Prospect Info: The Second Overall Pick Thread: Part II (Kakko/Hughes Talk)

[Amazing Kreiderman]

No joke, I think he puts up 1+ GPG in the OHL this year if he played there.

He had 17 in his last 23 games, including playoffs (Post WJC, 24 points overall.)

Keep in mind, his team wasn't great either.

6th in the entire league in goals, as a 17-year old. That's insane

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

No joke, I think he puts up 1+ GPG in the OHL this year if he played there.

He had 17 in his last 23 games, including playoffs (Post WJC, 24 points overall.)

Keep in mind, his team wasn't great either.

No doubt, he would obliterate junior defenseman.

 

[Levitate]

6th in the entire league in goals, as a 17-year old. That's insane

I mean I keep in mind that the league is a step below the KHL and Swedish league and all but it isn’t a bad league either

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

I mean I keep in mind that the league is a step below the KHL and Swedish league and all but it isn’t a bad league either

It's still a top-5 league in the world. He broke the record for goals by a 17-year old. And a lot of great players have come through that league

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

6th in goals scored for a draft eligible player would be good in any of the CHL leagues.

Amongst Pros? It's excellent. He had fewer games played than almost everyone ahead of him too.

 

[BB88]

Full game of shifts here. This is the game he scored a hat trick against Luuko. Kakko is a ****ing menace, his team has the puck nearly the entire time he’s on the ice. The way he manuevers in the offensive zone really highlights his outsanding hockey IQ - he’s always one step ahead of the play. Also shows him PKing some and he’s impressive there as well. He’s looks like he has potential to be a big time threat shorthanded, he creates a lot uncomfortable situations for puck handlers with his smart positioning.

His skating just shouldn't be talked as weak or a weakness anywhere.
He's a superior skater to Laine& Kotka at the time of draft and the way he can change direction/pace is beautiful for his size in fact.

 

[bl02]

Interesting thread on the prospect board about who would be the top 10 prospects if you combined the 2018 and 2019 draft picks. some picked Kravtsov and Kakko for the top 10. Pretty cool that the Rangers finally have this kind of young talent. Other choices were the two Hughes brothers, Svech, Kotkaniemi, Dahlin, Tkachuk, Byram. Some pretty good company right there.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

His skating just shouldn't be talked as weak or a weakness anywhere.
He's a superior skater to Laine& Kotka at the time of draft and the way he can change direction/pace is beautiful for his size in fact.

It is, the only thing he lacks is breakaway speed.

It's not something that will hold him back, but it is something that would make him all the more difficult to handle moving forward.

What makes me hopeful that its there is that he isn't physically mature yet.

 

[Trxjw]

I think the narrative that gets pushed in amongst armchair scouts is that you can't be a great skater unless you have a great top-gear. Dach has faced a lot of that this season, but the reality is he's a very good skater, he just isn't incredibly fast and his first step is a little bit slow. However his edge work is phenomenal and he's incredibly strong and balanced on his skates.

Kakko is the same way. He isn't going to blaze past people but he's so strong and comfortable on his edges that he's almost impossible to handle in the corners. He can change direction easily and create separation for himself with a great first step or by simply overpowering people.

Simply put: Skating is a non-issue for Kakko.

 

[BB88]

It is, the only thing he lacks is breakaway speed.

It's not something that will hold him back, but it is something that would make him all the more difficult to handle moving forward.

What makes me hopeful that its there is that he isn't physically mature yet.

That's about the best weakness from skating to have in todays NHL.
His skating "weakness" is very different to the other top Finnish prospects which should see his game transfer well to todays NHL.

Rangers have a great chance at being part of his development and guide him to focus on the right areas of his game.
Kotka for example listened to advises and added extra skating to his summer workouts.

 

[Machinehead]

Trying to decide if I'd be disappointed if Kakko is Rick Nash.

On one hand, Nash was an outstanding talent and an 18 year old Nash helps this team a lot.

On the other hand, is Rick Nash the legit franchise-level talent we started this rebuild for?

 

[GeorgeKaplan]

Trying to decide if I'd be disappointed if Kaako is Rick Nash.

On one hand, Nash was an outstanding talent and an 18 year old Nash helps this team a lot.

On the other hand, is Rick Nash the legit franchise-level talent we started this rebuild for?

I feel like Nash’s Columbus career is viewed as not meeting expectations, but those teams were literately just him on an island. If Kakko is that exact Rick Nash, I feel comfortable in saying the Rangers are good enough at filling out depth that he and the team will have more success than Nash did

 

[effen]

Trying to decide if I'd be disappointed if Kakko is Rick Nash.

On one hand, Nash was an outstanding talent and an 18 year old Nash helps this team a lot.

On the other hand, is Rick Nash the legit franchise-level talent we started this rebuild for?

depends on his motor level

Rick Nash with a serious motor is a more physical, engaged Rick Nash which is goddman terror

we rarely, if ever, saw that kind of guy. just not who he was.

 

[Brooklyn Rangers Fan]

Trying to decide if I'd be disappointed if Kakko is Rick Nash.

On one hand, Nash was an outstanding talent and an 18 year old Nash helps this team a lot.

On the other hand, is Rick Nash the legit franchise-level talent we started this rebuild for?

I mean, the issue isn't if profiles like Rick Nash; it's whether he ages like Rick Nash. Young Rick Nash was a friggin' beast.

That said, I see both more aggressiveness and finesse to his game than I ever saw from Nasher. Prime Nash just overpowered dudes – absorbed their hits, and let them slip off. Based on my limited viewings, Kakko is either instigating the contact himself, or more often maneuvering away from it.

 

[JESSEWENEEDTOCOOK]

Trying to decide if I'd be disappointed if Kakko is Rick Nash.

On one hand, Nash was an outstanding talent and an 18 year old Nash helps this team a lot.

On the other hand, is Rick Nash the legit franchise-level talent we started this rebuild for?

I think they only seem similar because Kakko is a bull with more goals than assists

Kakko is much more dangerous at creating plays with his skating and vision than Nash ever was. Nash was very much a straight line, downhill player. Kakko is a bit of everything. He's a lot more cerebral with the puck, but he'll still run through you if he's determined that's the play.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

I don't get why we're trying to make the Nash-Kakko connection.

They're nothing alike.

 

[GoAwayPanarin]

The CBJ-Tampa series has me even more excited for this guy.

 

[keith hernandez]

By the way even without the 2 pick I think they're on their way

 

[Hunter Gathers]

Why were Devils fans in the last thread telling us that Hughes will be better?

Hah, were they? Talk about compensating for something.

 

[Levitate]

Hah, were they? Talk about compensating for something.

I’m sure some people from this board went over there to talk about Hughes and Kakko for some reason. Some people just can’t help themselves

 

[The Crypto Guy]

Wow this thread went completely off the rails.

When is Kakko's next exhibition game?

 

[aufheben]

Can we please move the umpteenth Generational Player discussion somewhere else? And whatever else is being talked about here that’s not relevant.

 

[Amazing Kreiderman]

Wow this thread went completely off the rails.

When is Kakko's next exhibition game?

04/19: Norway
04/19: Norway
04/25: Sweden
04/26: Sweden
05/02: Czech Rep (EHT)
05/04: Russia (EHT)
05/05: Sweden (EHT)

 

[EdJovanovski]

I really wanted Hughes, if we get Kakko I still want to get one of those small shifty players like Gaudreau. Any other prospects in this draft who fit the bill or young roster players on other teams we could target?
I know Caufields small but apparently many say he’s not very fast

 

[RangerBoy]