Player Discussion Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (2017, 54th)

hizzoner

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TSN spent a lot of time knocking UPL. Much praise for Scott even when he let in 2 goals in 4 shots. Canadians had forward parked in front of UPL a lot forcing him to push off. As to backdoor power play goals where a forward is left open to shoot from 10 feet? Obviously UPL's fault! Someone has an agenda. Ferraro is a Leafs cheerleader..
 

Chainshot

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TSN spent a lot of time knocking UPL. Much praise for Scott even when he let in 2 goals in 4 shots. Canadians had forward parked in front of UPL a lot forcing him to push off. As to backdoor power play goals where a forward is left open to shoot from 10 feet? Obviously UPL's fault! Someone has an agenda. Ferraro is a Leafs cheerleader..

The deflection goal was the one I couldn't understand the criticism - like, allstar goalies don't make that save most of the time.
 

WolvesAndWings

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Mar 18, 2017
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TSN spent a lot of time knocking UPL. Much praise for Scott even when he let in 2 goals in 4 shots. Canadians had forward parked in front of UPL a lot forcing him to push off. As to backdoor power play goals where a forward is left open to shoot from 10 feet? Obviously UPL's fault! Someone has an agenda. Ferraro is a Leafs cheerleader..

The TSN crew are so weird with covering this tournament, and put way too much stock into players' previous years in the tournament. UPL struggled as the starter last year so they just assume he hasn't gotten any better since then. It's just like how TSN keeps talking up Comtois as if he's gonna be the player of the tournament, it's just silly.
 

Der Jaeger

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UPL is doing just fine. So much of goaltending is technique. It's not just sliding around and making saves. He's an idea of what he's doing that he looks better at last year.

He's not over sliding this year. Last year at the WJSS, he was pushing way too hard and not stopping square to the shooter. That's all technique. Push too soft and you won't make it to the shooter. So, a goalie has to learn to use his move slide leg to dig in once he reaches the point he wants to stop. That leg has to come up, exposing the five hole, and then go right back down. The goalie can compensate by adjusting where the stick blade goes.

Think that's easy? Go give it a try. Takes months, if not a full year, of practice to master just that.

When a goalie goes to the post, either stand up or RVH, they have to get their skate inside the post and pad outside the post. For those who haven't ever put on goalie pads, most goalies put slack in the toe tie to create space in between the skate and the bottom of the pad. That tie goes right on the post, allowing the skate to be inside the post, and the pad outside. In the RVH, it's nearly impossible to score along the ice.

That takes about a year to master.

So, I'll type this again: UPL is fine. Leave him in Sudbury, then continue to slowly bring him up. He looks a lot better this year but he's got tons of technique work to do before reaching the NHL. Same with Ullmark.... same with almost every goalie.
 

sabresEH

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The TSN crew are so weird with covering this tournament, and put way too much stock into players' previous years in the tournament. UPL struggled as the starter last year so they just assume he hasn't gotten any better since then. It's just like how TSN keeps talking up Comtois as if he's gonna be the player of the tournament, it's just silly.
I agree with everything said. The TSN crew has an agenda to push at all times. Usually Bob has some good takes on guys from the other countries.
In regards to a Comtois I think he’ll have a big tourney as well. He was a beast in the bottom six last year and is coming from an extended look in the NHL. He’ll be a man amongst boys and I think he’ll produce quite well this year.
 
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Der Jaeger

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Closer look.



This is a crazy athletic save. But you can see the technique work he still needs.

Left leg WAY outside the post. That skate should've been inside the post. When the initial shot-pass to the back post was made, he pushed to the back left post. But he missed the post with his foot. The push should've been aimed at the post, with it ending at the post, skate inside and pad outside the post for an easy RVH transition.

He missed, requiring him to dig in and re-push back right to make that crazy athletic save.

If his left foot was on the post, he makes a way easier post to post push and it's a routine save.

In one highlight you see the incredible raw talent combined with years of technique work left before he'll be in the NHL.
 

Waterfowlist

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This is a crazy athletic save. But you can see the technique work he still needs.

Left leg WAY outside the post. That skate should've been inside the post. When the initial shot-pass to the back post was made, he pushed to the back left post. But he missed the post with his foot. The push should've been aimed at the post, with it ending at the post, skate inside and pad outside the post for an easy RVH transition.

He missed, requiring him to dig in and re-push back right to make that crazy athletic save.

If his left foot was on the post, he makes a way easier post to post push and it's a routine save.

In one highlight you see the incredible raw talent combined with years of technique work left before he'll be in the NHL.
Not to mention that if the guy with the puck were an NHLer, he would have fed the guy in front for a one timer with an open net instead of a low percentage wrap around.
 
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Woodhouse

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Played well, but I think it's maybe his clumsy size or something that makes a be bit nervy when I watch him. Idk, maybe I'm alone in that. It's usually when teams get him moving or he resets slowly from a rebound/scramble.
 

Samsonite23

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Played well, but I think it's maybe his clumsy size or something that makes a be bit nervy when I watch him. Idk, maybe I'm alone in that. It's usually when teams get him moving or he resets slowly from a rebound/scramble.
I see the same thing. I’m not really a goalie development guy, so I don’t really have a conclusion to come to. He’s played so well all year that I let it slide thinking it’s youth.
 

Djp

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Anyone chance Ukko comes back to the wolves next year?


He will go back to juniors.

In 19/20 he plays in AHL.

He still can be called up to buffalo for 9 games. They will not burn his contract thus opening up to the expansion draft. He will be exempt if he doesn’t burn his sliding contract year.
 

llwyd

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Played well, but I think it's maybe his clumsy size or something that makes a be bit nervy when I watch him. Idk, maybe I'm alone in that. It's usually when teams get him moving or he resets slowly from a rebound/scramble.

Well, he obviously is still a very unfinished product but I think he's hugely promising - goalies develope slowly but he seems already mentally very mature and cool under pressure. He will grow into his big size and become much smoother but even now he impresses. A gem for us (Finland).
 

old kummelweck

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It's nice to see a goalie prospect succeeding, but let's be honest, projecting goalies at this level is a crap shoot.
 

RWatson29

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Apr 24, 2012
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UPL is doing just fine. So much of goaltending is technique. It's not just sliding around and making saves. He's an idea of what he's doing that he looks better at last year.

He's not over sliding this year. Last year at the WJSS, he was pushing way too hard and not stopping square to the shooter. That's all technique. Push too soft and you won't make it to the shooter. So, a goalie has to learn to use his move slide leg to dig in once he reaches the point he wants to stop. That leg has to come up, exposing the five hole, and then go right back down. The goalie can compensate by adjusting where the stick blade goes.

Think that's easy? Go give it a try. Takes months, if not a full year, of practice to master just that.

When a goalie goes to the post, either stand up or RVH, they have to get their skate inside the post and pad outside the post. For those who haven't ever put on goalie pads, most goalies put slack in the toe tie to create space in between the skate and the bottom of the pad. That tie goes right on the post, allowing the skate to be inside the post, and the pad outside. In the RVH, it's nearly impossible to score along the ice.

That takes about a year to master.

So, I'll type this again: UPL is fine. Leave him in Sudbury, then continue to slowly bring him up. He looks a lot better this year but he's got tons of technique work to do before reaching the NHL. Same with Ullmark.... same with almost every goalie.

Yeah this exactly. Ullmark just looks very slow when he’s down to me. It seems like he has troubles getting back up fast. A lot of the time he seems to push off of his glove to try and stand up, where as a lot of other goalies can just snap right back up
 

Reddawg

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Yeah this exactly. Ullmark just looks very slow when he’s down to me. It seems like he has troubles getting back up fast. A lot of the time he seems to push off of his glove to try and stand up, where as a lot of other goalies can just snap right back up
Could be nursing an injury...I never noticed that when he was in rookie camp.
 

RWatson29

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Could be nursing an injury...I never noticed that when he was in rookie camp.

I don’t think it is an injury, I just think he’s still really raw, but he’s a solid goalie. Takes away a lot of the net coming out, good positionally, I just don’t know, he looks just slow and delayed when he’s already down. He’s got incredibly long legs and can cover up the entire bottom of the net when he is down, but just watch him when he try’s to get back to his feet from the butterfly. It takes far more time than other goalies (I think it will definitely be corrected) but yeah overall I think ullmark is good, but it’s definitley a fundamental issue
 

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