Prospect Info: Rasmus Kumpulainen, C, 53rd Overall, 2023 NHL Draft

[thestonedkoala]

Bolded is correct. Men's vs. Boys. As was stated above, there is some concern that Kumpu would not get enough TOI in Liiga.

I mean if he spends a season or two in the OHL and then moves to the AHL that might be best.

 

[Generalsupdates]

Had his best game since joining the OHL tonight. Toying with Mississauga

 

[57special]

WTH is going on with Khusnutdinov? He's got to get away from that team, ASAP. You can't tell me that a guy who scored over 40 pts. last year with a good defensive game all of a sudden forgot how to play.

 

[HobeyBroten]

WTH is going on with Khusnutdinov? He's got to get away from that team, ASAP. You can't tell me that a guy who scored over 40 pts. last year with a good defensive game all of a sudden forgot how to play.

Looks like he got traded to HC Sochi. Hopefully he will get more playing time and not be healthy scratched.

 

[Lapa]

Good article on Kumpulainen on the Athletic.

Why Wild propsect Rasmus Kumpulainen is a 'heck of a pick'

The Oshawa Generals have liked what they've seen from Kumpulainen since the draft, and so have the Wild.

theathletic.com

-Generals got interested in Kumpulainen after his WJC U18
-Already physically strong despite young age
-Good at possessing and protecting the puck

He kind of sounds like a Koivu lite, with less offense and more physicality

 

[Generalsupdates]

 

[Minnewildsota]

Signed his ELC:

Minnesota Wild Signs Forward Rasmus Kumpulainen | Minnesota Wild

SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota Wild President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Bill Guerin today announced the National Hockey League (NHL) club has signed forward Rasmus Kumpulainen (RASS-moos KOOMP-ah-LIE-en) to a three-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2024-25 season.

www.nhl.com

 

[TaLoN]

Was just coming to post the same...

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[Obvious Fabertism]

Very nice, may need some time and patience but there is a lot to like with him IMO and high potential. Smart with the puck and great at shielding off defenders, with his size it’s easy to see him making an impact if his skating can catch up, and I have already seen significant progress in that regard this season.

 

[Minnewildsota]

Do you think they’ll bring him up to the big leagues as a black ace? Can they even do that?

I don’t think he’ll get playing time, but exposure to the culture of the NHL would likely do more good than harm.

 

[Wabit]

Do you think they’ll bring him up to the big leagues as a black ace? Can they even do that?

I don’t think he’ll get playing time, but exposure to the culture of the NHL would likely do more good than harm.

AHL is more likely if they get the visa in order. It'll give him a chance to play in a men's league and a better grip of what he needs to do in the offseason training.

It also gives the team a chance to gauge if they want him in Iowa or let him go back to the OHL next year. He's a post draft foreign signing so he falls under a different ruleset than the CHL or NHL transfer rule. He's an August b-day, so he's young for his draft class.

 

[Jbcraig1883]

Like his game - if his skating improves, his potential increases quite a bit IMO. Big body, good puck protection, good shot, etc.

 

[DANOZ28]

kumper is having a terrific 1st season in north america. 56gms 28G 27A total 55 pts ohl.

 

[north21]

kumper is having a terrific 1st season in north america. 56gms 28G 27A total 55 pts ohl.

But not really eye popping numbers for the CHL, I would give him another year there and see if he can dominate a little bit.

 

[MNRube]

kumper is having a terrific 1st season in north america. 56gms 28G 27A total 55 pts ohl.

I’d say it’s a solid first year. PPG in the CHL isn’t that impressive for an NHL prospect.

 

[Minnewildsota]

I’d say it’s a solid first year. PPG in the CHL isn’t that impressive for an NHL prospect.

Doesn’t it also depends on the league? I seem to recall some are WAY more offensive-minded than others

 

[MNRube]

Doesn’t it also depends on the league? I seem to recall some are WAY more offensive-minded than others

Probably true. But I don’t think that stat line merits an assessment of “terrific” in any of the 3 leagues

 

[Minnewildsota]

Probably true. But I don’t think that stat line merits an assessment of “terrific” in any of the 3 leagues

Don’t disagree. I’d say good would be appropriate.

Unless it’s in the league (OHL? WHL?) where everyone has 300 points.

 

[Wabit]

I’d say it’s a solid first year. PPG in the CHL isn’t that impressive for an NHL prospect.

First season on NA ice and a ~PPG, the offence is there. So time to move to a harder league and learn the rest of the game.

He's listed at 6'2" 190 lbs, he needs to be in a men's league (AHL, Liiga, etc). The CHL is just too small/young for him to make another big step.

 

[Wonderful Tacos]

First season on NA ice and a ~PPG, the offence is there. So time to move to a harder league and learn the rest of the game.

He's listed at 6'2" 190 lbs, he needs to be in a men's league (AHL, Liiga, etc). The CHL is just too small/young for him to make another big step.

Yah. On that note i think that sort of thing (big 19+20 year olds dominating younger chl players) could be a significant part of prince george cougars success & some part of heidts pt totals. Zack Funk, Ondrej Becher, Koehnn Ziemmer and last year Chase Wheatcroft with that group too.

Itd be fun to watch oshawa do something similar with kumpulainen and ritchie but probably not a lot of value in it

 

[DANOZ28]

so some of you think moving to a foreign country is easy & seamless? huh i'd like to see any of you get transferred for your job and see if you have ZERO issues your first year. good luck with that.

 

[Minnewildsota]

so some of you think moving to a foreign country is easy & seamless? huh i'd like to see any of you get transferred for your job and see if you have ZERO issues your first year. good luck with that.

I don’t recall anyone saying that.

 

[MNRube]

First season on NA ice and a ~PPG, the offence is there. So time to move to a harder league and learn the rest of the game.

He's listed at 6'2" 190 lbs, he needs to be in a men's league (AHL, Liiga, etc). The CHL is just too small/young for him to make another big step.

If he was at 1.5 PPG I’d agree. But I like having him stay there another year and to dominate so he can cultivate some offense. He could probably hang in the AHL, but he would be fighting for life and not learning how to score. One more year in the CHL then he makes the jump. No reason he shouldn’t be a top player in the OHL next year

so some of you think moving to a foreign country is easy & seamless? huh i'd like to see any of you get transferred for your job and see if you have ZERO issues your first year. good luck with that.

Nobody once said or inferred that. You said he had a “terrific” year. That is a bit much. He had a solid year given the circumstances you mentioned. But you’d like to see more production in a D+1 season in that league to be throwing around superlatives like terrific

 

[Wabit]

If he was at 1.5 PPG I’d agree. But I like having him stay there another year and to dominate so he can cultivate some offense. He could probably hang in the AHL, but he would be fighting for life and not learning how to score. One more year in the CHL then he makes the jump. No reason he shouldn’t be a top player in the OHL next year

The CHL is an awful developmental league once a player is at the PPG mark, after that the totals are meaningless to me. All he's going to learn there is bad habits because he can ragdoll half the league.

 

[MNRube]

The CHL is an awful developmental league once a player is at the PPG mark, after that the totals are meaningless to me. All he's going to learn there is bad habits because he can ragdoll half the league.

If can ragdoll half the league, he would’ve scored more. I’m not a fan of the CHL either but he didn’t exactly light it on fire. One more year there where he scores well above PPG won’t kill his development.