Finnish Top Prospects part II

DoingItCoolKiwi

Registered User
May 23, 2017
3,406
2,633
2016 Laine 2nd
2017 Heiskanen 3rd
2018 Kotkaniemi 3rd
2019 Kakko 2nd/3rd?

What a top 3 draft pick streak we are on! Only matter of time till we get the first Finnish 1st oa pick in NHL history. Hughes is 2019, Lafreniere is probably 2020, Maybe 2021 or 2022?
 

kelsier

Registered User
Aug 17, 2013
4,280
1,741
2016 Laine 2nd
2017 Heiskanen 3rd
2018 Kotkaniemi 3rd
2019 Kakko 2nd/3rd?

What a top 3 draft pick streak we are on! Only matter of time till we get the first Finnish 1st oa pick in NHL history. Hughes is 2019, Lafreniere is probably 2020, Maybe 2021 or 2022?

Yeah I mentioned about this already in another thread. We've had 3 consecutive top 3 picks and after Kakko that should make it 4 in a row. How insane is that? We've talked about the beginning of a golden age, but the real question now is in which phase of this age exactly are we? The pipeline is still producing more and more top end talents and we are looking ahead as long as towards 2021 even as we speak (Aatu Räty seems highly touted) or even 2024 (just google Aron Kiviharju). It's like all the kids started playing hockey instead of drinking all the sudden, ha.
 

ijuka

Registered User
May 14, 2016
22,110
14,567
Ah, I didn't even realize that such a thread exists. I'll be spamming this relentlessly in the future so excuse me.

I'm very confident that Kakko will be a top 3 pick. His skill set with his size just is too good. That draft's not strong enough to have 3 players above him IMO.

For 2020, Kasper Simontaival is a bit more of a question mark for being able to continue the streak because while his skill set is undeniable, he's a lot smaller and additionally a winger. On the other hand, Anton Lundell might even have a good chance considering that he's a center, has enough size and his scoring has been quite good for his age. Still, it remains to be seen for 2020, but I'd say that the chances are decent.

As for 2021, Aatu Räty indeed as a center with enough size and great skating by a Finnish prospect for once seems to be in a pretty strong position. Kärpät is a top developing organization so that shouldn't pose any issues. I also think that Niko Huuhtanen should rank highly, but will likely have a disadvantage due to being a winger. There are a couple of other names I'm curious about for this draft but it's pretty early.

When it comes to 2022, I'd say that it's currently too early. Next season will tell us a lot. I'll note that I've not especially loved anyone I've watched up until this point, but that can quickly change. Kaapo Kakko himself for instance wasn't all that impressive this far ahead of his draft. Still, Kemell being able to play 2 years above his age group is good and I hope that he turns into something great. Other than him there are just a couple of gut feelings who I'll not name at this point.

2023 I know absolutely nothing about. There's no one that immediately pops out for me as a super talent. Too early.

As for 2024... It definitely is too early. Even so, I'll talk about him a little here:

Aron Kiviharju I've watched all I've been able to find(apart from some WSI, so expensive and the players don't play with intensity there anyway). Up until his age, there really are no comparables I've been able to find when it comes to scoring. He's a pre-puberty player playíng with / against players who are undergoing / have undergone growth spurts / puberty and hence is at the most disadvantageous period in a junior player's career, yet he's playing 2 years above his age and being his team's best player. I've checked literally every decent prospect whose scoring data goes far enough to the past as I've been able to find and no one has been even close to comparable with his scoring for these leagues. It's important to remember that these are forwards I'm trying to compare him to - He's a defenseman.

And this is even after his last season was rather weak in comparison - 1+ PPG at D1 is still better than I've seen anyone at this age have. I'm not entirely sure why the season was weaker. It could be because his team was absolutely terrible after TPS split their squad into two, or it could be because, as mentioned, he's right now at a very disadvantageous age for playing 2 years above his age group. I was watching some videos from when he was 9 years old playing 2 years above his age where he actually was about the same size as everyone else(everyone pre-puberty) and he was at times absolutely toying with the opponents. Unfortunately, the scoring for that age group isn't kept track of. In the 2016-2017 season he had 86 points in 24 games which I assume will stay a record for a u11 player at that level(u13 AAA) for a very long time, let alone by a defenseman.

The next season is what will be especially interesting. The reason for that is that he should be playing in the C2 AAA league, which is the first actually competitive league. That means that the teams will actually be trying to win(AKA will have uneven ice time, strategies to abuse the best players etc.) and that all the best players will be on one single team. Additionally, there will be stats for that league's scoring going way further back than there is for D1 - And therefore far more accurate comparisons will be possible. This is also the level where the top talents are first able to really stand out with their scoring. And finally, I'm hoping that this is where he'll have some sort of a growth spurt so he's not constantly so disadvantaged physically. But perhaps that'll have to wait for one more year - You never know.

As I said, I've watched him play a lot. I'd say I've seen at least around 30 full league games by him, which is quite a few. There also have been some tournament games in addition. Here's my current analysis of him as a player:

First of all, I'll use Button's attributes(Skating, hands, shot, hockey sense, compete) and explain my reasoning behind the ratings, then give a bit of a playstyle recap.

Skating is at least 5/5, probably 6/5. The agility is incredible, which certainly could partially be because of him still being so small, but I've not seen anyone else displaying this kind of agility in the Finnish leagues, even by players a couple of years above his age. He can make very swift turns, braking and changing direction very seamlessly, completely losing even several players at once and defusing seemingly impossible scenarios. Additionally, the lateral skating along the blue line is fantastic and his first steps and explosive acceleration is incredible. He's frequently able to make his way past several opposing players with skating alone, without really having to even resort to any significant dangles. He's able to skate backwards very well also, and even has some explosive acceleration in that direction as well. I really struggle to think of any weaknesses for his skating. Perhaps the top speed? But even then, he tends to be the fastest skater on the ice despite being 2 years younger than anyone else so I don't think that that'd be accurate, either. His skating technique is also very beautiful aesthetically and seems efficient. He also has great balance and is strong on his skates.

Hands are also at least 5/5. I've not been able to find enough footage of amazing hands by such young players to be able to figure out whether they're better than McDavid's hands at such an age for instance, but his hands are extraordinarily good. He has very good control over the puck, is able to make accurate lob passes and has a very impressive array of dangles. He often uses his skating in combination with his skating to bypass players in scenarios where one wouldn't expect him to do something like that at all. Even at 12, I'd say that his hands aren't weaker than any Finnish player's, no matter the age. I've not seen anyone with such combination of precision and speed. And, again, he's very efficient with the dangles and his moves. He doesn't showboat or perform tricks just to be flashy. He very efficiently and rapidly makes the move and gets on with it, which to me is very impressive. At his age, he already has the presence of mind and the timing to avoid opposing poke checks - Something most players will never get, let alone at the age of 12.

Shot 5/5. This isn't as good as his hands or skating are, but should still be 5/5 for a defenseman because he can consistently lift the puck and gets a lot of velocity for his age on both his wrister and the slap shot. He also has a backhand and can lift the puck with it as well, with decent velocity. On the flip side, his accuracy isn't always fantastic and his slap shot's a bit inconsistent - Sometimes it'll be an absolute rocket, but relatively often it'll end up being pretty mild. His release with the wrister also isn't super fast. But of course, this is notpicking somewhat. In all the games I've watched, no one's had a better shot and he still is only 12. For his age, it's incredible, downright. And I'm positive it'll become an incredible weapon down the line.

Hockey sense 6/5. This must be the most impressive thing about him. Despite his offensive skill set, he usually is positionally defensively responsible, constantly looking for the opposing forwards and playing it safe. Yes, he sometimes makes the bad pinch but for his age, his defensive awareness is unbelievably good. I'm not sure if there's a precedent for it. He is able to make tons of plays from the defensive zone, such as breakaway passes or stretch passes for an advantageous attack. He's good at getting in position to receive passes from his teammates. Even under pressure, he often is able to calmly make the right play. Especially the way he's able to hold the blue line with lob passes, spin moves and whatnot is extremely impressive. He has all sorts of fake outs like fake slappers into passes, he draws defensemen out of position, he finds holes in defense and suddenly skates in to receive a pass in a scoring chance. He has incredible vision but not only that, he often even threatens a move first to make the actual play he's making more successful, like draw the opposing defenders' attention towards himself before passing to the guy who now is open. He has tricks like between-the-legs passes up his sleeve, but he seems to rarely use them, only doing so when it's actually useful. It's truly incredible to watch because most games there's usually going to be a couple of moments of absolute brilliance. In fact, it's a bit frustrating to watch sometimes because I would love it if he made some more risky, flashy and selfish plays more often when he clearly has the ability but oftentimes he's just going to make the safer, smarter plays(Usually leading to his teammates usually doing something dumb or doing their best to avoid passing the puck back). In general, the maturity of his game is very difficult to comprehend for a player of his age. Still, I think that this tendency is going to translate extremely well to pro play when the teammates are actually competent and he still has all the tools to make plays himself and when that's used to full advantage.

Compete 4/5. Now, this I'll have to rate below 5/5 because he really is somewhat inconsistent in this regard. Especially in the defensive zone, I find that while his defensive positioning and responsibility is great, when it comes to the actual defending it's a bit of a work in progress. She doesn't really seem to involve himself in the battles all too often and in general, isn't active that consistently. On the other hand, he does have flashes of great competitiveness and fighting as well and has also made some impressive backchecking plays. Still, I do expect this to become stronger at the C2 AAA level and especially CSM if he plays there in a year, when the leagues are going to be more meaningful. We'll see.

Briefly on the playstyle:

On the power play, he can play the PP QB well. He can make passes, open lanes, threaten plays, bypass the forwards, circle around looking for passing lanes, fake slappers into passes or dangles past the blocker etc. His toolset on the power play is very impressive and I'd be surprised if this doesn't end up becoming his speciality.

In 5v5, he's been used as the "lower" defenseman. That is, he usually is the defenseman furthest back. In the defensive zone with the puck, he's able to make the first pass very well and defuse troublesome forechecking scenarios very well. He's consistently able to either skate the puck into the zone or to pass it to a teammate. In the offensive zone, he very rarely overextends himself and is very quick to fall back out of the zone when the situation becomes threatening. At times he's really impressed me with how quickly he's realized that a situation might become threatening.

Without his team having the puck though, his play isn't nearly as strong. Some of that might be due to him losing physically to just about any of his opponents, but he often stands around and his defensive play consists mostly of poke checking. Sometimes it does end up becoming a great success, but too often it just does nothing and the opposing players get a strong scoring chance. The defensive play still is certainly not bad for his age in any case and he does make several good defensive plays in a game, but it's a far cry from his offensive game and his play with the puck. It's his biggest weakness for sure.


So these are my thoughts on him. To me he certainly is the most exciting Finnish prospect I've ever seen and I'm very eager to see him on the national team... eventually. Actually, I wonder if they really are going to wait until he's u16 before having him play for the u16 national team. That'd still be 3 years away. I would imagine that in just 1 year, he should easily make the team and in 2, he should be the best player on the team. Hm, perhaps we would see him at u-18s as a 16-year-old like with McDavid... It remains to be seen. Looking forward to the next season for sure.
 

Erikfromfin

Registered User
May 18, 2013
4,278
1,652
Some short thoughts on 2020 draft that could end up really good draft for Finns.

Elite 5
1. Anton Lundell
2. Kasper Simontaival
3. Topi Niemelä
4. Christoffer Sedoff
5. Oliver Suni

Seems every finnish promising center gets compeared to Barkov these days but I think Lundell is the one that actually most resembles him. Really good two-way center that just does right decicion with and withouth the puck all the time. Great defensivily, seem him couple years now in national team and he was always good player but in the U18 world champs I started to see offensive upside I had waited from him. Doesnt have as magical hands as Sasha but still very good nose for the net and can create plays aswell. For me clearly the top Finn at this point for this draft.
Simontaival is like upgraded version of Nordgren. His got really high skill level and offensive dimensions. His not great defensivily but he can dangle, he can shoot, he can make plays just pure offensive weapon. Only size is somewhat concern regarding becoming home run player.
Topi Niemelä I like a lot I thought he was better than Sedoff in national team thus I had no problem ranking him ahead. Posted short video of him here https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/rd-topi-niemelä-kärpät-fin-jrs-2020-draft.2497427/.
Sedoff is really good two-way defensman with good skating. He makes smart passes and plays and can also carry the puck up the ice with confidence. Very convincing defensivily just a very good modern defensman with upside. Was used as shooter on right dot on powerplay for national team.
Oliver Suni is the third promising forward. He gets to scoring areas and is good finisher. He has good hands, speed, shot and size. Plays a solid two-way game aswell.
Those are the 5 guys whose upside I like a lot and could become first rounders.

Next 2
6. Ruben Rafkin
7. Kasper Puutio

I have very limited and outdated views on Rafkin but his also very promising defensman I need to see more. Puutio I have ranked as the 4th best defensman but he was actually the one playing in U17 National team last season while Niemelä, Sedoff were in the U16 National team and Rafkin was banned due playing NA. Puutio plays quite mature and polished game for his age and is strong two-way defensman, though I havent seen great deal of offensive upside in his game to rank higher.
After those 5 to 7 guys I think theres dropoff in talent.

Others that have impressed
Roni Hirvonen,
Joona Lehmus,
Veeti Miettinen,
Joel Määttä,
Veikka Hahl
 
  • Like
Reactions: Keke

Eyelanders

Registered User
Jan 9, 2011
422
4
Some good insight from @Erikfromfin above. Though I wouldn't rate Lehmus that high, I'd rather prefer other defensemen, e.g. Eemil Viro or Arttu Paaso, who both were pretty good in the final U16 tournament of the season IMO. I think forward Roby Järventie and goalie Eikka Kokkonen are also worth mentioning. Järventie is a really good skater with great technical skills and vision. Kokkonen seems to be the early front-runner for the top Finnish goalie in the 2002 age group.
 

kelsier

Registered User
Aug 17, 2013
4,280
1,741
Some short thoughts on 2020 draft that could end up really good draft for Finns.

Elite 5
1. Anton Lundell
2. Kasper Simontaival
3. Topi Niemelä
4. Christoffer Sedoff
5. Oliver Suni

Seems every finnish promising center gets compeared to Barkov these days but I think Lundell is the one that actually most resembles him. Really good two-way center that just does right decicion with and withouth the puck all the time. Great defensivily, seem him couple years now in national team and he was always good player but in the U18 world champs I started to see offensive upside I had waited from him. Doesnt have as magical hands as Sasha but still very good nose for the net and can create plays aswell. For me clearly the top Finn at this point for this draft.
Simontaival is like upgraded version of Nordgren. His got really high skill level and offensive dimensions. His not great defensivily but he can dangle, he can shoot, he can make plays just pure offensive weapon. Only size is somewhat concern regarding becoming home run player.
Topi Niemelä I like a lot I thought he was better than Sedoff in national team thus I had no problem ranking him ahead. Posted short video of him here https://hfboards.mandatory.com/threads/rd-topi-niemelä-kärpät-fin-jrs-2020-draft.2497427/.
Sedoff is really good two-way defensman with good skating. He makes smart passes and plays and can also carry the puck up the ice with confidence. Very convincing defensivily just a very good modern defensman with upside. Was used as shooter on right dot on powerplay for national team.
Oliver Suni is the third promising forward. He gets to scoring areas and is good finisher. He has good hands, speed, shot and size. Plays a solid two-way game aswell.
Those are the 5 guys whose upside I like a lot and could become first rounders.

Next 2
6. Ruben Rafkin
7. Kasper Puutio

I have very limited and outdated views on Rafkin but his also very promising defensman I need to see more. Puutio I have ranked as the 4th best defensman but he was actually the one playing in U17 National team last season while Niemelä, Sedoff were in the U16 National team and Rafkin was banned due playing NA. Puutio plays quite mature and polished game for his age and is strong two-way defensman, though I havent seen great deal of offensive upside in his game to rank higher.
After those 5 to 7 guys I think theres dropoff in talent.

Others that have impressed
Roni Hirvonen,
Joona Lehmus,
Veeti Miettinen,
Joel Määttä,
Veikka Hahl

My thoughts exactly after the WJHC*. He seems to be tremendous in knowing where to be and when without the puck. Of course this helps a lot defensively but having the ability to position correctly tends to lead into production as well. Lundell isn't the greatest skater either but with his two-way game and apparent hockey IQ, he seems like the closest thing to Barkov since Barkov. I just hope he keeps developing the same way he has so far. He's currently listed as 6"0 in eliteprospects but I'm not sure if that's accurate. Anyway, plenty of time for growth burst and size will not be an issue for him (I actually thought he was taller).

Simontaival was injured the first half of the season in 17-18 afaik. I hope this didn't spin back his development too harshly but definitely another forward to keep an eye on.
 

jalperi

Registered User
Feb 17, 2016
322
64
Some Finnish prospects statistics:

2020 Draft
Liiga
Anton Lundell, C, HIFK 6 3+0=3 TOI 12:25 -01
Kasperi Simontaival, W, Tappara 5 0+2=2 -1 TOI 5:11

Mestis
Kasper Simontaival, W, Tappara 2 0+2=2 +2

A-SM
Roni Hirvonen, C, Blues 16 8+14=22 +11
Veeti Miettinen, RW, Blues 16 9+11=20 +10 -01
Kasper Simontaival, W, Tappara 12 6+6=12 +5
Anton Lundell, C, HIFK 9 5+6=11 +9 -01
Arttu Tuomaala, F, Tappara 11 5+4=9 -1 -01
Roby Järventie, W, Ilves 13 4+3=7 0
Onni Boman, F, JYP 15 3+2=5 +6 -01
Veeti Lehmuskallio, F, Sport 13 2+2=4 -2 -01
Matias Rajaniemi, D, Pelicans 7 1+1=2 0
Veeti Korkalainen, C, KooKoo 7 1+1=2 -6
Christoffer Sedoff, D, HIFK 12 0+2=2 -1
Joona Lehmus, D/F, Tappara 7 0+1=1 -4
Kasper Puutio, D, Kärpät 10 0+1=1 +1
Kalle Myllymaa, F, Ässät 3 0+0=0 +1
Topi Niemelä, D, Kärpät 5 0+0=0 0

B-SM
Jimi Rönkkönen, F, HPK 11 7+12=19 -01
Oliver Suni, F, Kärpät 13 11+7=18
Thomas Hölsömäki, F, Lukko 14 8+9=17
Vili Munkki, F, TPS 14 7+9=16
Jesper Tarkiainen, F, Jokerit 12 9+6=15
Taneli Kovaniemi, F, KalPa 14 8+6=14 -01
Jesse Seppälä, F, Tappara 9 5+9=14
Kalle Myllymaa, F, Ässät 8 9+4=13
Veikka Hahl, C, KalPa 13 6+7=13
Anton Sihvonen, F, HPK 13 5+8=13
Juuso Mäenpää, F, Jokerit 11 7+5=12
Niklas Meriläinen, F, KalPa 14 6+6=12
Veeti Korkalainen, C, KooKoo 9 5+6=11
Ville Ottavainen, D, Kärpät 14 3+6=9
Matias Rajamäki, D, Pelicans 8 2+2=4
Niko Liiri, D, JYP 14 2+6=8
Joona Mourujärvi D, Kärpät 14 1+7=8
Nikolas Ketonen, D, TPS 14 0+8=8
Topi Niemelä, D, Kärpät 6 1+5=6

B-Mestis Q
Luukas Laiho, F, SaPKo 12 18+22=40

USHL
Ruben Rafkin, D, Tri-City Storm 4 1+0=1 +4

2021 Draft
A-SM
Aatu Räty, F, Kärpät 8 5+0=5 +2 -02
Valtteri Karnaranta, F, Ässät 11 2+2=4 -4 -02
Eero Niemi, F, Ässät 14 1+1=2 -1 -02

B-SM
Samu Tuomaala, F, Kärpät 14 8+14=22
Aatu Räty, F, Kärpät 6 10+8=18 -02
Verner Miettinen, F, Blues 13 7+8=15
Vili Kukkola, F, Tappara 11 5+6=11 -02
Jere Virolainen, F, Tappara 13 7+2=9
Verneri Ahonen, F, Tappara 6 2+6=8
Viljami Marjala, F, Kärpät 10 3+5=8
Perttu Kauhanen, F, JYP 12 4+3=7 -02
Viljam Sandvik, F, Jokerit 14 3+3=6
Aapo Siivonen, D, Lukko 14 2+4=6 -02
Niko Huuhtanen, F, Blues 7 1+5=6
Valtteri Koskela, D, JYP 8 2+3=5 -02
Santeri Koskela, F, JYP 13 2+3=5 -02
Lenni Hämäläinen, F, HIFK 12 2+2=4 -02
Aleksi Malinen, D, JYP 12 1+3=4
Joni Loukkojärvi, D, SaiPa 6 2+0=2

C-SM Q
Sisu Yliniemi, F, Kärpät 14 14+19=33
Leevi Kinnunen, F, Kärpät 15 9+23=32
Rasmus Kuiri, F, Jokipojat 14 15+10=25
Viljami Juusola, D, Kärpät 14 8+13=21
Samu Salminen, F, Jokerit 10 7+14=21
Verneri Ahonen, F, Tappara 6 9+11=20
Jeremi Tammela, F, KalPa 8 11+8=19
Joni Loukkojärvi, D, SaiPa/Ketterä 9 6+10=17
Arttu Kuivas, D, Kärpät 9 5+11=16
Viljami Marjala, F, Tappara 4 7+5=12
Niko Huuhtanen, F, Blues 4 1+6=7

2022 Draft
B-SM
Rasmus Ruusunen, F, Jokerit 9 2+1=3 -03
Joakim Kemell, F, JYP 8 0+1=1
Brad Lambert, F, Pelicans 2 0+0=0 -03

C-SM Q
Joni Virolainen, F, Tappara 12 9+15=24 -03
Topi Rönni, F, Tappara 12 6+16=22
Oiva Keskinen, F, HC Nokia 13 7+13=20
Otto Hokkanen, F, SaiPa/Ketterä 15 4+15=19
Elmeri Laakso, D, Jokipojat 13 5+9=14
Kasperi Kulonummi, D, Jokerit 13 2+11=13
Iiro Halme, F, Kärpät 5 7+3=10 -03
Rasmus Ruusunen, F, Jokerit 4 5+3=8 -03
Joakim Kemell, F, JYP 3 3+3=6
Brad Lambert, F, Pelicans 1 1+1=2 -03

And this:
2023 Draft
C Mestis Q
Lenni Hämeenaho, F, YJK 9 12+15=27 -04
 
Last edited:

JJTT

Registered User
Jan 18, 2013
7,707
1,212
Oulu
Hirvonen seems to be flying under the radar, even with great stats in the U20 league already.

 

Erikfromfin

Registered User
May 18, 2013
4,278
1,652
Top10 seems a bit too ambitious, top10 Finns for sure. Though his been growing this season looked good in the Finnkampen.
 

Wahlstrom23

Registered User
May 15, 2019
2
0
19-20 season:
Manu Raty 01 Kookoo ->Ässät u20
Iivari Säkkinen 02 kärpät-> Lukko u20
Roni Hirvonen 02 blues-> Ässät u20
Lenni Hämäläinen 02 hifk-> Lukko u20
Joonas Parviainen 02 hifk-> Lukko u20
(Does anyone know what happened to parviainen and hämäläinen while playing for hifk u18, some motivation problems or what, 16 points for parviainen and 15 for hämäläinen????)
Roni Karvinen 02 Kiekko-Vantaa-> Saipa u20
Leo Ring 01 jokerit->Lukko u20
Ville Niemi 03 blues-> jokerit u18
 

Svedu

Registered User
Apr 23, 2019
2,070
1,217
Younger ones? Jesse Nurmi, Joakim Kemell, Emil Kuusla, Aron Kiviharju (i know, so young, sorry).
 

BL92

Double Gold
May 22, 2016
2,096
1,201
Finland
I know that goalies development curves are really hard to predict but are there any potential Rinne/Rask level goalies coming (if we don't count Saros in)? It'd suck if Finland ran dry in elite goalies, yet produced elite d/f men.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Doothpick

Erikfromfin

Registered User
May 18, 2013
4,278
1,652
Anyone want to choose the better prospects from players that interest me from 2020-2022 drafts

Brad Lambert vs Aatu Räty
Anton Lundell vs Samu Salminen
Joakim Kemell vs Samu Tuomaala
Niko Huuhtanen vs Kasper Simontaival
Roni Hirvonen vs Verner Miettinen
Otto Hokkanen vs Jere Lassila
Topi Rönni vs Jere Virolainen
Roby Järventie vs Veeti Miettinen
Viljami Marjala vs Oliver Suni
Juuso Mäenpää vs Joel Määttä
Ville Koivunen vs Viljam Sandvik
Eetu Liukas vs Eero Niemi
Jani Nyman vs Rasmus Ruusunen
Samu Bau vs Santeri Sulku
Tommi Männistö vs Oskari Vuorio
Eemil Erholtz vs Joonas Oden
Topi Niemelä vs Kasper Puutio
Joni Jurmo vs Eemil Viro
Ruben Rafkin vs Christoffer Sedoff
Viljami Juusola vs Aleksi Malinen
Atte Lehikoinen vs Jimi Suomi
Tomi Leppänen vs Topias Vilen
Aleksi Heimosalmi vs Roni Jauhiainen
Arttu Kärki vs Otto Salin
Kasper Kulonummi vs Elmeri Laakso
Aleksi Matinmikko vs Axel Rindell
Joel Blomqvist vs Topias Leinonen
Juuso Helomaa vs Paavo Kohonen
Jasper Patrikainen vs Kari Piiroinen
 
Last edited:

LoveHateLeafs

Registered User
Jul 7, 2009
690
327
Figured I'd update prospects posting good points/game(with a decent sample size) since we're almost into December.

2004-Born Forwards in B-juniors Qualifications(>22 games)
*Juraj Slafkovsky(TPS) 1.33
Jere Lassila(JYP) 1.00

2004-Born Defensemen in B-juniors Qualifications(>16 games)
Elmeri Laakso(TPS) 0.82
*Tomas Hamara(Tappara) 0.74

2004-Born Forwards in B-Mestis Qualifications(Don't know if this is actually impressive. Both players' orgs lack teams in the highest level of B-juniors competition and they're too good for C-juniors)
Aleksanteri Kaskimaki(Jokipojat) 2.63
Otto Hokkanen(SaiPa) 1.85

2005-Born Forwards in C-junior qualification(min 14 GP)
*Samuel Sisik(TPS) 1.77
Tuomas Uronen(KJT) 1.60
Jesse Nurmi(KooKoo) 1.5
Kasper Halttunen(Jokerit/Vikingit) 1.44
Emile Jarventie(Ilves) 1.19
Santeri Elo 1.17
Tom Leppa(Blues U16 Akatemia) 1.12
Topias Hynninen(Kalpa) 1.09

2005-Born Defensemen in C-junior qualification(min 14 GP)
Peetu Kiukas(SaiPa/Kettera) 0.95
Roni Piilinen(TPS) 0.55
*Maxim Strbak(Jokerit) 0.50

2006-Born Forwards in C-junior qualification
Julius Miettinen(HIFK) 0.8
Roope Rajala(Ilves) 0.72

2006-Born Defensemen in C-junior qualification
Aron Kiviharju(TPS) 1.44

*indicates non-Finnish player

Note that 2005-born winger Jesse Nurmi was promoted to his teams B-juniors team, and has scored 9 points in 6 games. He will likely stay there for the rest of the year.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jalperi

LoveHateLeafs

Registered User
Jul 7, 2009
690
327
A-juniors game sheets provide a bit more data. Here are pretty much all the 2003-born forwards in A-juniors who have played a lot of games.

PlayerAVG Ice Time Shot Attempts per 60 minutes playedShot attempts from Home plate/60 minutes playedPoints/60 minutes played
Brad Lambert16:49 17.19.43.72
Samu Salminen 13:2011.68.34.50
Niko Huuhtanen 16:1512.67.21.92
Verner Miettinen 20:065.855.011.91
Samu Tuomaala 15:0419.49.71.99
Rasmus Ruusunen 13:4913.47.41.81
Joona Korhonen 17:198.35.92.45
Jesperi Kotkaniemi 15:5516.212.03.32
Rasmus Kupari 16:0613.010.02.37
Kaapo Kakko 19:5922.413.43.70
Anton Lundell 17:2513.510.33.76
Aatu Raty 14:3611.17.02.86
Kasper Simontaival 17:1215.810.84.04
Roni Hirvonen 19:0513.98.43.63
Roby Jarventie 15:5111.25.52.74
[TBODY] [/TBODY]
 

LoveHateLeafs

Registered User
Jul 7, 2009
690
327
Basically the above table is for the season in which the players were last eligible to play in the World U17's. Since some are born in January and others December this obviously isn't perfect. I'm not saying that these numbers mean anything, just that I find them interesting. These numbers also don't take into account team situation and powerplay time since as far as I know the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation doesn't keep track of ES vs PP vs SH minutes at this level.

Salminen's high point scoring pace is interesting. I went back through the game sheets and currently 6 out of his 19 points were on the PP, but I have no idea if this is an unusual proportion. If he gets a lot of PP time relative to ES minutes this may explain his high rate of scoring.
 

Erikfromfin

Registered User
May 18, 2013
4,278
1,652
My thoughts on next 3 drafts in lineup form...

2020 Draft lineup (no overagers)

Roby Järventie - Anton Lundell - Kasper Simontaival
Veeti Miettinen - Roni Hirvonen - Oliver Suni
Niki Korpialho - Juuso Mäenpää - Veeti Korkalainen
Oskari Luoto - Joel Määttä - Iivari Säkkinen
Antti Myllyaho
Topias Kaski

Eemil Viro - Topi Niemelä
Joni Jurmo - Kasper Puutio
Christoffer Sedoff - Ruben Rafkin
Joona Lehmus - Ville Ottavainen

Joel Blomqvist
Juha Jatkola
Joonas Valtonen

Forwards 8.5
Defenders 9
Goalies 9


2021 Draft lineup

Samu Salminen - Aatu Räty - Samu Tuomaala
Viljami Marjala - Verner Miettinen - Eetu Liukas
Eero Niemi - Jere Virolainen - Niko Huuhtanen
Viljam Sandvik - Samuel Helenius - Ville Koivunen
Jeremi Tammela
Verneri Ahonen

Aleksi Malinen - Viljami Juusola
Jimi Suomi - Roni Jauhiainen
Atte Lehikoinen - Topias Vilen
Tomi Leppänen - Aleksi Heimosalmi

Paavo Kohonen
Juuso Helomaa
Jani Lampinen

Forwards 9
Defenders 8.5
Goalies 7


2022 Draft lineup

Jere Lassila - Brad Lambert - Joakim Kemell
Jani Nyman - Otto Hokkanen - Santeri Sulku
Oskari Vuorio - Topi Rönni - Rasmus Ruusunen
Tuomas Hynninen - Samu Bau - Tommi Männistö
Robin Keihäs
Valtteri Maurola

Otto Heinonen - Otto Salin
Elmeri Laakso - Kasper Kulonummi
Mika Mönkkönen - Aarne Jokinen
Thomas Grönlund - Saku Joutsi

Topias Leinonen
Niklas Kokko
Manu Lukkarinen

Forwards 10
Defenders 7
Goalies 10
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: FinPanda

LoveHateLeafs

Registered User
Jul 7, 2009
690
327
Li
My thoughts on next 3 drafts in lineup form...

2020 Draft lineup (no overagers)

Roby Järventie - Anton Lundell - Kasper Simontaival
Veeti Miettinen - Roni Hirvonen - Oliver Suni
Niki Korpialho - Juuso Mäenpää - Veeti Korkalainen
Oskari Luoto - Joel Määttä - Iivari Säkkinen
Antti Myllyaho
Topias Kaski

Eemil Viro - Topi Niemelä
Joni Jurmo - Kasper Puutio
Christoffer Sedoff - Ruben Rafkin
Joona Lehmus - Ville Ottavainen

Joel Blomqvist
Juha Jatkola
Joonas Valtonen

Forwards 8.5
Defenders 9
Goalies 9


2021 Draft lineup

Samu Salminen - Aatu Räty - Samu Tuomaala
Viljami Marjala - Verner Miettinen - Eetu Liukas
Eero Niemi - Jere Virolainen - Niko Huuhtanen
Viljam Sandvik - Samuel Helenius - Ville Koivunen
Jeremi Tammela
Verneri Ahonen

Aleksi Malinen - Viljami Juusola
Jimi Suomi - Roni Jauhiainen
Atte Lehikoinen - Topias Vilen
Tomi Leppänen - Aleksi Heimosalmi

Paavo Kohonen
Juuso Helomaa
Jani Lampinen

Forwards 9
Defenders 8.5
Goalies 7


2022 Draft lineup

Jere Lassila - Brad Lambert - Joakim Kemell
Jani Nyman - Otto Hokkanen - Santeri Sulku
Oskari Vuorio - Topi Rönni - Rasmus Ruusunen
Tuomas Hynninen - Samu Bau - Tommi Männistö
Robin Keihäs
Valtteri Maurola

Otto Heinonen - Otto Salin
Elmeri Laakso - Kasper Kulonummi
Mika Mönkkönen - Aarne Jokinen
Thomas Grönlund - Saku Joutsi

Topias Leinonen
Niklas Kokko
Manu Lukkarinen

Forwards 10
Defenders 7
Goalies 10
What's your opinion on 2004-born Jokipojat forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki? Like Hokkanen, he's played a lot of B mestis, but with a much better scoring rate, but I haven't seen him play.
 

Erikfromfin

Registered User
May 18, 2013
4,278
1,652
Li

What's your opinion on 2004-born Jokipojat forward Aleksanteri Kaskimaki? Like Hokkanen, he's played a lot of B mestis, but with a much better scoring rate, but I haven't seen him play.
His just played 2x U16 matches and will play 3rd one on 4th line tomorrow... hasnt stood out in anything notable way
 
  • Like
Reactions: LoveHateLeafs

Ad

Upcoming events

Ad

Ad

-->