RW Kaapo Kakko - TPS, Liiga (2019 Draft) Part 2

[Kaako Kappo]

What we do know though is that if someone doesn’t have natural talent for learning languages, one summer will mean Jackcrap for their language skills. Kakko will need at least 2-3 years of intensive studying to get his English to a level that he can really communicate well with. He will for sure have language and communication problems if he is thinking of going to the NHL already next season. Better stay home and really do something about his English for a full year. Even that might not help him well enough to get to the level where he will be comfortable with speaking English.

Although I have to say that Pulju’s English speaking problems are a bit overemphasized. That dude’s problems are seriously his average skills and below average hockey IQ. And in general not the sharpest tool in the shed honestly. Unfortunately I’m getting a bit similar vibes on Kakko (not skillswise though). Some arrogance also. This is based on the few Finnish interviews that I have heard. Of course this might not be meaningful after all. Just get a bit entitled and even arrogant feeling from his interviews. Hopefully he will manage to focus this to the right things and to the will of doing everything he needs to do to keep him still in the future ahead of his peers with his development.

Definitely happy to see him shooting more than earlier this season. Also his shooting quality has been clearly better recently. Still keeps hanging on to the puck too much in my opinion. I want to see him develop more into making much more of quick give and go plays, as his great agility for his size and puck protecting skills should really help him a lot with being successful with the give and go plays. It would make him so much more dangerous as a player than he is at the moment. So far I’m not sure if he has the vision and the hockey IQ for it. But I want to emphasize that I’m not claiming that he doesn’t have them, or can’t develop them. He just hasn’t show’n that yet at the level that I’m hoping to see. Also I have slight worries with his lack of English skills.

Anyways I’m so far happy in general with his develoment this season. Definitely an AAA prospect. I just think that he could tuen into something truly amazing, if he could after all master clearly quicker playmaking and give and go-type of plays. He would be absolutely impossible to handle then. Also I’m a bit worried of the slight signs of arrogance and the lack of English skills for him, but I see there still as pretty small things after. At worst they should only delay his development though. He is that talented that only serious injuries could prevent him from truly panning out at the NHL level.

You do not have a clue how well he speaks English. And even less of a clue how well he learns languages.

 

[Ippenator]

You do not have a clue how well he speaks English. And even less of a clue how well he learns languages.

Of course I have a clue of both. He uses a translator for his English interviews. Only people with apalling English skills have to and want to do that. And because of him having apalling English skills at the age of 18, he must have some serious language learning problems, as in Finland English is studied as a compulsory language since the age of 9. My 5 year son could give an interview better than Kakko is doing and he hasn’t even really studied English outside from some games and children movies.

He should be able to learn English to get to an OK level with it. But in his case it will take a lot of hard work to get there. And obviously he hasn’t done even close enough of anything like that with his English so far. Sorry to say that this also reeks of kind of the wrong kind of arrogance.

But as I mentioned before, i believe that the language problems will not really prevent him from breaking through at the NHL level, they will only delay the breakthrough in the worst scenario.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

Or course I have a clue of both. He uses a translator for his English interviews. Only people with apalling English skills have to and want to do that. And because of him having apalling English skills at the age of 18, he must have some serious language learning problems, as in Finland English is studied as a compulsory language singe the age of 9. My 5 year son could give an interview better than Kakko is doing and he hasn’t even really studied English outside from some games and children movies.

He should be able to learn English to get to an OK level. But in his case it will take a lot of hard work to get there. And obviously he hasn’t done even close enough of anything like that with his English so far. Sorry to say that this also reeks of kind of the wrong kind of arrogance.

But as I mentioned before, i believe that the language problems will not really prevent him from breaking through at the NHL level, they will only delay the breakthrough in the worst scenario.

No. You literally do not know. Stop it.

 

[JustAPleb]

You really don't get it? Look at the NHL players with the most giveaways. Johnny Gaudreau is #2, Leon Draisaitl #7, Pastrnak #9, Barzal #10, Marchand #13, Malkin #19 etc.

If you have the puck a lot and do a lot with the puck, you'll inevitably be losing it sometimes.

With your priorities, I guess you don't really care that Gaudreau has 78 points in 58 games - he has 84 giveaways after all.

84. 84. And Kakko have mby +100 in 35 games... But nah its okay in some hfboards pro scouts to lose 10-15 pucks every game and then Kakko dont even every time go to defense after that. Thats not a good thing, but its okey then to give 4vs2 3vs2 attack all time in ur logic. I think 100% at all coach will dont like that.

 

[Nate070]

Or course I have a clue of both. He uses a translator for his English interviews. Only people with apalling English skills have to and want to do that. And because of him having apalling English skills at the age of 18, he must have some serious language learning problems, as in Finland English is studied as a compulsory language singe the age of 9. My 5 year son could give an interview better than Kakko is doing and he hasn’t even really studied English outside from some games and children movies.

He should be able to learn English to get to an OK level. But in his case it will take a lot of hard work to get there. And obviously he hasn’t done even close enough of anything like that with his English so far. Sorry to say that this also reeks of kind of the wrong kind of arrogance.

But as I mentioned before, i believe that the language problems will not really prevent him from breaking through at the NHL level, they will only delay the breakthrough in the worst scenario.

Loads of BS here. I am not even sure why we are discussing his language skills. If he´s good enough he will play next season in NHL if not he will play one more season in Finland.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

84. 84. And Kakko have mby +100 in 35 games... But nah its okay in some hfboards pro scouts to lose 10-15 pucks every game and then Kakko dont even every time go to defense after that. Thats not a good thing, but its okey then to give 4vs2 3vs2 attack all time in ur logic. I think 100% at all coach will dont like that.

I know you're trolling but....you're counting these yourself, right? Because there's no stat online.

 

[FinPanda]

Or course I have a clue of both. He uses a translator for his English interviews. Only people with apalling English skills have to and want to do that. And because of him having apalling English skills at the age of 18, he must have some serious language learning problems, as in Finland English is studied as a compulsory language singe the age of 9. My 5 year son could give an interview better than Kakko is doing and he hasn’t even really studied English outside from some games and children movies.

He should be able to learn English to get to an OK level. But in his case it will take a lot of hard work to get there. And obviously he hasn’t done even close enough of anything like that with his English so far. Sorry to say that this also reeks of kind of the wrong kind of arrogance.

But as I mentioned before, i believe that the language problems will not really prevent him from breaking through at the NHL level, they will only delay the breakthrough in the worst scenario.

I seriously don't agree with you. You have no idea how he is using his English with his teammates and how much he is able to communicate with them. You know only what you've seen in a couple interviews where he used a translator. You don't know what is behind it, if he is just shiny and uncomfortable to speak it or is there some actual problem. I struggled with English very bad even though I've studied English a lot (even in high school). I learned a lot more by reading this site and watching English youtube videos after I finished high school.

Kakko should be able to understand just fine, that's what we mostly learn at school. We aren't taught to speak it. Even Aho is his English interviews seems quite shy, but he needs to do it and he manages to do it just fine. Kakko could be one of those guys who are just shy. I can't be worried about his English skills as from those videos he just doesn't seem like a guy who really enjoyes to be in front of a camera speaking English in front of a lot of reporters.

 

[JustAPleb]

I know you're trolling but....you're counting these yourself, right? Because there's no stat online.

Nah. Its not trolling. Its true. Kakko wanna have everytime the puck. Thats good. But he dont give it to other players and then miss the puck to other team players. That's Kakko weakness. He need to fix it even a little bit and do smart moves with the puck and dont miss it everytime. U will see that change in NHL. He is not Elias Petterson level with the puck.

 

[Hokinaittii]

Although I have to say that Pulju’s English speaking problems are a bit overemphasized. That dude’s problems are seriously his average skills and below average hockey IQ. And in general not the sharpest tool in the shed honestly. Unfortunately I’m getting a bit similar vibes on Kakko (not skillswise though). Some arrogance also. This is based on the few Finnish interviews that I have heard. Of course this might not be meaningful after all. Just get a bit entitled and even arrogant feeling from his interviews. Hopefully he will manage to focus this to the right things and to the will of doing everything he needs to do to keep him still in the future ahead of his peers with his development.

Definitely happy to see him shooting more than earlier this season. Also his shooting quality has been clearly better recently. Still keeps hanging on to the puck too much in my opinion. I want to see him develop more into making much more of quick give and go plays, as his great agility for his size and puck protecting skills should really help him a lot with being successful with the give and go plays. It would make him so much more dangerous as a player than he is at the moment. So far I’m not sure if he has the vision and the hockey IQ for it. But I want to emphasize that I’m not claiming that he doesn’t have them, or can’t develop them. He just hasn’t show’n that yet at the level that I’m hoping to see. Also I have slight worries with his lack of English skills.

Anyways I’m so far happy in general with his develoment this season. Definitely an AAA prospect. I just think that he could tuen into something truly amazing, if he could after all master clearly quicker playmaking and give and go-type of plays. He would be absolutely impossible to handle then. Also I’m a bit worried of the slight signs of arrogance and the lack of English skills for him, but I see there still as pretty small things after. At worst they should only delay his development though. He is that talented that only serious injuries could prevent him from truly panning out at the NHL level.

Care to explain what are these arrogant comments you've been hearing? Hopefully they aren't from the same source who told you Kiprusoff was arrogant and a problem in the locker room.

Not to mention, since when being slightly cocky became a bad thing? Everyone (including you) liked how cocky and confident Laine was during his draft year but apparently with Kakko that kind of thing won't fly anymore.

I think you are looking too much into Kakko holding onto puck like it's a bad thing (and suddenly not remembering how much Laine liked to hog the puck but as usual I don't remember you critizing him much about that). With Kakko you have to remember that he is one of the best players ever from Finland when it comes to hands and controlling the puck. Of course you want a guy like him hold onto puck as long as necessary instead of just immediately giving the puck to the blueline where your average Liiga defender just shoots it to the first player blocking it.

I mean, we all should expect that Kakko won't be holding onto puck as much when he gets players as good as him next to him. Or is there someone in the NHL whose career didn't pan out because he liked the puck too much and couldn't learn to pass it? I'd rather see Kakko learning how to play less with the puck instead of him learning how to actually play with the puck. It's way easier to learn how to play less with the puck.

And finally, I'm not sure how much you have watched Kakko but there have been plenty examples of him showing him being capable of fast give and go-plays. I don't see how that could be a problem for him.

 

[Hokinaittii]

This talk about Kakko's English skills are hilarious. Even Kakko's teammate Virtanen immediately said that Kakko doesn't have problem understanding English when this talk started in U20s.

I've also noticed many times before the faceoff Kakko chatting with Ekeståhl-Jonsson or his common linemate Buddish about something and I have never seen him having to wave his hands on top of his head to make his points clear.

 

[kelsier]

Care to explain what are these arrogant comments you've been hearing? Hopefully they aren't from the same source who told you Kiprusoff was arrogant and a problem in the locker room.

Not to mention, since when being slightly cocky became a bad thing? Everyone (including you) liked how cocky and confident Laine was during his draft year but apparently with Kakko that kind of thing won't fly anymore.

I think you are looking too much into Kakko holding onto puck like it's a bad thing (and suddenly not remembering how much Laine liked to hog the puck but as usual I don't remember you critizing him much about that). With Kakko you have to remember that he is one of the best players ever from Finland when it comes to hands and controlling the puck. Of course you want a guy like him hold onto puck as long as necessary instead of just immediately giving the puck to the blueline where your average Liiga defender just shoots it to the first player blocking it.

I mean, we all should expect that Kakko won't be holding onto puck as much when he gets players as good as him next to him. Or is there someone in the NHL whose career didn't pan out because he liked the puck too much and couldn't learn to pass it? I'd rather see Kakko learning how to play less with the puck instead of him learning how to actually play with the puck. It's way easier to learn how to play less with the puck.

And finally, I'm not sure how much you have watched Kakko but there have been plenty examples of him showing him being capable of fast give and go-plays. I don't see how that could be a problem for him.

I actually agree and see no issue with Kakko holding onto the puck. He was less like that in the beginning, trying to distribute and let others do more. How did it pan out? Well he was kind of consistently productive but you knew he could do even better. What happened when he started trusting his instincts and demanding more of himself (the exact thing he's doing right now)? Just dominant. He took over both of the two big games with his "puck-hugging" skills, first Tappara (3rd in the league) and then Lukko (4th in the league). When you're this good fans tend to scrutiny every single detail, wanting something perfect. The fact that he believes in himself and isn't afraid to jump in against the odds and win battles is the very thing I like about him. It's going to be different (harder) in the NHL and he will adjust accordingly.

Everything I've seen so far has indicated about high hockey IQ (don't care how his English skills are). Also there's some mean streak in the game. For instance the third and GWG against Tappara, where he fought the puck behind the net and cross-checked the guy over to give a grade A pass to a team mate to break the tie. Seemed like Forsberg back in the day. You just do what needs to be done.

 

[HenriquesJawLine]

Mood when you realize Hallsy getting hurt could result in Kakko on your other wing

 

[TheFinnishTrap]

Here we go with the English stuff again... A lot of high schoolers can write and understand spoken English perfectly fine, but struggle with actually speaking it due to a lack of practice.

 

[JabbaJabba]

Here we go with the English stuff again... A lot of high schoolers can write and understand spoken English perfectly fine, but struggle with actually speaking it due to a lack of practice.

This. Also, there's been a plenty of players from foreign countries who never mastered English and played well.

 

[Ippenator]

This. Also, there's been a plenty of players from foreign countries who never mastered English and played well.

No one has to my knowledge said that his poor English would prevent him from becoming a great NHL player in the future. I did point out that it could cause some delay for his adjustment to the NHL, but I never said anything about how it would really prevent him from being a great NHL player eventually. He is not a perfect prospect although he is a very good one for sure. There has never been a truly perfect prospect and there will never be one. I have said that I see Kakko as definitely a clear AAA class prospect, but it still doesn’t mean that he also doesn’t have some weaknesses that couldn’t be discussed.

Fine if you don’t agree with the weaknesses that some of us see in him, but please don’t get angry with some us wanting to discuss about them and point out those things too. He is still an AAA class of a prospect even though he has some weaknesses too. I truly hope he can become the best player he possibly can ever become, so I really hope to see him get better even with his weaker areas.

 

[ijuka]

Nah. Its not trolling. Its true. Kakko wanna have everytime the puck. Thats good. But he dont give it to other players and then miss the puck to other team players. That's Kakko weakness. He need to fix it even a little bit and do smart moves with the puck and dont miss it everytime. U will see that change in NHL. He is not Elias Petterson level with the puck.

You really don't get how young players improve do you? If he's always giving the puck up because he's afraid of losing it he never gets to the level of a Gaudreau with the puck. And his stick skills are very good, there even was a recent gif.

 

[McClelland]

Kakko looks great so far, welcome to hockey Mekka Emonton! Who was the guy with the golden helmet?2 Impressing assists on Kakkos hatrick!

 

[ES]

How do you know TPS won't make it to the finals? If they do, Kakko will have no time to play at the U18 Worlds. And if TPS makes it to the finals, Jalonen will probably have to pick him without checking him out in the pre-tournament games first. Isn't that usually what they do with players from the FEL top-2 teams?

Obviously much older players but in this decade Antti Raanta and Saku Mäenalanen have made their men's national team debuts at the World Championships.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Kakko looks great so far, welcome to hockey Mekka Emonton! Who was the guy with the golden helmet?2 Impressing assists on Kakkos hatrick!

Oula Palve

Oula Palve at eliteprospects.com

 

[Jussi]

His agent has stated that U18 is the least of his priorities.

That was assuming TPS are still playing and they are fairly inconsistent so they could as well be knocked out already.

 

[JustAPleb]

You really don't get how young players improve do you? If he's always giving the puck up because he's afraid of losing it he never gets to the level of a Gaudreau with the puck. And his stick skills are very good, there even was a recent gif.

Ye ye ye.. He is good with puck but hockey is teamgame. Even Kakko is not bigger than like Jonne Virtanen. Every guy have own role in team and if u do it bad like in NHL Patrik Laine now u will miss it. Kakko is like Rantanen but he dont need to try be McDavid, Rantanen and Pettersson. Giving easy assist is million times better for team than try do something spin-o-round stuff and then miss the puck. Its Kakko weakness. Like i sayed. He wanna have the puck too much. He need to try play little bit simplier hockey.

 

[Conspiracy Theorist]

No way Finland doesn't win U18 if he's available.

 

[JabbaJabba]

No one has to my knowledge said that his poor English would prevent him from becoming a great NHL player in the future. I did point out that it could cause some delay for his adjustment to the NHL, but I never said anything about how it would really prevent him from being a great NHL player eventually. He is not a perfect prospect although he is a very good one for sure. There has never been a truly perfect prospect and there will never be one. I have said that I see Kakko as definitely a clear AAA class prospect, but it still doesn’t mean that he also doesn’t have some weaknesses that couldn’t be discussed.

Fine if you don’t agree with the weaknesses that some of us see in him, but please don’t get angry with some us wanting to discuss about them and point out those things too. He is still an AAA class of a prospect even though he has some weaknesses too. I truly hope he can become the best player he possibly can ever become, so I really hope to see him get better even with his weaker areas.

I just don't want this thread to turn into another discussion like Puljujärvi thread with "he hasn't learned English, therefore he's dumb and that's why he can't play hockey". Do we even have any other examples of Kakko's English than one interview? I don't think we can make too many conclusions after minute long interview clip.

 

[Mysteric1000]

This. Also, there's been a plenty of players from foreign countries who never mastered English and played well.

Pavel Datsyuk says "hjello".

 

[Pataatti]

Pavel Datsyuk says "hjello".

There also was this one guy called Evgeni Malkin that used translator on his first year in NHL. He's had a pretty decent career.