Prospect Info: Toronto Maple Leafs 2020 6th Round (168th OA) RW Veeti Miettinen (NCAA) 5'9 159

[zeke]

If our 2nd rounder from the same draft being better then Caufield didn't already send Hab fans over the edge our 6th rounder this year being better then him will really do it.

V.Miettinen (19.3): 11gms, 7gls, 13pts (82gms, 52gls, 97pts) - rookie year
C.Caufield (20.0): 10gms, 6gls, 12pts (82gms, 49gls, 98pts) - 2nd year
C.Caufield (19.0): 36gms, 19gls, 36pts (82gms, 43gls, 82pts) - rookie year

 

[TopChedder]

V.Miettinen (19.3): 11gms, 7gls, 13pts (82gms, 52gls, 97pts) - rookie year
C.Caufield (20.0): 10gms, 6gls, 12pts (82gms, 49gls, 98pts) - 2nd year
C.Caufield (19.0): 36gms, 19gls, 36pts (82gms, 43gls, 82pts) - rookie year

I have a good feeling about this kid. I think he will end up being a huge gem of a pick.

I am really sold on the Leafs scouting drafting. I think it's up there with Tampa ever since Kyle fully took control of it.

 

[daethfromabove1979]

I have a good feeling about this kid. I think he will end up being a huge gem of a pick.

I am really sold on the Leafs scouting drafting. I think it's up there with Tampa ever since Kyle fully took control of it.

Our drafting definitely looks to be improving, we were terrible outside of the first round for so long. Since Kyle took over, 2018 was a bit meh except for Sandin, 2019 was solid considering we had no first rounder and this 2020 draft looks awesome.

 

[TopChedder]

Our drafting definitely looks to be improving, we were terrible outside of the first round for so long. Since Kyle took over, 2018 was a bit meh except for Sandin, 2019 was solid considering we had no first rounder and this 2020 draft looks awesome.

Exactly. I like the direction it is going.

Sustainable winning ONLY comes from good deep drafting. I have always been a draft first guy and that should always be the number 1 priority.

Unless a team is literally one piece away from the Stanley Cup.

 

[zeke]

I have a good feeling about this kid. I think he will end up being a huge gem of a pick.

I am really sold on the Leafs scouting drafting. I think it's up there with Tampa ever since Kyle fully took control of it.

Tbh the downside in this comp might be that Caufield isn't actually projecting very well as a prospect so far.

 

[TopChedder]

Tbh the downside in this comp might be that Caufield isn't actually projecting very well as a prospect so far.

Very true. He really has been disappointing in the Juniors. I am not saying he won't make the NHL but he should have been dominant as a returning player.

 

[Twine Tickler]

i dont know if any of you have seen the highlight pack from his 5 pt weekend or not. But holy sh#* this kid can rip the puck. he beat the goalie clean bar down from the top of the circle with a snapper. similar to caulfield's snipe against the slovaks. This was always a very intriguing pick to me, from the day of the draft. it just felt like he fell only because of his very unusual path to NCAA through finnish Jr.A. I am actually curious how many Finish Jr.A players have ever been drafted directly out of that league. may have got an absolute steal. him, ovchinikov, neimala, and robertson last year all seem to be trending well above where they were drafted. feels great

 

[Twine Tickler]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Don&#39;t look now but Leafs prospect Veeti Miettinen had 3 goals and 2 assists in 2 games this weekend. He now has 13 points in 11 NCAA Games this year.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/1dEIEl19OM">pic.twitter.com/1dEIEl19OM</a></p>&mdash; Rink Rat Report (@RinkRatReport) <a href="">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

he is number 29 for those who dont know. hopefully that tweet copied on here properly

 

[Menzinger]

Have been able to watch a lot of at Cloud games this season and hes frequently the one ofnthr best guys on the ice. Very smart decision making and fantastic puck skills

Not sure if their games are broadcast much in Canada, but tune in if you can.

 

[supermann_98]

If our 2nd rounder from the same draft being better then Caufield didn't already send Hab fans over the edge our 6th rounder this year being better then him will really do it.

Never mind Sandin being arguably a better prospect than their #3 overall pick in their same respective draft

 

[supermann_98]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Don&#39;t look now but Leafs prospect Veeti Miettinen had 3 goals and 2 assists in 2 games this weekend. He now has 13 points in 11 NCAA Games this year.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LeafsForever?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc^tfw">#LeafsForever</a> <a href="https://t.co/1dEIEl19OM">pic.twitter.com/1dEIEl19OM</a></p>&mdash; Rink Rat Report (@RinkRatReport) <a href="">January 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

he is number 29 for those who dont know. hopefully that tweet copied on here properly

That shot at the 0:25 second mark is just NASTY

 

[nobody]

Never mind Sandin being arguably a better prospect than their #3 overall pick in their same respective draft

It genuinely baffles me that a fanbase that's as ruthless as the Habs fanbase is still giving no shits that they've been absolutely atrocious at the draft for the past 12 years. Especially in the first round.

 

[stickty111]

Finland really missed him in this event. The fact they made it this far despite being not being as talented as other top teams is credit to them, but maybe adding an ultra skilled player would have been a huge boost.

 

[nobody]

Finland really missed him in this event. The fact they made it this far despite being not being as talented as other top teams is a credit to them, but maybe adding an ultra skilled player would have been a huge boost.

Both Russia and Finland pales greatly in comparison to Canada and USA in terms of talent. USA/ Canada is absolutely stacked. Russia for the first time in a long time to my surprise iced a very mediocre roster. I think the reason they've always been so competitive is that they always brought 19-year-olds and 20 years to the tournament. Finland's roster looks okay. I know Heinola was elected as a top 3 player by the coaching staff but I really felt like they didn't give their best players a fair shot at times. Niemela has been a better all-tournament in almost every game compared to Heinola but yet Heinola logged the most ice time and was the first D out on every top PP unit. I just don't understand why the coaching staff couldn't adjust. Hirvonen was also a stud for the team and scored his 2 goals at the most clutch times. Easily better than Heinola and Kokkonen. I guess the 2 19-year-old d-men got the awards for their last hurrah.

 

[RoadWarrior]

Miettinen looks like an amazing value pick in the 6th round.

Slid under the radar simply because of lack of exposure. Hirvonen, Niemela, Ovchinnikov and now Miettinen in one draft. Leafs euro scouting has it locked down.

 

[Dayjobdave]

Can this kid ever shoot the puck. Wow.

 

[Twine Tickler]

I dont understand how anyone could look at a shot like that and view that at 6th round talent. Its an NHL shot, already. of course there may be gaps to his game that I am not aware of. And not all guys with NHL caliber shots make a good career, one name that comes to mind is matt frattin. but matt frattin also turned into Jonathon Bernier I believe. and when we are talking 6th round picks, the fact that you have a player with a known attribute like that, does not make sense how he fell. regardless of what league he came from. amazing value pick by the leafs

 

[The Podium]

I dont understand how anyone could look at a shot like that and view that at 6th round talent. Its an NHL shot, already. of course there may be gaps to his game that I am not aware of. And not all guys with NHL caliber shots make a good career, one name that comes to mind is matt frattin. but matt frattin also turned into Jonathon Bernier I believe. and when we are talking 6th round picks, the fact that you have a player with a known attribute like that, does not make sense how he fell. regardless of what league he came from. amazing value pick by the leafs

He was ranked all over the place at the time of the draft. Some had him as high as the 2nd round.

 

[stickty111]

I dont understand how anyone could look at a shot like that and view that at 6th round talent. Its an NHL shot, already. of course there may be gaps to his game that I am not aware of. And not all guys with NHL caliber shots make a good career, one name that comes to mind is matt frattin. but matt frattin also turned into Jonathon Bernier I believe. and when we are talking 6th round picks, the fact that you have a player with a known attribute like that, does not make sense how he fell. regardless of what league he came from. amazing value pick by the leafs

He was ranked all over the place at the time of the draft. Some had him as high as the 2nd round.

He would have been a fine pick in the 3rd round, so getting him in the 6th was amazing. I mentioned earlier that yes he is small, but how does someone not take him? His skating and especially his shot is NHL ready right now. It's not like he is this horrible defensive player either. He actually has an idea about the defensive zone, and pretty good at intercepting pucks from behind.
I think Koster has been more impressive, but Miettinen is right up there

 

[Twine Tickler]

ya I have yet to see him play a full game, so I cant really formulate an opinion that is worth anything. I can only go by the twitter highlights and youtube videos. for all i know he could be absent the majority of game and have glimpses of brilliance. But those highlights show very high level skill. it'd be unfair to compare him to caulfield without seeing his full game, but his highlight packs are eerily similar. undersized, high skill, unbelievable shot + release. the only differance is we got this kid in the 6th round. whatever comes of this kid aside, this is well worth the gamble. could be a home run. this 2020 draft class for the leafs could be special (fingers crossed)

 

[Leafs1991]

Never mind Sandin being arguably a better prospect than their #3 overall pick in their same respective draft

One's been playing in the NHL and is projecting to be a 2nd line center already. I wouldn't say Sandin is better right now.

 

[Knies iT]

One's been playing in the NHL and is projecting to be a 2nd line center already. I wouldn't say Sandin is better right now.

Malgin was in the NHL at age 20 and soon after played on a 1st line with Barkov and Huberdeau. Was garnering hype ala Jesper Bratt.

Being patient with prospects is a luxury the Leafs have after decades of rushing kids due to lack of depth. That shouldn't be held against Sandin, who himself debuted as a teenager.

 

[supermann_98]

One's been playing in the NHL and is projecting to be a 2nd line center already. I wouldn't say Sandin is better right now.

I shoulda added the

 

[WTFMAN99]

I'm admittedly just going off video clips and what people say about him. How can you not like what you're seeing from this 6th rounder though??

 

[LeafChief]

VOTE FOR VEETI

The Voting Page for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award

No e-mail or registration required.