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)

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.

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.

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.

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.↑

I wanted to see as many gigs as possible, so me and my companion arrived to the festival site just in time to catch the opening act, Anal Thunder play their first chords. They weren’t too drunk this time, mostly because of the time, partly because personal reasons. They seemed to be having a good time despite that. They’re not the kind of band I would listen to at home, but I always enjoy seeing them play live.

They had a lot of stuff to say between their songs, mostly mocking the other guitar player who had apparently been drunk for a week. They also had a little bit of fun at the expense of typical crowd interactions like “Are you having a good time?” or “Is it hot out there?” It was really hard not to laugh to other bands using almost exactly these phrases later during the day…

Next up was Risto. I had heard rave reviews of his/their live shows, but had never witnessed one myself, so I had some expectations. It pretty soon became clear that the main stage was far too big for them to fill. I think a small club which forces people to dance would fit them perfectly.

Capital Beat plays ska, so I didn’t really look forward to seeing them. I bumped into an old friend of mine just before they started playing, so I didn’t actually pay much attention to their show. They sounded like a pretty generic third generation ska band. Not too original, not too impressive. Ok background music for other activities though.

Disco Ensemble has never been exactly my cup of tea, though I did enjoy some of the stuff they did when they were still called DisCo. During their set I had some lunch. I was getting ready for the main event (for me, anyway), so I don’t remember too many details about DE’s gig.

I had only seen Frank Turner play once before, and back then I didn’t know much about him. Now he’s one of my favorite artists, so the expectations were much higher this time, but he didn’t fail them.

I didn’t take notes, so I don’t have the exact setlist, but he started his set with I Knew Prufrock Before He Got Famous, played Substitute, Long Live the Queen, Photosynthesis and the title track from Love, Ire & Song, The Real Damage, Worse Things Happen at Sea, The Ballad of Me and My Friends from Sleep is for the Week and Nashville, Tennessee from Campfire Punkrock.

He also played a couple of new songs which are going to be on his new album Poetry of the Deed. Try This at Home is probably my new favorite F.T. track. I didn’t like Dan’s Song all that much, but the story behind it was funny.

Here’s a video of Try This at Home I found in Youtube:

At some point Frank apologized for having some problems with his voice due to playing 24 gigs in 24 hours the day before. I thought it was a joke, but apparently it was true:

“We’re shooting a video for the new single this week, for a song called “The Road”. The idea for the video is, I’m going to try and play as many house parties in 24 hours as possible, around London. This is where we need your help. We’re starting at 8pm on Thursday and finishing at 8pm on Friday this week – i.e. the 25th-26th.”

Frank also told he’d be coming back to Finland in December, this time for a club gig at Tavastia with his band. I’m still afraid he’ll make it in the US, big time, and he’ll have much better things to do than touring Northern Europe at that time, but still, I’m excited. Maybe then he doesn’t have to check his iPod after each song to see whether he still has time for another one…

I don’t think there’s much to add to that. I’m a fan, so I’m biased, but at least a few people who didn’t really know/like Frank beforehand were impressed as well. I would’ve liked to chat with him, but the security arrangements were a bit more strict than they were in Tuntuma three years ago…

I’ve never been a fan of The Melvins, but they have made some stuff I like. Their live show was certainly impressive, having two drummers who played like they were mirror images of each other. I enjoyed the headbangable stuff for some time, but before long, grew tired of the technical nature of their songs.

I spent rest of the day mostly in the bar area, mostly collecting cans which were good for a one euro deposit. Damn Seagulls was nice background music for getting drunk, The Sounds sounded a lot worse live than they do on album (I guess the appearance of Maja Ivarsson makes up for at least a part of that), Face to Face was rather generic american punk rock, as I expected.

Social Distortion wasn’t too bad, really. I don’t really like much of their stuff expect for White Light, White Heat, White Trash and they only played on song from that album (Don’t Drag Me Down). I have no idea why, because all of their earlier and later stuff is just so much sloppier and slacker. A lot of people seemed to agree with me, but there were a lot of hard-core fans who enjoyed every second of the hour and a half.

I decided to miss The Soundtrack of Our Lives and head for a late dinner downtown. It was a pleasant day, if a bit uneventful. None of the acts blew me away. I think the area was well organized, the proximity of the two stages worked well. On the negative side, the food supply was not diverse enough (only one type of vegetarian food, come on!) and there weren’t enough toilets (there never are).

It was also kind of strange how the event was (not) marketed. With ticket prices like that, you’d expect the festival to want to have some kind of presence as well.

(Sorry for the rather boring title and uninspired writing, but this is my second post this evening and I have a slight hangover, so I couldn’t think of anything better right now.)

So, here are the Finnish draftees of the class of 2009, in the order they were drafted. For each player, I’ve also included the prediction from my preview and its accuracy, plus a Hockey’s Future style prospect rating.

31. Mikko Koskinen, New York Islanders

I did, as many others, predict Koskinen being a relatively high pick, but I never imagined he’d be the first goalie picked in the whole draft, never mind being the first Finn drafted. The Islanders didn’t have any top goalie prospects going to the draft, but in addition to Koskinen, they drafted another overaged goalie (Anders Nilsson) this year.

Now that there’s a transfer agreement in place between the Finnish Ice Hockey Federation, SM-liiga and the NHL (more on that later), I would guess the Islanders would like to see Koskinen in the AHL already next year. In Espoo he would have to split duties with Iiro Tarkki, in Bridgeport he’d probably play as much as he wants.

• My prediction: Late 2nd rounder
• Accuracy: Minor underestimation
• Prospect rating: 7C

65. Joonas Nättinen, Montreal Canadiens

Solid pick by Les Habitants. They have no reason to rush Nättinen, he should play at least a couple of years in Finland, seeing a lot of icetime in SM-liiga and being a second-line center in the next two WJC’s.

He was the first Finn drafted by the Canadiens since 2003 when they drafted Oskari Korpikari. My prediction was a bit optimistic, but I was right about him being picked in the third round at latest.

• My prediction: 2nd rounder
• Accuracy: Minor overestimation
• Prospect rating: 7B

101. Toni Rajala, Edmonton Oilers

Another case where my worst case scenario was realized. Being something of an Oilers fan, I love this pick. Even with all the question marks, he never should’ve fallen that far. He has a huge upside, even if he is quite unlikely to ever reach it.

I’m just hoping that Rajala gets a fair chance with Ilves next year, he should be able to score around ten goals in SM-liiga. If he doesn’t get enough icetime, the Oilers should try to lure him to North America for 2010/11.

• My prediction: 2nd rounder
• Accuracy: Major overestimation
• Prospect rating: 8D

106. Sami Vatanen, Anaheim Ducks

Soild pick by the Ducks. Vatanen should have chance to grab a regular spot in JYP lineup next year and should see some powerplay action as well. There’s no need to rush him, but I’m not sure whether the drafts rights are again only valid for two years.

• My prediction: 2nd rounder
• Accuracy: Major overestimation
• Prospect rating: 7D

163. Jere Sallinen, Minnesota Wild

If the younger Sallinen recovers from his back injury, he could be a steal. If he doesn’t, it was a wasted pick by the Wild. Again, a case where patience is a virtue.

• My prediction: 6th rounder
• Accuracy: Spot on
• Prospect rating: 7D

171. Joni Ortio, Calgary Flames

A goalie from Turku, I guess Flames fans are excited. I don’t think he benefits much from another year in the juniors (he already had the second best save percentage of the U20 league last year), so if he can’t grab the backup spot in TPS SM-liiga lineup, maybe they should loan him to a Mestis club.

• My prediction: 5th rounder
• Accuracy: Minor overestimation
• Prospect rating: 7C

178. Rasmus Rissanen, Carolina Hurricanes

Rissanen is yet to see any SM-liiga action and only has half a season in the U20 league behind him, so he needs a lot of experience before he is able to challenge for an NHL job. Whether that experience should come from playing in Finland or North America is a whole another question. He’s the kind of player who could benefit from playing major junior hockey before graduating to the AHL and then, eventually, the NHL.

• My prediction: 5th rounder
• Accuracy: Minor overestimation
• Prospect rating: 6C

182. Erik Haula, Minnesota Wild

Some people thought Haula might in fact be the first Finn to be picked, but having seen both him, Nättinen and Rajala in U18 Worlds I thought he didn’t have the potential of those two. It seems NHL clubs agreed with me.

It is a lovely pick by the Wild, however. Haula already has played one season in Minnesota and he has signed a letter of intent to go to the University of Minnesota. He’s going to play in the USHL next year with the Omaha Lancers.

• My prediction: 4th rounder
• Accuracy: Major overestimation
• Prospect rating: 7C

208. Tommi Kivistö, Carolina Hurricanes

Kivistö has a lot of rebounding to do next year, but given his potential, I don’t think he should’ve slipped this far. He’s one of the prospects I’m going to follow closely in the future.

• My prediction: 4th rounder
• Accuracy: Major overestimation
• Prospect rating: 7D

211. Petteri Similä, Montreal Canadiens

Similä was the only draftee I didn’t list in my preview. He’s another huge goalie, so I guess the Habs are hoping that he would have a similar career path as Koskinen. Similä has a long way to go though, he was a backup in the juniors last year. Definately a “draft and follow” -type of pick.

• My prediction: None
• Accuracy: Major underestimation
• Prospect rating: -

There were also some prospects I expected to be picked who were passed over. Nico Manelius is, as far as I know, fully recovered from his knee injury. If he has a solid season, he’s pretty much guaranteed to be picked next year.

Kristian Näkyvä was another defenseman I envisioned would be a late round pick. If he makes the WJC squad and performs well, he might be picked next year. With the youth movement in Blues, he should have a good chance to see regular shift in SM-liiga, as well.

In retrospect, I have to admit I was stretching it with Iiro Pakarinen and Antti Raanta. They’ll have to prove themselves in SM-liiga before they are considered by NHL clubs. Pakarinen might have a chance of making the WJC squad as well.

So far I’ve only seen one preview focusing on Finnish prospects, so I guess mine will be the second. (In my opinion, HF did a poor job ranking the Finns this year, but their profiles are pretty good.)

I decided not to rank the prospects, but instead just list the prospective draftees alphabetically with short descriptions of their strengths and weaknesses and a prediction of the range where they’ll be picked. I, frankly, don’t think anyone really cares whether I see Rajala or Nättinen to be the first Finn to be selected.

So, here are the 25 draft eligible Finns I think have any chance to be drafted on Saturday.

Sami Blomqvist

The son of former Caps defenseman Timo Blomqvist was eligible last year, but after a terrific year in the juniors, he actually might have a chance of getting drafted this time around. He’s a sniper who needs more strength to be able to score on professional level as well.

• Best case scenario: 4th rounder
• Realistic scenario: not drafted

Teemu Eronen

The smallish rearguard has developed in the shadow of Kivistö and Manelius, but at this point, he might actually be a better player than either of them. He’s not too flashy, but has nice puck skills and plays a steady defensive game as well. Needs more muscle.

• BCS: 6th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Erik Haula

He’ll probably be the first Finn ever to be drafted out of US High School. He’s just 5′11″, but plays much bigger. A good playmaker with nice wrist shot as well. He has signed a letter of intent with the University of Minnesota for the 2010/11 season, so his draft rights could be retained for as long as five years.

• BCS: 2nd rounder
• RS: 4th rounder
• Worst Case Scenario: 6th rounder

Jani-Petteri Helenius

The hard-working defensive forward was a favorite of assistant coach Ismo Lehkonen which secured him the fourth line center duties in the SM-liiga lineup of Jokerit. He got selected to Team Finland for the World Juniors as well, but everything went downhill from there. He made a couple of costly mistakes early in the tournament and saw his icetime shrink. When he got back to Finland, he no longer saw any SM-liiga action and couldn’t create much offense in the juniors either.

Lehkonen compared Helenius to Riku Hahl, which might be an accurate stylistic comparison, but I just don’t see Helenius having the kind of upside Hahl proved to have. Jokerit only has two veteran centers signed for next year, so maybe he is worth a gamble anyway. He’ll never be more than a shutdown/PK specialist though.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Pekka Jormakka

Small, speedy winger with nice hands and a nose for the net. He was passed over last year and had an injury-ridden season, so I don’t expect to see him picked this year, either.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Jesse Jyrkkiö

HF ranked him the fifth best draft-eligible player from Finland (not counting Haula or Kivistö), but I can’t agree with that assesment. He has a lot of skill, but that’s not enough to balance his lack of focus, vision and sense. He makes so many stupid, selfish and arrogant plays that it seems he simply doesn’t really care about the team. His defensive play is also sub-par, which is kind of worrying for a defenseman.

• BCS: 5th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Joonas Järvinen

The big stay-at-home defenseman didn’t have the best of WJC’s, but he did play another complete season in SM-liiga. He doesn’t have any kind of offensive upside, but he skates pretty well for a guy his size.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Tommi Kivistö

Kivistö entered the season as the top-ranked Finnish defenseman, but after a disappointing WJC, latter half of the WHL season and U18 World Championships, a lot clubs probably are wary of drafting him. He’s a nice two-way defenseman though and I’m pretty sure he will be drafted anyway.

• BCS: 2nd rounder
• RS: 4th rounder

Mikko Koskinen

In hindsight, it is easy to say that it would’ve made sense to take a gamble with Koskinen last year. After all, he did have a shutout in his only SM-liiga start. This year, he did exactly what he said he’d do: outplayed Bernd Brückler and became the starter in Espoo.

He does have some flaws in his game still, but with the recent success of Pekka Rinne and the relatively low level of goaltending prospects this year, I think it is safe to say that Koskinen will be drafted quite early.

• BCS: Late 1st rounder
• RS: Late 2nd rounder
• WCS: 6th rounder

Nico Manelius

Last fall I was really impressed with the authority and calmness Manelius directed the defense of U18 Team Finland with. His offensive upside is rather limited, but as a stay-at-home type he should have a great future.

The season-ending knee injury in November meant that he missed the WJC (he was in consideration, despite being two years underaged) and the U18 Worlds. A serious knee injury suffered as a 17-year-old could have some kind of impact on his whole career.

• BCS: 3rd rounder
• RS: 6th rounder

Ilari Melart

Big kid, has a mean streak, ready to drop the gloves. Average puck skills, skating. Didn’t have the best of WJC’s, but graduated to HIFK’s SM-liiga lineup.

• BCS: 6th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Kristian Näkyvä

Another smallish, skilled Blues defenseman. Late ‘90 birthdate, so he’s eligible for the first time, but didn’t get much international exposure this year. Nice year in the U20 league, even saw some SM-liiga action and did quite well.

• BCS: 4th rounder
• RS: 7th rounder

Joonas Nättinen

If I had to bet on one prospect on this list to play at least a hundred games in the NHL, Nättinen would be the guy. He has all the tools to be a reliable two-way center, the question is if he has the offensive upside to be more than that.

• BCS: Late 1st rounder
• RS: 2nd rounder
• WCS: 3rd rounder

Mikko Niemelä

I don’t think I’ve ever seen him play, so there’s not much to say. He’s a big defenseman who put up respectable number in the juniors this year. He should have a good chance to make the WJC squad next year.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Joni Ortio

A technically sound goalie, who still needs to work on improving his physique while honing his skills at the same time. Working under Urpo Ylönen probably helps. He was the starter for Team Finland in the U18 Worlds and had good numbers in U20 SM-liiga.

• BCS: 3rd rounder
• RS: 5th rounder

Iiro Pakarinen

A big, bruising winger from KalPa, has a nose for the net and adequate puck skills as well. Could he be this year’s Teemu Hartikainen?

• BCS: 4th rounder
• RS: 6th rounder

Tomi Pekkala

I’ve only seen him play four minutes, ever, so again, I don’t have much to say. He has put up nice numbers in the juniors though, and I like numbers.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Ilmari Pitkänen

I remember when he was the top scorer of Jokerit U16 team which didn’t lose any games that year. He was a great playmaker on that level, but after that he’s been converted more to a two-way role in the U20 league. He played his first minutes in SM-liiga this year and even had a bout with Dan Hacker. He was selected as a backup reserve for the WJC this year, so there’s a good chance he’ll make the team for real next year.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Antti Raanta

Again a kid I haven’t seen much, but his numbers in the U20 league were phenomenal. The problem is that he probably won’t see much SM-liiga action in Lukko because Petri Vehanen tends to play over fifty games a year, so there’s not much left for the backup.

• BCS: 4th rounder
• RS: 7th rounder

Toni Rajala

Rajala has been touted as the “next Finnish Flash” for years, but he has had some problems living up to the hype. His numbers in juniors were far from expected this year and he didn’t see a lot of action in SM-liiga, mostly due to the hesitancy of Ilves head coach Sakari Pietilä to use youngsters.

He did a good WJC though and I don’t think enough emphasis has been put on his outstanding U18 Worlds. He broke the scoring record of the tournament (earlier held by one Alexander Ovechkin…) by scoring 19 points in 6 games. Let me repeat: nineteen points in six games. There’s no doubt he benefited from playing with Mikael Granlund and Teemu ⅠⅠ (Pulkkinen) (guess who’s Teemu Ⅰ), but I don’t think there are too many players in this draft who have better offensive skills than he does.

The question in my mind is whether he’ll be able to add enough bulk to his body to ever be able to play in the NHL. He tends to avoid contact and there’s not much room for perimeter players in today’s game. Having said that, I have no doubt he would be a late first round pick in any normal year. This time the quality is so high and the pool so deep, I think he might slip to the second round.

• BCS: 1st rounder
• RS: 2nd rounder
• WCS: 4th rounder

Joonas Rask

The younger brother of Tuukka Rask was the highest ranked Finnish skater by NHL Central Scouting last year but he wasn’t drafted. I don’t think his rather average WJC made his chances of being picked this year any better. He’s a smallish, skilled forward who simply doesn’t have any significant differentiating qualities.

• BCS: 6th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Rasmus Rissanen

Rissanen probably benefited from Manelius being hurt, playing a big role in the bronze medal winning U18 team. He’s a big, stay-at-home defenseman who plays with a lot of emotion.

• BCS: 3rd rounder
• RS: 5th rounder

Jere Sallinen

Another top prospect who’s season ended prematurely with an injury. He only played nine games before back problems ruined his draft year.

He did have an excellent season in the juniors the year before and even became the first player born in the 90’s to see SM-liiga action, so the potential is there. The question is whether he can overcome the problems and realize that potential.

• BCS: 3rd rounder
• RS: 6th rounder

Tomi Sallinen

Older brother of Jere. He’s already a regular with Blues in SM-liiga and had an ok WJC, so he definately has a chance of being drafted this time around. He has the upside of a second line center, but the fact he’s been used in a more two-way role in Blues makes me think he could make it as a third liner as well, which is a good thing.

• BCS: 6th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Erno Suomalainen

Another goalie prospect I know next to nothing about. Respectable numbers in juniors, excellent in the playoffs, backup to Ortio in U18 Worlds.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Sami Vatanen

Had a coming out party in the U18 Worlds where he was easily the top d-man of Team Finland. There has been a lot of talk about Ryan Ellis leading up to this year’s draft and Vatanen is a similar case. He’s small, but smart, skilled and an excellent skater. Reminds me a lot of Petteri Nummelin, which is both a good and a bad thing.

• BCS: Late 1st rounder
• RS: 2nd rounder
• WCS: 5th rounder

Olavi Vauhkonen

The prototypical power forward has been passed over twice by all the teams, so I don’t think he’ll be drafted this time, either. He did see a bit of SM-liiga action this year and didn’t look out of place at all. In the juniors he used his size and strength, but could not produce that much better results than last year.

• BCS: 7th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Tony Vidgren

I only saw him play once this year, but that game was an eye-opener for me. He played a smallish role on the blueline of Lukko in SM-liiga, but laid out a couple of monster hits and gave good, tape-to-tape opening passes. I still don’t understand why he wasn’t in the WJC squad.

Vidgren injured his thigh after falling on his leg in a fight with Vladimir Ryzhkov in March. He’s still recovering, which might scare away prospective NHL employers.

• BCS: 5th rounder
• RS: Not drafted

Other notables: Joni Karjalainen, Mikael Aaltonen, Ville Hyvärinen, Valtteri Virkkunen, Jere Laaksonen, Joonas Hurri, …

To summarize the draft from a Finnish point of view: a good year, kind of overshadowed by the fact that it is a great year for the Swedes and a very deep draft class overall. No real gems, Rajala has a lot of question marks surrounding him and Nättinen’s offensive upside is questionable as well.