Europe: 2007 Finnish Draft Profiles

Europe: 2007 Finnish Draft Profiles (posted 01.17.07)

by Mikko Vuori

Harri Ilvonen (2007), D, Tappara Jrs

Surprise Finn of the draft class.. developed a lot over the summer, started the season strong and has not looked back since .. has good size and reasonable strength, though need to still keep adding muscle .. skates well, with nice first step quickness and overall speed .. could still improve his lateral movement when defending against good skaters .. shows good smarts, knowing when he is beat on skating, and reacts in time to take the best possible action .. doesn't seem to join rushed too often ... can handle the puck and shoot well from the point position ... leaves the blueline at times when the pressure is offensive zone .. has a hard slapshot, which he is able to keep low too .. plays big minutes on his junior team, especially on PK and PP .. flying under the radar with late 88 birth date, no WJC exposure and playing in organization with very deep defense corps in SM-liiga (Tappara).

Lassi Kokkala (2007), C, TPS Jrs

Solid all-round center prospect .. has improved his game in all areas this season and looks like very mature player on the ice .. doesn't have especially high top speed, but has good lower body strength and balance ... hard to knock off the puck .. willing to crash to the net and enter high traffic zones .. handles the puck well .. usually successful with the plays he tries with the puck .. good play maker who is able to find his wingers with his passes .. doesn't isn't a big time scorer .. needs to upgrade his shooting skills, especially on close range .. shows good habits on the ice, returning to play defense and being positionally aware .. shows patience to stay in his position and not always trying to go where is puck already is

Niklas Lucenius (2007), C, Tappara Jrs

A center that has skills, but is struggling to produce .. has decent size and strength for a supposedly skill player .. is not the fastest skater around, but his skating isn't the thing holding him back .. can handle the puck and wants to hold on to it too .. has a good skill set, but often tries to be too fancy, which limits his production .. would benefit from seeing the ice better .. still too inconsistent at the moment .. has been disappointment is previous international tournaments this season, but exploded in Christmas tournament in Switzerland .. not having a great season, but has enough tools to be drafted regardless.

Jesse Jyrkkio (2007), D, Ässät Jrs

A puck moving defenseman .. on his best when playing with the puck .. skates well and constantly keeps his legs moving .. usually finds a good passing opportunity fast when with the puck .. capable of running the powerplay from the point .. has good and accurate slapshot, which he seeks to use actively .. likes to be the player who is running things in offensive game .. still makes too many mistakes in defensive game .. doesn't have great size and is out powered in defensive situations at times .. needs some more overall discipline to round out his game .. hasn't been the favorite boy of the Finnish national teams, but has worked his way back to the U18 national team.

Jori Lehtera (2007), C, Jokerit

A skilled center, who has been able to overcome his shortcoming lately .. starting to break trough in SM-liiga .. second time eligible player for the draft with late -87 birthdate .. his weaknesses are well known are reported .. has good size and good reach as a result .. doesn't play physical game however, and can be stopped with hard hits .. has to improve his skating speed and acceleration .. must keep his feet moving more instead of stopping on the ice .. clearly most useful when with the puck .. has very good puck handling skills .. has good vision too, and can find his wingers from all kind of spots .. always looks for passing opportunities instead of shooting himself .. clearly a project type prospect, but has been proving his doubters wrong in every level so far.

Tomi Sallinen (2007), C, Blues Jrs

All-round forward, who doesn't have superb skills in any particular area .. gets his job done though, showing good attitude and spirit .. dependable player who plays good two-way game, and makes good decisions .. solid on face off circle .. is more of a playmaker, usually looking to create things rather than finish plays .. can score when needed though, and can play also on the wing position .. has deceptive speed and good overall quickness .. isn't the biggest player, but can survive physical play .. adding more strength could be key to moving to higher levels .. could be an interesting prospect if he can find his niche.

Sami Martikainen (2007), D, Blues Jrs

A solid but smallish defenseman .. doesn't have great size and has to compensate for that in defensive zone .. has good balance and lower body strength though .. skates well and sees the ice well from his skating position .. doesn't panic with the puck and shows good patience and poise .. controls the puck well and is able to keep the play going playing on the point .. isn't very flashy on offensive game and needs more strength for defensive game .. however, solid prospect at this point.

Erik Riska (2007), C, Blue Jrs

A straight forward attacker with good size .. has good frame and has already filled it up nicely .. a player who is easy to spot on the ice due to his energy .. has pretty good speed on straight line .. could use better agility in his skating and other wise too .. tries to play it reasonably simple, driving to the net and looking to unleash some shots .. plays the center position, but could be better suited for winger's game .. is defensively responsibly and shown overall a good spirit on the ice .. might not have enough skills to make it big time, but is a player to watch for.

Joonas Jarvinen (2007), D, TPS Jrs

A defenseman with very good frame .. has already good strength and can use it to his advantage in battle situations .. could be nastier though .. skates reasonably well for a big man .. tries to play it easy with the puck, making the simple plays .. isn't very offensively orientated player and is usually more concerned on not giving the puck away rather than making a risky play .. is a team player and has good leadership qualities .. over all a solid defensive defenseman, but perhaps not ideal for player modern style hockey.

Vili Sopanen (2007), W, Pelicans Jrs

An up and coming forward with nice size .. '87 born forward who has improved considerably over past couple of years .. has good size, reach and reasonably good strength for player of his size .. has pretty good straight line speed and acceleration .. has major problems with his agility and especially balance though .. on his best in offensive game .. has good slap and wrist shots, which he likes to use .. tries to create offense and hold on to the puck rather than dumping it away .. might have to even play more simple at times .. a prospect who has improved, but wasn't overly impressive in World Juniors.