Finnish NN: Three Musketeers

While North America may be paralyzed by the effects of the NHL lockout, Europe is now in full swing, stocked with imported overseas talent.

Except in Finland, that is.

So far, there has been little influx of NHLers to the SM-Liiga, which has left space for some of the younger players to show their wares, such as the Three first-round Musketeers in Lauri Tukonen, Petteri Nokelainen, and Lauri Korpikoski.

What Lockout?

The impact of the NHL lockout has been less than expected in the SM-Liiga, as only a handful of Finnish NHLers have returned home, mainly due to tax or health problems. Olli Jokinen, Miikka Kiprusoff and Sami Salo elected to play in Sweden, while Niklas Hagman and Niko Kapanen bolted to Switzerland.

Of those returning, the most notable include Ville Nieminen, Jarkko Ruutu, Esa Pirnes and Pasi Nurminen. In addition, some foreigners are here, such as Marek Zidlicky, returning to Helsinki where he played for four years before joining the NHL. Ryan Malone (USA) and Michael Nylander (Sweden) have also both signed, but have yet to suit up for their new Finnish teams.

The NHLers have not only had a positive impact on attendance figures, but also on the other players on the league. The youngsters will undoubtedly benefit from playing alongside the NHL pros, though they may also lose icetime and lineup spots if the lockout persists.

Ässät's 16-year-old 2006 top prospect Jesse Joensuu got a little taste of the NHL when, on his first shift of the game, got rocked on an open-ice hit by Jarkko Ruutu, normally a Vancouver Canuck. This time, Joensuu got away with just a minor concussion, but will learn to keep his head up the next time.

Korpikoski Emerging

The New York Rangers’ first-round pick in June, Lauri Korpikoski, continue his rocket-like rise in Finnish hockey. Korpikoski, who had not played a single game in the SM-Liiga before this season, has already established a solid position in TPS Turku’s lineup. So far, Korpikoski has picked up two assists in seven games and displayed his familiar style of bravely challenging opponents. He just needs to work on his finishing skills, as well as add muscle, which will make his hitting game all the more damaging.

The summer’s other first-rounders, Lauri Tukonen of the Blues and Petteri Nokelainen of SaiPa, have not started their seasons quite as well as was expected. Tukonen has received some good icetime on scoring lines, but has been no better or worse than his fellow struggling teammates, notching just one goal in seven games. Nokelainen, who also has scored just once (in six games), plays with SaiPa's top forwards from last season, Peter Sachl and Timo Hirvonen, however, the trio have been a disappointment.

New Star In Helsinki

One of the bright spots in the young SM-Liiga season has been the play of Jokerit's young center Valtteri Filppula, who has been centering the club’s best unit with veteran ex-NHLers’ Juha Lind and Petri Varis. Filppula has accumulated three points (1+2) and a plus-3 rating in five games for the unbeaten Jokerit club. Though not big in size, he does play with heart, and effectively uses his speed and flair to outperform opponents.

The other top young players around the league are familiar names. JYP’s Jarkko Immonen, another Ranger prospect, continues to perform well and has eight points after just six games, placing him in the top-five in the league’s scoring race. Janne Niskala, drafted as an overager last summer by the Predators, leads all defensemen in scoring with six points in seven games.

Forgotten Slovak

Former Nashville Predators’ draftee Martin Bartek is working his way back on the radar of NHL scouts. Bartek, drafted out of the QMJHL in the eighth round of the 1998 Entry Draft, struggled to secure a spot with Nashville's AHL-affiliate in Milwaukee before returning to his native Slovakia for the `03-4 campaign. Bartek enjoyed great success in Slovakia, winning both the regular season and playoff scoring titles with Zvolen.

Bartek joined Rauman Lukko in the SM-Liiga this season, and has quickly adapted to the higher intensity level. Having bulked up his 6-foot-1 frame, Bartek is a strong player whose main strengths are his skating and goal-scoring ability, especially his shot. A true sniper, he can be invisible at times on the ice, but knows how to capitalize on his chances and can strike suddenly.

Thus far, he also appears to handling his defensive chores well, while adjusting with the higher pace at this level. After seven games, he sits in second position in the scoring race, behind linemate Pasi Saarela.