is something that time should fix but I wouldn't be completely sure about the skating technique.
I think Kotkaniemi is getting more and more familiar with the pro game. He has simplified his game lately and he doesn't constantly carry the puck anymore. He is a smart kid and he starts to understand when it is a good idea to carry the puck and when to pass it. Of course he is still making junior mistakes but not as much anymore. At the same time he is doing more and more right decisions which can be seen in the score sheet.
It hasn't been particularly close, IMO. I don't know what Kotkaniemi has to do to be ranked ahead of Kupari in most rankings. Be watched by people who do the rankings?
It hasn't been particularly close, IMO. I don't know what Kotkaniemi has to do to be ranked ahead of Kupari in most rankings. Be watched by people who do the rankings?
Good pace, but TPS at the time was hot garbage and Rantanen was misused badly by Suikkanen before the WJC. Should say a lot that Rantanen was the leading scorer for us in the end, I don't think his numbers are that good of a comparison for Kotkaniemi.Extends his current scoring streak to five games. Currently at exactly 0,5PPG, same as Rantanen during his draft season.
Yeah I remember TPS that year, Rantanen was just the first guy that came in mind when I thought about prospects with similar numbers. For what it's worth, Puljujärvi also had very similar numbers (28 in 50).Good pace, but TPS at the time was hot garbage and Rantanen was misused badly by Suikkanen before the WJC. Should say a lot that Rantanen was the leading scorer for us in the end, I don't think his numbers are that good of a comparison for Kotkaniemi.
Pulju's numbers were very different before and after WJC though. Before the WJC Pulju had 5 + 7 = 12 points in 31 games and after 12 + 13 = 25 points in 29 games, playoffs included. If he matches Pulju's numbers after the WJC, I think he should be a top 10 pick.Yeah I remember TPS that year, Rantanen was just the first guy that came in mind when I thought about prospects with similar numbers. For what it's worth, Puljujärvi also had very similar numbers (28 in 50).
Funnily enough, it was the same with Rantanen. Kotkaniemi on the other hand had a better start before slowing down and then starting to pick up more points again lately. We'll see whether he will get that WJC boost.Pulju's numbers were very different before and after WJC though. Before the WJC Pulju had 5 + 7 = 12 points in 31 games and after 12 + 13 = 25 points in 29 games, playoffs included. If he matches Pulju's numbers after the WJC, I think he should be a top 10 pick.