World of E. Huisman

Oh my, I haven’t been able to keep my promise of regularly updating this blog. I have a lot of excuses, but they are, as a wise man once said, for losers.

There has been a lot of talk in Oilogosphere lately about the European scouts of the Edmonton Oilers. AFAIK, no-one has mentioned yet that the former GM of Jokerit, Matti Virmanen is one of them. This bit of news was apparently published by Kiekkolehti (“Hockey Magazine”) a month ago, but I had no idea until I heard about it from himself a week ago.

If I understood it correctly, he’ll be doing both amateur and professional scouting. It’ll be interesting to see how he performs. In Finland his reputation is somewhat questionable and it is safe to say that the majority of Jokerit fans were pleased when he quit last spring (and ecstatic when Jarmo Kekäläinen was hired to replace him).

One of the most substantial draft related changes introduced in the 2005 CBA was the expiration of draft rights to European based players. As shown lately by the Teemu Hartikainen saga, even NHL organizations seem to be somewhat confused about the real rules, but that’s more due to (the lack of) transfer agreements not the CBA itself.

Now that there is a transfer agreement in place between Finns and the NHL, the 2008 draft picks will expire after tomorrow, 31st of May. A total of seven Finns were drafted two years ago and three of them remain unsigned.

The most prominent prospect of the trio is Jori Lehterä. The highly skilled center was already two years over-aged when he was drafted by the St. Louis Blues. After dominating the Finnish junior league with Jokerit in 2006–07, he made a solid career move by signing with Tappara.

He had an excellent rookie year in SM-liiga, finished 19th in the league in scoring (13+29=42 in 54 games) and probably would’ve been the rookie of the year if the SM-liiga awards voting took place after the regular season. Lehterä had his first taste of North American hockey in 2009 when he finished the season on a tryout with the Peoria Rivermen.

This year he took another huge jump in development, finishing first in SM-liiga scoring and assists and being the regular season MVP according to both the league and other players. He was also part of Team Finland’s World Championship squad, but didn’t really have a role to fit his strengths.

Anyway, the problem with Lehterä seems to be that he’s too good. According to the soon-to-be-former Assistant GM of the St. Louis Blues, Jarmo Kekäläinen, they have tried to get him signed, but a two-way contract with a smallish signing bonus doesn’t seem that interesting when you’re being offered “seven figures” by KHL clubs. If, and most probably when, Lehterä is not signed, he will be an unrestricted free agent.

Eero Elo was a fifth round pick of the Minnesota Wild in 2008. The big winger had an interesting year, splitting time between Lukko’s junior and pro teams, the Mestis team KooKoo and the Finnish U20 team. His PPG in the junior league has improved from 0.64 in 2007–08 to 1.10 in 2008–09 to 1.89 this year and he had an impressive six game point streak in SM-liiga as well, so he could very well be re-drafted if the Wild fails to sign him

Matias Sointu is the third unsigned prospect. He was the seventh round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning two years ago, but after that he has missed an almost complete season with a shoulder injury and played another in the OHL which was average at best. He did make the Finnish WJC squad, but didn’t show anything special there, either. Sointu recently signed a contract with Ilves, so he’ll return to Finland for the 2010–11 season.

I’m not sure if I’ve confessed before that Edmonton Oilers is the team I cheer for in the NHL. Well, now I have. Anyway, it is really nice to watch Magnus Pääjärvi and Linus Omark play in the World Championships.

Pääjärvi still has a lot growing up to do before he can fully live up to his potential. It is apparent that he has used to being able to dominate with his speed and strength, but when he has to play against NHL-level opponents, he usually ends up losing the battles.¹

I think people are going to fall in love with Omark in Edmonton. He’s such an exciting player to watch. He has all the moves and can create offense out of nothing. On the other hand, his game isn’t likely to adapt well to the smaller rinks and he can’t play in a defensive role. It will be interesting to see how his career progresses after his honeymoon is over.

Footnotes
1. Ouch. Isn’t that exactly what could’ve been written about Jani Rita ten years ago? Don’t worry, fellow Oiler fans, Pääjärvi has hockey sense to go with his skill and strength.↑

I just have to post here to let you know that I’m not dead and that there will be more content here, soonish. I just realized at some point that I didn’t have too much to say about either hockey or music, or anything else for that matter. Now that I feel like I do, again, I’ll try to post at least once a week. Stay tuned!

Ok, SM-liiga starts in less than a week, so it is time to wrap up the silly season. The first part, published in late June, contained all the significant signings until then. This second part covers the latter half of the off-season.

Players signed by NHL clubs

7/2 – Ilkka Pikkarainen, HIFK → New Jersey Devils
7/4 – Matt Nickerson, Ilves → Edmonton Oilers

This duo was already covered in an earlier post.

7/7 – Hannu Toivonen, Ilves → St. Louis Blues

It still isn’t quite clear to me what happened to Toivonen. He was a top prospect, then he got injured and has been average ever since. I don’t expect that to chance.

7/14 – Mikko Koskinen, Blues → NY Islanders

This was expected. He should be the #1 goalie in Bridgeport.

7/16 – Toni Rajala, Ilves → Edmonton Oilers

This was quite unexpected. Apparently they signed him so they could have more influence on where he would play. Unless something out of the ordinary happens, he will play in the WHL this year. Brandon Wheat Kings are hosting the Memorial Cup next spring, which was a factor, I guess.

Unfortunately Rajala was injured in a pre-season tournament with the Finnish U20 team. Fortunately the injury wasn’t all that serious, just a MCL sprain which didn’t required a surgery, so he should be back in action quite soon, actually. The official estimate was four to six weeks and that was almost five weeks ago, so we’ll see.

7/16 – Lauri Tukonen, Lukko → Tampa Bay Lightning

Tukonen was once what Rajala is now: the next big thing in Finnish hockey. He never lived up to the hype and now he’s already with his third NHL organization. He’s going to the Lightning camp, but the word is he has at least a verbal agreement with the club which allows him to return to Europe if he doesn’t make the opening day roster. Which I doubt he does.

7/20 – Ben Eaves, Blues → Nashville Predators

Eaves would’ve been an NHLer already if his knees would’ve allowed him to play more regularly. If he’s healthy, he should be a third line center in the NHL. He has amazing vision and solid puck skills, so he could be useful on the powerplay as well.

7/24 – Mika Pyörälä, Timrå (SWE) → Philadelphia Flyers

Pyörälä has been progressing steadily, year after year. He’s already 28-years-old, so he’s not really a prospect at this point. He’s a reliable two-way forward who also has some skill, so he should be able to compete for a third line role in the NHL.

Prospects signed by CHL clubs

8/2 – Rasmus Rissanen, KalPa → Everett Silvertips
8/2 – Petteri Similä, Kärpät → Niagara IceDogs
?/? – Matias Sointu, Ilves → Ottawa 67's

No official word on this, but Sointu is on the 67′s camp.

Prospects signed by Finnish clubs

6/22 – Tomi Karhunen, KalPa → RoKi

It’ll be interesting to see how Karhunen performs in the newly promoted Mestis club. This is a loan deal, so they still have faith in him in Kuopio.

7/21 – Jasse Ikonen, KalPa → D Team

Ikonen is one of the players who has a chance to make the WJC squad in fourth line role. He should get a lot more icetime in Mestis than he would’ve got in SM-liiga, so this a good move for him.

7/28 – Mikko Tolvanen, LeKi → Blues

Tolvanen is another huge goalie who replaces Mikko Koskinen in Blues.

8/27 – John Hughes, Salzburg (AUT) -> Tappara

Interesting signing by Tappara. I’m not sure why Hughes was never drafted or signed by an NHL club, but I hope I can find out that before the end of October when his contract expires. Tappara has the option to extend his contract if he impresses them.

Former prospects signed by Finnish clubs

7/7 – Michal Birner, Pelicans → TPS
7/16 – Aki Seitsonen, Quad City Flames → HPK
7/27 – Pavel Rosa, Rögle (SWE) → KärpätKari Haakana
7/28 – Mike Radja, Rockford IceHogs → TPS
7/28 – Petteri Wirtanen, Iowa Chops → HIFK
8/14 – Dustin Johner, Innsbruck (AUT) → Ilves
8/27 – Lee Goren, Färjestad (SWE) → Tappara (loan deal until the end of October)
8/28 – Juhamatti Aaltonen, Kärpät → Pelicans
8/31 – Petr Pohl, Johnstown Chiefs → SaiPa
8/31 – Tyler Redenbach, Odense (DEN) → SaiPa

Former prospects signed by foreign clubs

6/25 – Quinn Hancock, Jokerit → Iserlohn Roosters (GER)
6/26 – Dan Hacker, HIFK → Schwenninger Wild Wings (GER)
7/3 – Steve Saviano, Tappara → Växjö Lakers (SWE)
7/7 – Jakub Sindel, Pelicans → Brno (CZE)
7/15 – Jussi Makkonen, HPK → Dinamo Minsk (BLR)
8/6 – Kyle Klubertanz, TPS → Djurgården (SWE)
8/25 – Noah Clarke, Lukko → Hamburg Freezers (GER)
8/28 – Kari Haakana, Pelicans → Kloten Flyers (SUI)

I just wanted to say that I simply love the new album of Gossip. I just hope that I have the chance to see them live some day.

I’ve been calling Teemu Pulkkinen “Teemu II” for some time now on various messageboards. It’s a joke, really, but after seeing him score this amazing goal against HIFK in a pre-season game on Thursday, it’s feeling a lot less like a joke.

Mikael Granlund is another prospect I’m quite excited about. He didn’t score in the game, but he did play a great game. At this point, I think he’s a more mature, complete player than Pulkkinen. And I’ve always liked playmakers more than scorers. Here he is, taking Tommi Kivistö out for a walk in the park:

(I didn’t shoot those videos, so thanks to Youtube user iljaanevits.)

Can’t wait to see these two rip apart the U18 Worlds next spring. Let’s just hope they can both stay healthy.

Coming next: silly season recap, part II, Nordic Trophy Finland scores and thoughts, SM-liiga preview etc. Stay tuned.

Another great weekend in the beautiful camping site of Puntala, surrounded by hundreds of punks of all ages. A lot of familiar faces, a lot of strangers, a lot of fun.

I have to admit I was drunk almost the entire time I spent on the festival area, so I might have missed a lot of acts which would've been worth checking out and my memories of the acts I did witness could be dim.

Friday

We arrived at the scene around six, so I missed the first two acts, The Uul of Palmes and Escape to Death. SA-Int made sure that we knew we had arrived on a punk festival, but I didn't like their stuff that much.

Baxter Stockman was the exact opposite: their music was probably the least "punk" of any act during the weekend, but I liked them a lot. In the 90's there were a lot of bands which tried to sound like Nirvana, Fugazi or Primus, but I don't there were any Finnish bands which combined those influences as well as this trio does. (It is quite likely that their actual influences are not that mainstream, but those were the bands I thought of during their set.) The only complaint I have is that when the audience asks for something faster, you should be able to provide them with something faster.

Agatha was the second act of Friday which made me smile like a maniac. They didn't have the most memorable songs, but the intensity and tightness they played with was impressive. I wish they had made more contact with the audience though, it kind of felt like they were playing for each other. And, to sound like a complete idiot, I have to add that it is really nice to see some beautiful girls on stage.

Speaking of beautiful girls, the only act on the main stage which impressed me on Friday was Masshysteri. There was something very Swedish about their style and sound, but in a good way, not in a Dis-something way. Even though it was raining like hell at this point, I had a great time.

But that was the end of fun for that night as the amount of water actually became unbearable. We hitched a ride back to Tampere and had some well deserved sleep.

Saturday

After getting back to the festival site and swimming in the lake, Taantuma took me completely by surprise. The whole concept of a nine-year old kid singing songs about comsuming too much alcohol might be a bit questionable, but I don't think I saw anyone who wasn't smiling during the set. Hei Johanna (by Karkkiautomaatti, of course) actually gave me goosebumps and literally made me cry. It's been a while since any band has done that to me.

Lebakko seemed to have a good time on stage and I liked their stuff quite a lot, but playing a Wasted song as a cover is not the best idea when it just shows that your own songs aren't half as good as theirs. I didn't witness much of Abnormi because I was too busy talking about hockey and the climate in Winnipeg (don't ask, it's a long story), but they seemed to have a lot of guests on stage and a lot of energy as well.

Spoiled Betty played a rather uninspired set. It's nice to watch your friends on stage and I had a good time, but something just didn't seem right. Johanna's vocals weren't loud enough, and by looking at the mixers expression, she had no influence on it, so it must've been Johanna himself who was causing the problem. And I waited for her to raise her foot on a stage monitor, but she didn't, which was a shame. (Inside joke, sorry.)

I think it had been like ten years since I last saw Punk Lurex OK. Their lineup had gone through some changes, but they were just as good as before. They played a lot of newer stuff I didn't recognize, but also some older hits and a couple of great covers. I love their version of Ever Fallen in Love (originally by Buzzcocks, naturally).

I'm not a big fan of heavy metal, but even I was impressed by Born to Hate. It's definately not the kind of music I would listen to at home, but the amount of energy and intensity they put into their live set was indescribable. After them, Leatherface seemed kind of lame. Ok, they have a lot of great songs and they played them well, but in order for a gig to be great, there needs to be some sort of connection between the audience and the act and in this case it was simply missing.

After hearing and reading about the organizational disaster which took place at the same time in Pori, I feel obligated to thank the organizers of Puntala-rock. The laid back, yet effective approach can never be matched by any so called professionals because they lack the love which only amateurs can have.

I also have to thank the good people of Veganissimo for providing us with the best food I've ever had on any festival. Too bad their restaurant went bankrupt earlier this month, I never had the chance to pay them a visit there. I sure hope they can still provide hungry punks with the kind of catering they did in Puntala.

This is another post with random tidbits and news which might be interesting from North American point of view. This is also my last hockey related post before the end of July, unless something really big happens.

First of all, the name of Matt Nickerson seems to have appeared on the player list of the Edmonton Oilers website. It has been reported that the Oilers are trying to help the development of their prospects by adding some more experienced players on the Springfield Falcons roster. Nickerson is likely to be one of them, even though he has much more experience from SM-liiga than the AHL.

There was also another surprise signing earlier this week, when the New Jersey Devils announced they had signed winger Ilkka Pikkarainen. Pikkarainen is already 28, so he can’t be considered a prospect at this point of his career. He scored a career high 24 goals in SM-liiga last year.

Prospect Camps

At the same time when Finnish teams are about to begin their on-ice training, NHL clubs are having their prospect development camps. I’ve tried to gather a comprehensive list of Finnish players who are attending the camps of their respective NHL clubs.

Ilkka Heikkinen attended the Rangers’ camp which took place earlier this week. According to a Hockey’s Future article, he was a standout among the blueliners, which he should be, considering that most of the participants are significantly younger and less experienced than he is.

Teemu Hartikainen and Toni Rajala will be tearing up the Oilers development camp which starts on Monday. I’m sure Coming Down the Pipe in going to follow the camp closely.

Minnesota Wild’s camp will have a strong Finnish flavour to it, as there are a total of four Finns attending. Their both 2009 draft picks Erik Haula and Jere Sallinen will be there, as will their 2007 6th round pick Harri Ilvonen and 2008 5th round pick Eero Elo. The Wild camp opens on Tuesday.

The Canadiens also drafted a pair of Finns this year and both Joonas Nättinen and Petteri Similä are on their camp roster. Nashville Predators also have a number of Finnish prospects, so their camp, opening on Wednesday, also interests me. Their 2008 7th round pick Jani Lajunen is attending, as is their 2007 7th round pick Atte Engren. Teemu Laakso is also there, but that goes without saying, I guess.

St. Louis Blues will announce their camp roster just before the camp opens on Wednesday and I expect to see Jori Lehterä‘s name on it. Washington Capitals will open their camp in a week and Oskar Osala could be participating, depending a bit on the profile of players the Capitals want to see on their camp. Riku Helenius is naturally attending the Tampa Bay Lightning camp.

I couldn’t find the development camp rosters of the following clubs: Anaheim Ducks, Calgary Flames, Carolina Hurricanes, Colorado Avalanche, Dallas Stars, New Jersey Devils, New York Islanders, Philadelphia Flyers and San Jose Sharks If you can help me with any of these, I’d be grateful. Is Joni Ortio attending the Flames camp? Is Perttu Lindgren going to the Stars camp? Mikko Koskinen is for sure on the Islanders camp? What about Tommi Kivistö and Rasmus Rissanen and the Hurricanes?

edit: According to a blog post from June 29th, both Rasmus Rissanen and Tommi Kivistö should attend the Carolina Hurricanes prospect camp. According to the same post, Kai Kantola (he may have born in Canada and grown in the US, but his parents are Finnish) is also attending their camp. No official roster has been announced yet, but their camp doesn’t open until July 15th, so there is still time.

Usually when a Finnish junior player is selected by a team in the CHL Import Draft, he is quite sure to also play for that team. Jani Rita¹ is the only exception to that rule in recent memory. So, when top prospects like Toni Rajala and Teemu Pulkkinen were drafted on Tuesday, it raised some eyebrows here in Finland. I believe the total number of drafted Finns, eleven, is a record of some sort.

Rajala and Pulkkinen both have pro contracts with their respective SM-liiga clubs and both have already seen some action in the pros as well. Both have reportedly been promised a regular spot in the lineup next year as well. If all goes well, they get to play around 10—15 minutes per night in SM-liiga with quality linemates and some powerplay responsibility, there’s no question whether it is a better choice than playing in the WHL. The problem is that neither really has a guaranteed role.

Jokerit has a lot of veteran wingers and while most of them are more checkers/grinders, Pulkkinen would have to do extremely well in preseason games to be considered a top six winger. Ilves isn’t as stacked, but even they do have six wingers I’d rank above Rajala at the moment. His numbers in the juniors last year do not suggest he is able to play a regular shift in a professional league just yet. It doesn’t seem likely that either of them will play in the WHL next year, but if I would be in their position, I’d seriously consider the possibility.

(According to several sources, Rajala has said in Facebook he had no idea such a draft even existed and that he’s not going anywhere. Pulkkinen on the other hand has expressed interest in playing major junior hockey, but according to Kelowna Rockets GM Bruce Hamilton ,they don’t even expect him to play for them next year.

Update: It seems that either the Facebook reports were wrong or Rajala is quick to change his opinion. He said in a radio interview (mp3) with The Pipeline Show that right now he’s leaning towards playing in Brandon.

The interesting thing is that he does have a year left in his contract with Ilves and I wonder whether they will just let their golden boy to walk away from it. Since there now is a transfer agreement in place with the NHL and the Finnish federation and league, the Oilers would be able to sign him, but I’m not sure they would be able to assign him to Brandon without offering him on loan to Ilves first.)

I have no idea why Calgary Hitmen decided to use a pick on Erik Haula. He seems to have made his mind on playing college hockey and according to an article in a Finnish newspaper, no-one had even asked him whether he’d be interested in playing in the WHL. He also says that he doesn’t believe the difference in terms of level of hockey is that big between the USHL and the WHL, which isn’t really the smartest thing to say.

The case of Joni Ortio is also complicated. He has a possibility to play some games in SM-liiga next year, but he won’t be a starter and he has to beat Atte Engren to even be the regular backup. I think it could be better for his development to play in the WHL rather than stay in the juniors in Finland. On the other hand, I have no idea what kind of goalie coaching Swift Current Broncos has, but I’m pretty sure they can’t beat what TPS has to offer. The best option for him would be, in my opinion, to play as a rental in Finnish second tier league Mestis while doing as much of his training with Urpo Ylönen as possible.

There are some obvious choices among those eleven who should make the jump. As I already said in my NHL draft review, Rasmus Rissanen is the kind of player I would see to benefit from playing major junior hockey. He was drafted by Everett Silvertips and I expect the physical style of the WHL to suit him perfectly.

According to the HeraldNet Silvertips Blog, Rissanen — as well as their another Import Draft pick Radko Gudas² — will for sure play for the Silvertips next year.

It seems that Petteri Similä is also going to leave Finland for sure. He was drafted by OHL’s Niagara IceDogs and according to an article in St. Catherines Standard, they were contacted by Similä’s agent. For him, OHL is most probably a great option at this point, but since I haven’t seen him play, I can’t really comment on whether he is really prepared to “get the IceDogs through the 2009—10 season”, as the article suggests.

Of the four Finnish goalies who were drafted, Ville Kolppanen is most probably also about to leave. He was drafted by Lethbridge Hurricanes and they probably expect him to replace Juha Metsola who returned to Finland. I have to admit I had never heard of Christopher Gibson before he was drafted by Chicoutimi Saguenéens. He already played in Canada (Notre Dame Hounds, Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League) last year, so I guess he’ll just move to the other side of the country.

Riku Dufva (I haven’t been able to confirm this but I think he’s the son of JYP head coach (and Team Finland assistant coach) Risto Dufva) was part of the national team of his age group as a 16-year-old, but hasn’t been invited to any camps since then. Last year he played in JYP’s U20 team, scored 11 points points in 37 and was -10, second worst on the team. He’ll be nineteen in a couple of weeks and according to a post on Maine Hockey Journal, that was part of the reason why he was drafted.

Matias Sointu had a good year in the juniors in 2007—08 and got himself a pro contract with Ilves, but his season was ruined by a shoulder injury. He was a surprise pick by Tampa Bay Lightning in the seventh round of the 2008 NHL entry draft and apparently he now wants to show he can handle the more physical hockey in the OHL despite being a typical small and skilled winger. There’s still nothing official on the Ottawa 67′s site, but according to a post on the 67′s Fan Blog, “He decided he wanted to come over and get the exposure” (quote from 67′s GM Brian Kilrea).

Lauri Tokoi is another Ilves junior who has had injury problems lately. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles the jump from Finnish U18 league (he only had one game in the U20 league last year) to QMJHL, assuming he makes the jump. At least the president of PEI Rocket, Serge Savard jr. seems to think he does: “After he returned from his injury, many teams were interested and we wanted to make sure that we added this depth to our blueline for the coming year”.

Footnotes
1. When Rita was drafted by Kelowna Rockets in 2000, he was already about to turn 19. He had played almost two full seasons in SM-liiga, albeit in a small role. Jumping into WHL at that point would’ve been a step back, so it made no sense for him to leave. In hindsight, he should’ve. He did get a bit more responsibility in Jokerit that year, especially after his excellent performance in the WJC, but I still think 20 minutes per night in the Dub would’ve served his development better than 10 minutes per night in SM-liiga.↑
2.  Radko Gudas is the son of Leo Gudas, who played for JYP (JyP HT back then) in early 90′s. The younger Gudas was actually on a tryout at JYP’s farm team “D Team” (the worst club name ever, beating the MAINEiacs by a fair margin) in June.↑