Prospect Info: Jesperi Kotkaniemi

[MSLs absurd thighs]

Look in this thread and look how many are writing long posts about this game/tournament. People are interested but no one's making a big deal out of it. You are the one putting a lot of effort in this.



So your complaint isn't about Timmins' pick, but your gripe is about posters who like this pick, right?

I actually don't like the pick. But am not going to call the guy a bust. The draft is too much of a gamble for me to do that. For all I know, the vast majority of posters here who like the pick can be right and the guy can develop into a Barkov or a Kopitar. Though you'd believe this board is filled with prophets and hockey geniuses the way people talk as if there are absolutely no concerns about that pick.

... THAT BEING SAID, I also read the same posters back in the day comparing Kyle Chipchura to Bob Gainey, saying it was too soon to declare Pastrnak better than Schebak when Pasta was murdering the whole AHL at age 18, saying Kostitsyn had untapped potential until he was about to become UFA, and that Kristo for Thomas was a horrible move because Kristo was going to make it.

So people have been over optimistic about some prospects in the past. And it very well might be the case again with this one.

What I don't like is people trying to make it seem as if having concerns about the pick is invalid.

The guy has been picked 3rd overall because he's that special of a hockey player. Today, he's playing hockey. Against people of his age. He should look special in some kind of way. That's it.

 

[HOPE]

Sorry, what game?

I think he’s talking about a junior finland pre season game against the czech where he’s centering the first line along kaapo, i thought the game was done, if its what he’s talking about i realy want this link.

 

[SOLR]

How is the best center of the draft a high risk pick?

Bad draft year. Geez, it's like the draft is a new thing, get a grip.

 

[HOPE]

Sorry, what game?

incase you havent seen the other thread!

 

[Whitesnake]

There are people here preemtively creating excuses for the guy's possible lackluster performance in case he doesn't have a good performance and I'm the one putting a lot of effort in this?

Newsflash; I'm not going to waste a minute of sleep if the guy does good OR bad. I just like to be realistic. Picks can be good or bad. Just because you guys defend everything that has been picked by Timmins doesn't mean the guy can't possibly have badly wasted this pick.



Whitesnake, you've been here long enough to know people will come up with these excuses no matter the context, no matter how good or bad he does in this season. If he stagnates and still plays wings, people will still come up and say we've got our #1C pencilled in.

Nobody talked about saying this guy is a bust based on his performance in a summer show-off. But if at some point the show-offs and "irrevelant games" accumulate where he's just "one prospect among the others", at some point, maybe, MAYBE there MIGHT be valid reasons to be concerned about a 3rd overall pick looking like "just a prospect among the others".

But anyway... If it's so irrelevant. Why are people even paying attention to this game? You guys say a bad performance means nothing... well the same goes for a good performance, no? So in this case, why are you even wasting your time watching the guy if he has nothing to prove or show in this game?

This is kind of contradictory...

For the record. Stats mean nothing, that I can agree. But the guy should look a step or even two above the others. He's been picked 3rd overall. He's supposed to be that much of a special player. He should either show better skating, better abilities, better playmaking, better shooting, better hockey IQ or better defensive accumen than the others...

It's not really contradictory. When a guy plays great....you know that he has that in him. What he then needs to have is consistency to bring it as many times as possible. When a guy doesn't have it, it means that he either will never have it or....it's just a bad game...or a series of bad games. But you still can comfort yourself in saying that he might not be like that for ever. Yet again, I don't entirely disagree with you. Even great games can be deceiving. As I said before, the great Alexander Suglobov that Leafs fans were chanting when the guy had a tremendous preseason. That's not summer. That's as close as regular games as you can have....and yet...the kid wasn't able to bring it after. Nathan Beaulieu was on top of the scoring list in preseason too. Personnally, if I watch him....it because I want to know where he is at as far as for certain skills, bad or good. And because I like watching hockey. People who watched today were still able to find that Pajuniemi was a greate little player. So we can do hockey watching and not just Kotka watching.

As far as the 3rd overall pick....well it depends. Again, I can tell you that Pierre-Luc Dubois at 3 made NO sense. And then, I've seen Dubois up close in Blainville. That's one year before he is in the NHL looking downright impressive....well I will tell you that there was NO WAY, despite the stats, that this guy would be playing great in the NHL. Geez, he would not have played in the NHL. Period. A guy playing that good in the NHL 1 year after had to be extra dominating juniors no? Well in most games I saw, he wasn't. Sometimes and too often looking just like another junior player. So, again, let's be careful. It's all about progression and ceiling. Much less about performances in certain games.

 

[Sterling Archer]

I don't give a crap if he gets goals or assists. I just want to see signs of him being above the rest of the prospects. When you draft someone 3rd overall it's because he's in a class above the rest of the guys his age. If there are no clear signs of that in a tournament where the intensity is not even that high, there are actual reasons to be concerned.

I mean. Even Galchenyuk at this age after losing a full year due to injury was dominant in those displays.

Maybe in other drafts but last draft was very different. Anyone in the top 6-10 could have gone 3rd overall. It was Dahlin/Svetchnikov, the next 6-8 and then just about everyone else.

I’m happy we ended up with Kotkaniemi. He should easily be the best center in this draft which is EVERYTHING we could have asked for.

 

[Mrb1p]

Bad draft year. Geez, it's like the draft is a new thing, get a grip.

It was not a bad draft year, it was actually a very strong one.

Hischier and Zadina have relatively similar stats overall
Kotkaniemi compares well to guys like Puljujarvi and Rantanen
Hughes had one of the best NCAA draft years ever
Kravtsov produced more than any other rookies in the KHL
Wahlstrom put up legendary numbers in the USDP, better than Keller
Bouchard put up arcade numbers as a defender, outproducing even the likes of Sergachev by 25 points

 

[Bryson]

I wonder how much better Kotkaniemi is compared to Barrett Hayton? I like Hayton quite a bit but then again it's hard to tell from just youtube videos.

 

[Mrb1p]

I wonder how much better Kotkaniemi is compared to Barrett Hayton? I like Hayton quite a bit but then again it's hard to tell from just youtube videos.

Hayton sucks. He's slow, he has a meh shot, his playmaking is meh, he's a meh player. Kotkaniemi is better all across the board.

Didnt even get to PPG on a team that was stacked like the Soo

 

[Bryson]

Hayton sucks. He's slow, he has a meh shot, his playmaking is meh, he's a meh player. Kotkaniemi is better all across the board.

Didnt even get to PPG on a team that was stacked like the Soo

Cool thanks. Doing some more research seems the consensus was Kotkaniemi->Veleno->Hayton. Surprised Veleno dropped all the way to #30. Detroit did pretty well this draft getting both Zadina and Veleno. Really hope Hayton does well though. I want to see Arizona succeed.

 

[Mrb1p]

Cool thanks. Doing some more research seems the consensus was Kotkaniemi->Veleno->Hayton. Surprised Veleno dropped all the way to #30. Detroit did pretty well this draft getting both Zadina and Veleno. Really hope Hayton does well though. I want to see Arizona succeed.

Both Veleno and Hayton suck. Theyre limited in skills and ceiling. Hayton will be a NHL player for sure though.

I don't think Detroit had that good a draft. McIsaac, Veleno and Regula have very limited upside. Berggren is the crown jewel though, and Zadina is obviously very nice. Obviously, coming out of the draft with both Zadina and Berggren is going to be good for any team, but they couldve done much better with their picks.

 

[AshyHabs]

But...will he be properly developed, tis the question of the day.

 

[sandviper]

Both Veleno and Hayton suck. Theyre limited in skills and ceiling. Hayton will be a NHL player for sure though.

I don't think Detroit had that good a draft. McIsaac, Veleno and Regula have very limited upside. Berggren is the crown jewel though, and Zadina is obviously very nice. Obviously, coming out of the draft with both Zadina and Berggren is going to be good for any team, but they couldve done much better with their picks.

Prior to the actual calling of names at the draft, the Sportsnet analysts were saying how the Canadiens were targeting Kotkaniemi and Hayton. I was cringing at the thought of Hayton, so I was relieved when we got Kotkaniemi.

I think Hayton will be an NHLer but I did expect him to be picked in the teens. Biggest reach in the top-10 IMO.

 

[Bryson]

Both Veleno and Hayton suck. Theyre limited in skills and ceiling. Hayton will be a NHL player for sure though.

I don't think Detroit had that good a draft. McIsaac, Veleno and Regula have very limited upside. Berggren is the crown jewel though, and Zadina is obviously very nice. Obviously, coming out of the draft with both Zadina and Berggren is going to be good for any team, but they couldve done much better with their picks.

Ya seems like Veleno and Hayton have 2C/3C upside while Kotka is the only C with 1C upside so pretty happy about that pick. Pretty funny a comment about Kotka vs Zadina... Is this Barkov vs Drouin act 2?

 

[Mrb1p]

Ya seems like Veleno and Hayton have 2C/3C upside while Kotka is the only C with 1C upside so pretty happy about that pick. Pretty funny a comment about Kotka vs Zadina... Is this Barkov vs Drouin act 2?

I don't think so, Kotkaniemi shouldn't be as good as Barkov, and Zadina should be better than Drouin, or at least, thats what I think. Ultimately, I think both players are going to be really close for most of their careers, with Kotkaniemi playing C. But it depends on the team for sure.

 

[admiralcadillac]

I don't think so, Kotkaniemi shouldn't be as good as Barkov, and Zadina should be better than Drouin, or at least, thats what I think. Ultimately, I think both players are going to be really close for most of their careers, with Kotkaniemi playing C. But it depends on the team for sure.

Kotkaniemi and Zadina seem to play so differently as well that it may be hard to compare them even if they have similarly successful careers.

 

[Runner77]

This can't possibly be real.

 

[Runner77]

How credible is this account:



If it is, why not let the kid bulk up and let him develop.

 

[The Great Weal]

I think that's just something normal to say about your 3rd overall pick. Although, it wouldn't surprise me if they rush him just like they rushed Mete.

 

[Belial]

How credible is this account:



If it is, why not let the kid bulk up and let him develop.

I watched the game and that tweet is complete bs.

 

[GHJimmy]

Oh my! Another pick that is basically already going into the NHL? Man they don't know anything about hockey or competence

 

[NotProkofievian]

How credible is this account:



If it is, why not let the kid bulk up and let him develop.

Yeah a bunch of us watched the game and were all kinda

when we saw that tweet.

The replay of the game has been posted by @Erikfromfin in the showcase thread if you'd like to watch it.

 

[The Great Weal]

He holds his own at 17 in a mens league, but can't do it at a junior showcase in the summer? Yeah ok.

 

[Tuggy]

This can't possibly be real.

That would be a terrible decision.

So that's what I expect this organization to do...

 

[jaffy27]

How credible is this account:



If it is, why not let the kid bulk up and let him develop.

I think you’re reading too much into this.....all Molson said was he won’t rule it out meaning they’ll let the kid play to his full potential with a mindset that he could make the team.

Imagine in training camp, day 1, having all the players lined up, and Bergevin going to all of them one by one and saying you’re gonna make it, you’re gonna make it, you, you have no chance, you were sending back on first cut.

It doesn’t work like that. You let the kids enter camp with a clear mind and let them play their game. Having that cloud of you’re going back is an unnecessary distraction.

At least that’s the way I see it