NHL Draft 2014 Finnish Players
- Thread starter edd1e
- Start date
Some other forwards who has a change to get drafted:
Teemu Lämsä RW
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=91199
Antti Kalapudas C
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=104400
Juho Lammikko LW
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=151955
Waltteri Hopponen LW/RW
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=92047
Yeah seems like a bad year overall, but all of the guys you listed on OP has a change to be first round pick IF everything goes right.
Teemu Lämsä RW
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=91199
Antti Kalapudas C
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=104400
Juho Lammikko LW
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=151955
Waltteri Hopponen LW/RW
http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=92047
Yeah seems like a bad year overall, but all of the guys you listed on OP has a change to be first round pick IF everything goes right.
TOP 10 looks like this to me:
1. Kasperi Kapanen
2. Kaapo Kähkönen
3. Julius Honka
4. Alex Lintuniemi
5. Joel Kiviranta
6. Juuso Ikonen
7. Jonatan Tanus
8. Manu Honkanen
9. Teemu Lämsä
10. Waltteri Hopponen
1. Kasperi Kapanen
2. Kaapo Kähkönen
3. Julius Honka
4. Alex Lintuniemi
5. Joel Kiviranta
6. Juuso Ikonen
7. Jonatan Tanus
8. Manu Honkanen
9. Teemu Lämsä
10. Waltteri Hopponen
It's still early so a lot can happen, but it's true that at this point there aren't very many players that look like likely draft picks.
Juha Lammikko and Teemu Lämsä have looked good in international competition, and both have good frames, so it's interesting to see how they develop. Also I'll be following how Eetu Sopanen and Joni Tuulola develop, they are also potential picks.
I have a pretty similar early view about this with you. Add Waltteri Hopponen to the mix as a possibility with the other 8 and we might have the early front-runners.
Joel Kiviranta is a good player, but size is a major concern going forward. Manu Honkanen is a valuable player to his team, but I need more convincing about his upside. Antti Kalapudas has some offensive talent, but from the looks of it he doesn't have the tools to succeed in a high level North Amrican game. Jonatan Tanus was passed over for a reason, I believe it would require a small miracle for him to get drafted. Juuso Ikonen needs to show big improvement in his game, he had very little progress last season.
Eyelanders
Registered User
- Jan 9, 2011
- 422
- 4
Roope Kuhakoski is a fairly interesting prospect who could eventually develop into a good player. He is really big at 6'5", 216 lbs. So it's not surprising that he is willing to play the physical game whenever possible. However, he needs to know better when to play physically and when not to. For a big forward he is an okay skater, not terribly bad but could work on it. Has some puck skills and can be fairly creative at times. His shot is pretty good, however he is by no means a pure scorer. Next season will be very important for him as he'll be NHL draft eligible for the first time.
Prussian_Blue
Registered User
Is there any word yet on the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation getting a new server, so that the statistics archives for the Nuorten SM-Liiga and Mestis will again be available online? It's kind of frustrating to have no access whatsoever to statistical info from a federation that used to be very good about making that info available to the public.
My very limited knowledge of the Finnish language has come directly from trying to interpret the SM-Liiga site and the finnhockey.fi site that used "sjlrap01.lahtis-enterprises.com" for a server...
As a fan of an NHL club that has several Finnish prospects, and that has a GM who is known for finding decent players in Finland, any updates/links would be most appreciated.
Paljon kiitoksia.
My very limited knowledge of the Finnish language has come directly from trying to interpret the SM-Liiga site and the finnhockey.fi site that used "sjlrap01.lahtis-enterprises.com" for a server...
As a fan of an NHL club that has several Finnish prospects, and that has a GM who is known for finding decent players in Finland, any updates/links would be most appreciated.
Paljon kiitoksia.
From what I've understood the company that provided the real-time statistics software+server is no longer in business with the Finnish ice hockey association. That's the reason why all the stats have gone to bit-heaven.
Let's hope that the new service is up-and-running by the start of the season, and that it's as good or better than the previous one.
Eyelanders
Registered User
- Jan 9, 2011
- 422
- 4
This ranking was made before this season and looks pretty good to me. Right now I think, though, that Juho Lammikko should be in the top-10. He has already played in the FEL and has looked good in the juniors. A really good offensive player who has good hockey sense, puck handling skills, and a decent shot.
I'm not sold on Ikonen, Kiviranta, Tanus and Honkanen. They're all smaller players and while they're skilled, I think there are some better players. Miro Keskitalo, a defenseman for Jokerit, could eventually become a very solid player if he works on a few things. He's solid without the puck and has good smarts, but his skating, especially the first steps could improve.
Another Jokerit defenseman Petteri Laakso has started well, too.
Alex Lintuniemi listed as 6.03(192cm) 227(103kg) in Ottawa 67's website. Looks like has grown 4 cm and added over 10 kilos to his frame during this summer.
It's not out of the question that Lintuniemi has grown during the summer, but 6'3'' is 190,5cm and heights are quite often rounded up in NA. I'd wait for official measurements from Central Scouting before making any conclusions.
Central Scouting's preliminary watch list
A list:
Kasperi Kapanen Kalpa RW 5'11 172
Julius Honka Swift Current D 5'10 167
B list:
Juho Lammikko Assat Jr. RW 6'1.5 189
Waltteri Hopponen Everett LW 6'1.25 187
Kaapo Kahkonen Blues Jr. G 6'1.5 209
C list:
Joose Antonen JYP LW/RW 6'1.5 183
Juuso Ikonen Blues LW/RW 5'9 169
Aleksi Mustonen Jokerit C 5'9 161
Manu Honkanen TPS Jr. LW 5'11 180
Joona Jaaskelainen Saipa Jr. RW 5'9.25 161
Antti Kalapudas Karpat Jr. C 6'0 161
Antti Kauppinen Tappara Jr. LW 5'11 176
Joel Kiviranta Jokerit Jr. RW 5'10 167
Teemu Lamsa TPS Jr. C 6'3.25 200
Atte Makinen Jokerit Jr. LW 5'9.75 167
Miro Makinen Jokerit Jr. C 5'10.5 163
Atte Makinen Tappara Jr. D 6'3 206
Jere Rouhiainen Tappara Jr. D 6'0.5 165
Eetu Sopanen Pelicans Jr. D 6'5 222
Joni Tuulola HPK Jr. D 6'1.5 180
Ville Vainola Pelicans Jr. D 6'0 174
Miro Keskitalo Jokerit Jr. D 6'2 176
Markus Haapanen HPK Jr. D 5'10 176
Alex Lintuniemi Ottawa D 6'3 231
Mikael Saari Ilves Jr. G 6'1.25 178
Ville Husso HIFK G 6'2 192
A list:
Kasperi Kapanen Kalpa RW 5'11 172
Julius Honka Swift Current D 5'10 167
B list:
Juho Lammikko Assat Jr. RW 6'1.5 189
Waltteri Hopponen Everett LW 6'1.25 187
Kaapo Kahkonen Blues Jr. G 6'1.5 209
C list:
Joose Antonen JYP LW/RW 6'1.5 183
Juuso Ikonen Blues LW/RW 5'9 169
Aleksi Mustonen Jokerit C 5'9 161
Manu Honkanen TPS Jr. LW 5'11 180
Joona Jaaskelainen Saipa Jr. RW 5'9.25 161
Antti Kalapudas Karpat Jr. C 6'0 161
Antti Kauppinen Tappara Jr. LW 5'11 176
Joel Kiviranta Jokerit Jr. RW 5'10 167
Teemu Lamsa TPS Jr. C 6'3.25 200
Atte Makinen Jokerit Jr. LW 5'9.75 167
Miro Makinen Jokerit Jr. C 5'10.5 163
Atte Makinen Tappara Jr. D 6'3 206
Jere Rouhiainen Tappara Jr. D 6'0.5 165
Eetu Sopanen Pelicans Jr. D 6'5 222
Joni Tuulola HPK Jr. D 6'1.5 180
Ville Vainola Pelicans Jr. D 6'0 174
Miro Keskitalo Jokerit Jr. D 6'2 176
Markus Haapanen HPK Jr. D 5'10 176
Alex Lintuniemi Ottawa D 6'3 231
Mikael Saari Ilves Jr. G 6'1.25 178
Ville Husso HIFK G 6'2 192
Jersey Fan 12
Positive Vibes
- Nov 20, 2006
- 6,064
- 2,594
Spoiler Alert
Working on article now and will only say that four of those are all in the story (Honka is considered a North American prospect since he plays in WHL now).
Real "fun" starts after that.
Working on article now and will only say that four of those are all in the story (Honka is considered a North American prospect since he plays in WHL now).
Real "fun" starts after that.
My stab on top 10 Finnish players for the 2014 Draft:
1 Kasperi Kapanen
2 Julius Honka
3 Ville Husso
4 Juho Lammikko
5 Kaapo Kähkönen
6 Antti Kalapudas
7 Alex Lintuniemi
8 Joni Tuulola
9 Joni Nikko
10 Miro Keskitalo
1 Kasperi Kapanen
2 Julius Honka
3 Ville Husso
4 Juho Lammikko
5 Kaapo Kähkönen
6 Antti Kalapudas
7 Alex Lintuniemi
8 Joni Tuulola
9 Joni Nikko
10 Miro Keskitalo
McGlassbangers
Registered User
1. Kasperi Kapanen (5-15)
2. Julius Honka (15-25)
3. Ville Husso (3rd round)
4. Juho Lammikko (3rd round)
5. Kaapo Kähkönen (4th round)
6. Waltteri Hopponen (5th round)
7. Joonas Lyytinen (6th round)
8. Alex Lintuniemi (6th round)
9. Joni Nikko (7th round)
Very weak draft for us. Luckily 2015 and especially 2016 looks amazing.
2. Julius Honka (15-25)
3. Ville Husso (3rd round)
4. Juho Lammikko (3rd round)
5. Kaapo Kähkönen (4th round)
6. Waltteri Hopponen (5th round)
7. Joonas Lyytinen (6th round)
8. Alex Lintuniemi (6th round)
9. Joni Nikko (7th round)
Very weak draft for us. Luckily 2015 and especially 2016 looks amazing.
Last edited:
Jersey Fan 12
Positive Vibes
- Nov 20, 2006
- 6,064
- 2,594
Has Rasmus Kulmala completely fallen out of the picture? Thought he played well at WJC and has been a bit of a forgotten man - particularly since he's seeing regular ice in Liiga as 19-year-old?
Admittedly TPS did not have best of seasons - interesting that Lamsa and Vahatalo have received more attention this year.
Admittedly TPS did not have best of seasons - interesting that Lamsa and Vahatalo have received more attention this year.
Simply too small for NHL(Barely 5'7). Lämsä and Vähätalo both have great size, but I don't think they are really draft worthy prospects either.
Yes, it's on the weak side but this kind of variation is still within normal range, especially for such a small country. Like you said, there are better drafts coming up for us so at least this isn't a sign of any sort of long-term decline of young talent.
Finns picked in the top-120 during last 10 years:
2004 (5): Tukonen #11, Nokelainen #16, Korpikoski #19, Lepistö #66 and Seitsonen #118
2005 (5): Rask #21, Lindgren #75, Laakso #78, Lehtonen #83 and Kolehmainen #115
2006 (5): Helenius #15, Joensuu #60, Osala #97, Lehtivuori #101 and Snellman #105
2007 (1): Lucenius #115
2008 (3): Lehterä #65, Niemi #72 and Säteri #106
2009 (4): Koskinen #31, Nättinen #65, Rajala #101 and Vatanen #106
2010 (5): Mi.Granlund #9, Donskoi #99, Hakanpää #104, Aittokallio #107 and Pulkkinen #111
2011 (6): Armia #16, Ma.Granlund #45, Gibson #49, Ruuttu #51, Salomäki #52 and Perhonen #62
2012 (6): Teräväinen #18, Määttä #22, Pokka #34, Korpisalo #62, Lindell #74 and Vainonen #118
2013 (4): Barkov #2, Ristolainen #8, Lehkonen #55 and Saros #99
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Total: (44), Average: (4,4)
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1st rounders: (11), Average: (1,1)
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2014 would become a slightly above average year for Finland, if for example Kapanen, Honka, Husso, Kähkönen and Lammikko go in the top-120. And it's not entirely out of the question that we see a surprise or two, it has happened before.
I think the jury is still out on 2015 draft, Rantanen seems like a slam dunk deal but the others I'm not so sure about at this point, could go either way. 2016 has the potential to develop into a draft of the decade for Finland, that's true.
Oh my god that 2007 draft. I quess the production had to hit rock bottom to start climbing and it has. Withouth being greedy I would be happy with 1-2 home run players per draft. Do that every year in 20 year span and you have 20-40 home run players aged from 18 to 38. That way country can keep up with other nations on best on best tournaments theoretically atleast on paper.
And thinking about that list, only under 10 are really making their career in NHL and possibly other 10 have a slight chance.
Jake Virtanen also has double nationality canadian and finnish. His played for canada and stated wants to play for canada but if he wont get into the mens national team for canada in future liitto needs to keep watch on this kid also. Im not sure in how the rules work from switching youth national team to different in mens level but nevertheless have to keep in mind this Nico Rosberg of hockey although him ever playing for finland national team is very unlikely.
NHL (pre-2010 as I think it's still a little early for the ones drafted after that):
Korpikoski
Rask
Joensuu
Vatanen
But even some of those not in the NHL are decent players as far as Finns go, like Lepistö, Osala, Koskinen and Lehterä, perhaps you can put even Nokelainen in this group.
23 Finns were drafted in the top 120 between 2004 and 2009 and approximately 9 of them can still be considered at least somewhat relevant. That's ~39%, which is not that great but it could be far worse. Only 17% of them are now in the NHL though, which is bad.
39% out of the 21 players drafted in the top 120 between 2010 and 2013 would equal to around 8 relevant players, NHL or Europe. So far I would only be willing to forget about Ruuttu, Gibson and Perhonen, and even Gibson might end up a decent Euro goalie someday. My bold guess is that more than 8 of them will still be relevant in a few years and that more than 5 of them will still be in the NHL.
