Former Bruins Urho Vaakanainen

[BruinsJoe]

Urro Vaakaneinen is a good defender, great skating, great vision, great first passe, but, he is not ready to play aginst Kreider...so! ;D

 

[Mathews28]

exactly he looks the part until the wind blows and he falls over

i was a huge Urho fan early on and really thought I saw something special in him. He doesn’t give me that sense now. Hoping he turns that tide. I may have simply over valued him. Or maybe Boro caving his head in lingers. Don’t know.

 

[UncleRico]

i was a huge Urho fan early on and really thought I saw something special in him. He doesn’t give me that sense now. Hoping he turns that tide. I may have simply over valued him. Or maybe Boro caving his head in lingers. Don’t know.

For someone who has only played a handful of NHL games in his career and has been thrown into a top pairing role, he’s done a decent job. Hasn’t been mistake free, but he’s relatively holding his own.

 

[Mathews28]

For someone who has only played a handful of NHL games in his career and has been thrown into a top pairing role, he’s done a decent job. Hasn’t been mistake free, but he’s relatively holding his own.

He has been decent, sure. I’m talking about what I viewed as special when I saw him at the outset. I’m not left with that same impression. Could just be me, but not seeing that shine.

 

[LouJersey]

For someone who has only played a handful of NHL games in his career and has been thrown into a top pairing role, he’s done a decent job. Hasn’t been mistake free, but he’s relatively holding his own.

He's too weak to have sustained success at this level...his skill and brain are good. Will he ever be strong enough?

 

[UncleRico]

He's too weak to have sustained success at this level...his skill and brain are good. Will he ever be strong enough?

Hes 6’1 185 pounds and just turned 22 last month. Plenty of room for growth and to fill out his frame over the next few seasons.

 

[Bruinaura]

He's too weak to have sustained success at this level...his skill and brain are good. Will he ever be strong enough?

Pasta was pretty weak when he first got in the league... Maybe there's hope for Urho?

 

[RoccoF14]

He was much better today. I think that getting him off the top pairing with McAvoy had a lot to do with it.

He's simply not ready for that big of a step up. Having him on the bottom pairing, where he can play more protected minutes is exactly where he should be until he can get a little more experience.

 

[Tonysil]

He was much better today. I think that getting him off the top pairing with McAvoy had a lot to do with it.

He's simply not ready for that big of a step up. Having him on the bottom pairing, where he can play more protected minutes is exactly where he should be until he can get a little more experience.

I'm not sure that his minutes were that protected, he played more than both Carlo and Zboril, only Charlie played more than he did on defense.

 

[RoccoF14]

I'm not sure that his minutes were that protected, he played more than both Carlo and Zboril, only Charlie played more than he did on defense.

5 on 5 he spent the majority of the time today on the bottom pair with Kampfer.

He got extra minutes on the PK, and I thought he did well there. Zboril took most of the top pair minutes though.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

For someone who has only played a handful of NHL games in his career and has been thrown into a top pairing role, he’s done a decent job. Hasn’t been mistake free, but he’s relatively holding his own.

What concerns me is his lack of strength. If he was 19 I
wouldn't be as concerned but he is 22. He has next to no
ability to eliminate anyone his size on the boards. Thats
not a good recipe for NHL success. He has skating abd passing ability but his LOS is brutal.

 

[veganbruin]

He’s a shot blocking machine which Tuukka will like. He definitely plays the corners more like Gryz or Krug did which will drive Bruins fans insane.

 

[KillerMillerTime]

He’s a shot blocking machine which Tuukka will like. He definitely plays the corners more like Gryz or Krug did which will drive Bruins fans insane.

He's 6:01 not 5:09, so he shouldn't be cut that kind of slack. His LOS at 22 is alarming.

By the way did Coyle play well enough for you this weekend?Lose the hate for good ok?

 

[CaperJay]

He's too weak to have sustained success at this level...his skill and brain are good. Will he ever be strong enough?

It's the perfect year for him to be in providence. They only play twice a week and it leaves alot of practice time and alot of time for off ice work. When the Bruins get healthy they should send him down and tell him he's good enough for this league but he needs to get stronger and to really concentrate on that part of his game

 

[Dr Hook]

He’s a shot blocking machine which Tuukka will like. He definitely plays the corners more like Gryz or Krug did which will drive Bruins fans insane.

Who cares how they do it if they get out of the corner with the puck. Gryz does pretty often, more than Krug did. It doesn't drive me any more insane than to see a big, strong guy go into the corners and shove people around and still not get the puck.

Urho needs some strength, that's all. Give him a year or two- right now he's getting knocked aside kind of easily.

 

[SanDogBrewin]

Pasta was pretty weak when he first got in the league... Maybe there's hope for Urho?

He will get stronger. Still young and raw as a player.

 

[UncleRico]

What concerns me is his lack of strength. If he was 19 I
wouldn't be as concerned but he is 22. He has next to no
ability to eliminate anyone his size on the boards. Thats
not a good recipe for NHL success. He has skating abd passing ability but his LOS is brutal.

He just turned 22 in January and didn’t have the luxury of a regular offseason with the pandemic last year or access to team facilities. 22 is extremely young and he’s 6’1 185 pounds. All he really needs to do is put on 10-15 pounds which is not unreasonable at all.

He’s 22 not like he’s 25

 

[Mad-Marcus]

Strength can be added even w/o size. It's a matter of putting him on an off season program that prioritizes it.

 

[JAD]

The problem with kids playing against fully developed men is that for those between the ages of 18 - 25 is their bodies are still filling out - especially upper body and core thickness. It's why you see so many young player with shoulder injuries; theirs bodies haven't developed to handle the type of impact that is common in this game.

Give the kid time to fill out.

 

[Healthy Wrap]

Given Lauzon’s struggles this postseason and the slew of injuries the Bruins are facing on the backend (Moore, Kampfer, Miller, Zboril) I can’t help but wonder: How far has Vaakanainen fallen out of favor that he can’t even enter the conversation for fill-in duty on the bottom pair?

I’m not saying the Bruins should start a guy with only a handful of NHL games under his belt in the playoffs. I guess my question is, why didn’t he get more of an opportunity this regular season? Every time I’ve seen him play, he’s looked decent. Seems composed with the puck, a good skater, etc. I was more impressed with him than I was with Zboril. What am I missing?

 

[MarbleMist]

Given Lauzon’s struggles this postseason and the slew of injuries the Bruins are facing on the backend (Moore, Kampfer, Miller, Zboril) I can’t help but wonder: How far has Vaakanainen fallen out of favor that he can’t even enter the conversation for fill-in duty on the bottom pair?

I’m not saying the Bruins should start a guy with only a handful of NHL games under his belt in the playoffs. I guess my question is, why didn’t he get more of an opportunity this regular season? Every time I’ve seen him play, he’s looked decent. Seems composed with the puck, a good skater, etc. I was more impressed with him than I was with Zboril. What am I missing?

Resident Providence expert @Saxon Eric has said on multiple occasions that his attitude stinks. He might do a Zboril-esque turnaround and figure it out next year. If not, then it's just a bad pick.

When Charlie Mac first came into the team for the Ottawa series you could see the fire in his eyes. If Vaakanainen doesn't have it, he doesn't have it.

 

[Kalus]

Given Lauzon’s struggles this postseason and the slew of injuries the Bruins are facing on the backend (Moore, Kampfer, Miller, Zboril) I can’t help but wonder: How far has Vaakanainen fallen out of favor that he can’t even enter the conversation for fill-in duty on the bottom pair?

I’m not saying the Bruins should start a guy with only a handful of NHL games under his belt in the playoffs. I guess my question is, why didn’t he get more of an opportunity this regular season? Every time I’ve seen him play, he’s looked decent. Seems composed with the puck, a good skater, etc. I was more impressed with him than I was with Zboril. What am I missing?

Maybe they figured, of the young guys on the back end, Zboril is the puck mover and Lauzon is the physical defensive dman. In other words, no room this year. He'd have to bang the door down, which he certainly didn't.

 

[BlackFrancis]

Given Lauzon’s struggles this postseason and the slew of injuries the Bruins are facing on the backend (Moore, Kampfer, Miller, Zboril) I can’t help but wonder: How far has Vaakanainen fallen out of favor that he can’t even enter the conversation for fill-in duty on the bottom pair?

I’m not saying the Bruins should start a guy with only a handful of NHL games under his belt in the playoffs. I guess my question is, why didn’t he get more of an opportunity this regular season? Every time I’ve seen him play, he’s looked decent. Seems composed with the puck, a good skater, etc. I was more impressed with him than I was with Zboril. What am I missing?

Just my opinion, but he's half-assed it for so long now, he's unable to conjure the skills he used to possess.

His game has atrophied. If he's improved at all physically, I'm not sure his own mother would notice. In the meantime, he's been adequate at best in the AHL.

The only thing I can see right now in Urho's future is employment for a team in the Finnish Elite League.

 

[Saxon Eric]

Resident Providence expert @Saxon Eric has said on multiple occasions that his attitude stinks. He might do a Zboril-esque turnaround and figure it out next year. If not, then it's just a bad pick.

When Charlie Mac first came into the team for the Ottawa series you could see the fire in his eyes. If Vaakanainen doesn't have it, he doesn't have it.

I appreciate the title but far from an expert
Yeah Vaakanainen is looking like a poor choice, just shows skating isn't everything

 

[BBBruins]

What has his game looked like?

It’s been 3 years since he got a hit from Borowiecki's elbow (time flies). If I remember correctly his game looked promising before that hit. What do you others think did that hit significantly affect his game? I think at least something happened because of that elbow. Or is it just an easy reason to think about it?
Especially now you have to wonder if this guy would play in the Boston's top 4 - without that nasty situation. At least it was expected and looked promising.

I know this is useless but this came to my mind today..