Prospect Info: Justus Annunen (G) (2018 64th overall)

[UncleRisto]

Obviously that doesn't automatically mean Juustus could come over and put up great numbers right away in the AHL but it is an encouraging sign that he's playing so well relative to his peer.

"Juustus" sounds like a fat joke cheese pun for the Finns among us.

 

[Bubba Thudd]

Finns aren't real.

They're just like goblins, the tooth fairy, and the boogieman.

Not real.

 

[UncleRisto]

Finns aren't real.

They're just like goblins, the tooth fairy, and the boogieman.

Not real.

"Lisa, vampires are make-believe, just like elves, gremlins, and Eskimos."

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

After watching Annunen at the WJC (and finally having time to write this down) here are some thoughts:

-One of the biggest concerns when drafted was his movement. He made it work at the junior level be keeping his movement economical and kept his movements small. Now he has better control in where he's going, a bit of an explosive quality, and overall just moves around the crease better/quicker.

-He's as technically proficient as ever and it's got to be intimidating trying to score on him. When he's confident and at the top of the game he's providing a solid wall to shoot at, not hard to see why he's having a great year in Finland.

-What this tournament brought to light was when Annunen's confidence hits the floor he defaults to over relying on his size and when you have some of the best shooters available that gets exposed quickly as we saw in the Canada game as well as in the Swedish game where he allowed that goal in from the corner.

-While I liked how well Annunen was tracking the puck around the ice I wasn't overly impressed with how he was tracking shots into his body. There was a few too many times where he'd opt for a passive save selection or just flat out let the puck hit him then react to it. For me this has me worried about just how good he can be. It's hard for me to describe but essentially the thought running through my head when I saw his inconsistent shot tracking was "this isn't going to cut it in the NHL".

-I'd like to see him come over next season. I don't know how much another season in the Liiga is going to help especially with the success he's having now. Get him over and start getting him used to the North American rinks/style. With how he plays he always takes time to adjust.

 

[The Abusement Park]

After watching Annunen at the WJC (and finally having time to write this down) here are some thoughts:

-One of the biggest concerns when drafted was his movement. He made it work at the junior level be keeping his movement economical and kept his movements small. Now he has better control in where he's going, a bit of an explosive quality, and overall just moves around the crease better/quicker.

-He's as technically proficient as ever and it's got to be intimidating trying to score on him. When he's confident and at the top of the game he's providing a solid wall to shoot at, not hard to see why he's having a great year in Finland.

-What this tournament brought to light was when Annunen's confidence hits the floor he defaults to over relying on his size and when you have some of the best shooters available that gets exposed quickly as we saw in the Canada game as well as in the Swedish game where he allowed that goal in from the corner.

-While I liked how well Annunen was tracking the puck around the ice I wasn't overly impressed with how he was tracking shots into his body. There was a few too many times where he'd opt for a passive save selection or just flat out let the puck hit him then react to it. For me this has me worried about just how good he can be. It's hard for me to describe but essentially the thought running through my head when I saw his inconsistent shot tracking was "this isn't going to cut it in the NHL".

-I'd like to see him come over next season. I don't know how much another season in the Liiga is going to help especially with the success he's having now. Get him over and start getting him used to the North American rinks/style. With how he plays he always takes time to adjust.

What do you think his realistic upside is? Solid/fringe starter?

 

[Pokecheque]

Well, some good stuff, some bad. That's to be expected.

I too would like to see what Parkkila and Filiatrault could do with him. I think the time is right to bring him over next year.

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

What do you think his realistic upside is? Solid/fringe starter?

Solid starter is the hope. Someone who fits into the system which Annunen's style might. Maybe the Avs need someone more steady than unpredictable play we get from Grubauer (especially recently). Annunen is going to be a very different goalie than what we've had recently in Varly, Frankie, Gru, and Berra.

 

[henchman21]

Well, some good stuff, some bad. That's to be expected.

I too would like to see what Parkkila and Filiatrault could do with him. I think the time is right to bring him over next year.

I could be wrong, but I think JIF's contract ends after this season... he may not be back and the Avs may just run with Ryan Bach.

 

[Pokecheque]

I could be wrong, but I think JIF's contract ends after this season... he may not be back and the Avs may just run with Ryan Bach.

I have no idea who that is.

 

[henchman21]

He's been the goalie coach for the Eagles for basically forever...

 

[Pokecheque]

He's been the goalie coach for the Eagles for basically forever...

Ah, well okay then, I'm fine with that.

 

[Skinnyjimmy08]

I see he needs a new contract this offseason....Do you guys expect him to sign one of those 2 year type deals where first year is a 2 way and 2nd year is a 1 way?

 

[Pierce Hawthorne]

I see he needs a new contract this offseason....Do you guys expect him to sign one of those 2 year type deals where first year is a 2 way and 2nd year is a 1 way?

Probably.


He'll still be in the AHL next year at least. But depending on how he does over the next couple weeks with Francouz injured they may get more comfortable with the idea of him being the backup when Francouz' deal expires in 2024.


Personally I don't think he'll ever be NHL quality.

 

[GirardSpinorama]

Solid starter is the hope. Someone who fits into the system which Annunen's style might. Maybe the Avs need someone more steady than unpredictable play we get from Grubauer (especially recently). Annunen is going to be a very different goalie than what we've had recently in Varly, Frankie, Gru, and Berra.

Is he more like kuemper?

 

[The Kingslayer]

Is he more like kuemper?

Hope not

 

[Gigantor The Goalie]

Is he more like kuemper?

Kuemper had a looser structure and liked to move around. Annunen is very rigid and doesn't like to move a whole lot.

 

[Pokecheque]

Kuemper had a looser structure and liked to move around. Annunen is very rigid and doesn't like to move a whole lot.

You’re the expert obviously but IMO if a goalie is rigid and doesn’t move a whole lot then he’d better be damn good at tracking the puck. I don’t quite see that kind of vision in his game. At present he’s just a big guy who hopes the puck hits him which makes him another JoJo.

 

[S E P H]

You’re the expert obviously but IMO if a goalie is rigid and doesn’t move a whole lot then he’d better be damn good at tracking the puck. I don’t quite see that kind of vision in his game. At present he’s just a big guy who hopes the puck hits him which makes him another JoJo.

I always state that there tend to be three different styles in goalers; 1. shot-blockers, 2. athleticism/reaction, and 3. hybrid of the two. Kuemper and Annunen are what I describe to be shot-blockers even though I agree with @Gigantor The Goalie that Kuemper is more moving, but his core characteristic is to get in front of shots. The best goalers in the NHL are what I consider to be a combination or hybrid, these are your Oettingers', Hellebuycks', Shesterkins', and Vasilevskiys' of the league (Georgiev is someone I would classify as a poor man hybrid).

That doesn't mean the other two are super negative, but you're more limited. For example, Lundqvist, Andersen (Carolina), and Giguere are three goalers I would describe as pure shot-blockers or rely on position and technique more so than athleticism. That doesn't mean they are stiff as 4x4, but it isn't their strength. On the other hand, pure athletics are ones I would describe as Varlamov, Fleury, and Grubauer. Not a lot of technique, but were born with crazy Gumby bodies that you can't really teach. That's why you see NHL teams draft athletic goalers higher and more often than shot-blocker since you can build technique, but you can't master flexibility.

The differences between all three are just the amount of talent you have in your particular strength. For example, I would put Rinne in the pure athletic category, but because he had a such high talent for reaction, he became an all-star goaler. The same can be said for Reimer, he's a shot-blocker with not a lot of talent, so he's stuck in a backup role for the majority of his career.