FIN: A Year to Forget

2003 was an awful year for draft-eligible Finns, as not a single Finland-based player was selected in the first three rounds. Only two of the 2003 drafted players made the roster for the World Juniors in Helsinki, Arsi Piispanen and Oskari Korpikari. The most successful of the bunch has been Teemu Lassila, who is two years older than most of the draftees. Mikko Vuori reviews select five players from the class.

Arsi Piispanen, C, Jokerit Jrs, (5th round CLB, 138th overall)

Review: The tall, lanky center contrinued his slow, steady progress. The leading scorer in Jokerit Jrs. excels as a playmaker. Piispanen centered the Finnish fourth line at the U-20 World Juniors and made a brief but promising SEL debut. A project with some raw potential, but must improve skating and strength.

Grade: B-. Did not make a big splash, but wasn't expected to quite yet, as he had only played half a year in junior before getting drafted.

Forecast: He is likely to continue getting time in junior, mainly due to the depth of the Jokerit pro roster, which could keep him down in the system. Has to show more dominance at the junior level, especially shooting the puck more (only 5 goals to 25 assists).

Teemu Lassila, G, TPS, (4th round NSH, 117th overall)

Review: The top Finn taken, save for WHL-based Masi Marjamaki. The '83-born goalie did not disappoint in his second SM-Liiga campaign. He led TPS Turku to the finals, but ultimately lost to Kärpät. A knee injury forced him out of the lineup for over a month, which allowed young backup Tuomo Karjalainen to share the workload. All in all, a very solid technical goalie who is flexible and poised, but his tendency to stay too deep in the crease hurts on shots in the slot and limits his puckhandling development.

Grade: B+. Simply stops the rubber when he sees is, but must maintain better focus.

Forecast: Expected to get a starter's icetime with TPS next year.

Eero Kilpeläinen, G, KalPa Jrs, (5th round DAL, 144th overall)

Review: Small, quick netminder was the best of the two Finnish goalies taken in the draft. Kilpeläinen had a solid season carrying a weak KalPa squad in the junior league. Stuck in the juniors due to netminding depth of KalPa's system, but often came up with heroic efforts. A very light player, he often struggles with a lot of traffic around him; his toughness and endurance will have to be improved in order to take the next step.

Grade: C. Stopped a lot of pucks and often thrived with the work load, but confidence often suffered, playing for a poor team.

Forecast: Will be in consideration to start for Finland at the Under-20 World Juniors, but there are more purely talented candidates such as Alexis Ahlqvist.

Oskari Korpikari, D, Kärpät, (7th round MTL, 217th overall)

Review: The lanky 6-foot-2 rearguard, drafted in his second year of eligibility developed steadily, but not very progressively with Karpat. After an impressive pre-season, he was unable to raise his game enough to keep a regular top-6 spot. Korpikari sat out 21 of 56 of Karpat's games and never showed a propensity for utilizing his frame wisely. His first-step quickness is still suspect. Represented Finland at the Under-20 World Juniors, but his tournament was cut short due to an injury.

Grade: C. Next year will be crucial to see if he can play with some spunk or simply settle in as a mediocre stay-at-home defender.

Forecast: Expect increased icetime and a more regular role.

Juhamatti Aaltonen, W, Kärpät Jrs, (9th round STL, 284th overall)

Review: We were surprised by how low he went in the 2003 draft, but his lack of defensive consciousness explains the freefall. Aaltonen had a good year, but never did make a jump to the senior league, despite dominating the juniors, amassing 30 goals in 32 games (top in the league). Lack of all-around versatility kept him off the World Junior roster.

Grade: B. Has much to prove, but, boy, can he ever finish.

Forecast: There is nothing left for him to prove in junior, so a move to the SM-Liiga seems imminent. Unless he seriously bulks up, he will not play a lot.

THIS AND THAT

The New Jersey Devils recently signed defenseman Teemu Kesa. Due to injuries, the stay-at-home defender has not developed as expected, but offers promising upside. Lack of good size limits him, but Kesa compensates with a crisp slapshot and very good skating ability. He will play in Albany next year in a situation similar to Mikko Jokela's a couple of years ago - a rearguard who was similarly behind in his development.

Tommi Santala has returned to Finland to play for IFK Helsinki, signing a two-year deal. He has an NHL clause in his contract, which means that playing in the NHL remains a goal, but Santala has stated that he made the decision as he does not expect a "good enough" offer from Atlanta this summer. He should challenge for an NHL job after a year abroad.