Finland U20 Tournament – A report from Vaasa

Marco Bombino — Tue, 16 Oct 2018 23:00:12 +0000

I had the opportunity to go to Vaasa to watch some of the top teams in the Finnish U20 league (Jr. A SM-liiga). It took me four hours from Helsinki by train to get there early on a Friday morning. Vaasa is a city located on the West coast of Finland, founded by Charles IX, the king of Sweden, in 1611 and it is the 11^th oldest city in Finland. It is a smallish, pleasant city with approximately 67,000 inhabitants. It has a long history and beautiful buildings. The weather was fine with the sun shining during most of the weekend. Since I spent most of the time at the arena, I didn't have much time to see the city, however I did get a pretty good impression of the town as I walked the 30-minutes from the hotel to the arena and vice versa.

The participating teams at the tournament were Blues (Espoo), HIFK (Helsinki), Jokerit (Helsinki), JYP (Jyväskylä), KalPa (Kuopio) Kärpät (Oulu), SaiPa (Lappeenranta), Sport (Vaasa), TPS (Turku) and Ässät (Pori). The tournament, featuring the ten teams, lasted from October 5 to October 7. It was one of the several tournaments that will be played this season and there were quite a few scouts in attendance. The event was well organized. It was a nice bonus that there was a restaurant at the arena and the food was healthy home food sold at a reasonable price. The tournament provided me with an opportunity to see a number of teams that I normally don't get to see as often.

Without further ado, here are the players who stood out at the tournament. I have divided the players by teams for clarity.

TPS won one of their three games during the weekend. Despite missing their top draft eligible player, center Juuso Pärssinen, there were a few players who stood out. Leevi Teissala is a smaller, skilled winger, possessing very fast hands and quick feet. However, he had a tendency to get too fancy with the puck at times, plus he was stagnant without the puck in his own end. Arttu Nevasaari scored a nice goal in the shootout to seal the win against KalPa. He has a very good shot from the slot. On the downside, his speed hasn't improved a whole lot and he still lacks quickness in his first few strides. 2002 born Slovakian Samuel Knazko had a good weekend. The mobile defenseman moved the puck with crisp and accurate passes. He processed the game quickly with the puck and didn't spend much time in the defensive end. Knazko is the type of a defenseman whose style of play would fit well in today's NHL.

Jokerit winger Aleksi Halme played in only two games. The former USHL forward showed excellent speed, acceleration and great offensive skills. However, his competitiveness off the puck and defensive awareness left a lot to be desired. He did score a nice goal in the last game where he used his quickness to cut to the net. Defenseman Santeri Hatakka was one of the better Jokerit players here and his play improved as the tournament went on. He is more of a defensive defenseman with good four-way mobility, but he also made some good plays with the puck and might have some untapped offensive potential. Besides Hatakka, Jokerit also had several other first-time draft eligible names. One of them who stood out was Rasmus Lahnaviik, who had some good moments. A highly competitive forward, Lahnaviik played a gritty game and did not take a shift off. That said, I don't think his skill level is particularly high and his agility and speed both need work. Third-line center Tomas Totro is also worth mentioning as he was solid, yet not spectacular. A quick skater who reads the game well, Totro has been playing in a defensive role for Jokerit this season.

There were not many players who impressed more than KalPa defenseman Kim Nousiainen. A skilled puck handler with very good agility and active feet, Nousianen quarterbacked the power play like a seasoned veteran. He was calm at the point and distributed the puck well. He used his stick well to break up plays and his small stature did not hurt his game much. Nousiainen made some mistakes and didn't have a perfect weekend, but the positives definitely outweighed the negatives. Center Karri Kapanen, another late 2000, was moved up to the second line for KalPa's last game. While not related to Sami Kapanen, his flashy style of play was reminiscent of the former NHLer. Very quick first few steps and made smart passes in the offensive zone. He was quite strong at face-offs, too.

Detroit Red Wings prospect Otto Kivenmäki wasn't dominant, but he clearly separated himself from most top prospects with his play at the tournament. A quick, agile skater with strong edge work, Kivenmäki is creative and possesses above-average offensive vision and puck skills. In my opinion, he should have been playing in the Liiga against men instead of in juniors. Antti Tuomisto is a draft eligible to notice from this Ässät team. A tall and rangy right-shot defenseman, he showed pretty good mobility and used his long reach well to defend. His point shot featured a heavy relase, though the accuracy on his slap shot could have been better. He was calm and composed with the puck. Good first pass out of the zone, making many tape-to-tape passes. Tuomisto is an intriguing prospect for the draft with a high ceiling.

Kärpät wingers Zdenek Sedlak and Aku Räty both made a strong impact. Sedlak scored three goals and didn't hesitate to put pucks on net. He has looked like a much more well-rounded player this season, playing with more energy and intensity. Sedlak has started to emerge as one of the best goal-scorers in the league and might not be passed over again in the 2019 NHL Dtaft. Räty has high-end puck handling skills and is very crafty offensively. Another positive to note is that he has become physically stronger and that has affected his skating in a positive way. His role increased for the last game after having two good performances. Kärpät defenseman Kalle Loponen is a highly mobile prospect who can create time and space at the blueline with his movement. Even though he isn't that big in stature, he has a strong stick and played a rough game at times. He has a pretty good point shot and while I don't think his puck skills are at the highest level, he can make a good first pass to start the attack.

Teemu Engberg (HIFK) has already been playing in the Liiga and re-enters the draft as a third-time eligible. The winger possesses great technical skills and moves really well laterally. His experience of playing against men showed in his poised play with the puck. Engberg should have a good chance to make the Finnish World Juniors team. 2001 born goalie Roope Taponen had good quickness and some athletic ability. Overall, I thought the goaltending wasn't particularly strong over the weekend, but Taponen played well while HIFK struggled to find the back of the net.

The host team Sport had a successful tournament, winning all three games and rising to second place in the standings. The improvements have been quite remarkable from last season when they finished dead last in the league. Ville Immonen played well throughout the weekend, scoring four goals in three games. The 6-2” center moved very well, showing quick bursts of acceleration, and played a responsible game at both ends. He was strong in battles and protected the puck well. Immonen may not have enough offensive ability to be drafted, but his development is worth monitoring. Conrad Mölder (Sport) was the tournament's top goalie in my book. The 1999-born Estonian tracked the puck well, had good vision and came up with big saves when needed.

There were a couple of notable prospects among the rest of the teams. Center Matias Mäntykivi (SaiPa) possesses nice puck skills and was useful both on the power play and penalty kill, but I thought his skating had improved only marginally from last season. Still, he was a bright spot on the SaiPa team which fell to the last place in the league after losing each game at the tournament.

Last but not least, I will highlight 2002 born center Roni Hirvonen (Blues) who looks like a top prospect in the making. He thinks and anticipates the game at a high level, constantly being a step ahead of the others on the ice. Great quickness and playmaking skills, flashy and smart offensively. He is also versatile and just plays the game the right way. Hirvonen is already the first line center on a solid U20 team and should be able to make the jump to the Liiga next season.

All in all, there was a lot of high-level talent on display over the weekend, for both the 2019 and 2020 NHL Drafts, as well as several older prospects who have alread been passed over in previous drafts, but who still show some long-term potential in light of their notable performances and skill-sets.

Father’s Day: Nylander, Kapanen cut from same cloth

McKeen's Staff — Sun, 15 Jun 2014 19:11:12 +0000

In some cases, the apple falls close to the tree.

Take William Nylander and Kasperi Kapanen as prime examples. Each plays a style reminiscent of their father's and in both cases, father and son had a chance to play together in their homeland.

Michal Nylander made a career in the National Hockey League as a playmaking, setup man, not unlike the role young William will have once his career begins. Those who remember Sami Kapanen will undoubtedly speak about his blazing speed first and foremost, which is generally the first mention in Kasperi's game.

There's something to be said for genetics and how these strong attributes can be passed down from generation to generation. Couple the natural ability these two prospects share with their father and the examples they see on a day-to-day basis from their biggest role models and it's becoming even more frequently common in today's game to see former players having sons pick up the family business.

PHOTO: WWW.HOCKEYMEDMARIEHALLMAN.SE

William Nylander (2014), C

Committed to Modo next season in the SHL, Nylander spent time with four different teams this year including a brief audition with Modo J20 team, multiple stints in the Allsvenskan and a call-up to the SHL .. a dominant force in international play leading the 2014 World U18 Championships in points (7-6-10-16) and finished tied for second in tournament points at the 2013 World U17 Challenge capturing a gold medal (6-2-8-10) .. talented solo act who can gain the zone and brings energy and intensity to each shift .. innovative, ideas occur naturally as a by-product of his vision and awareness .. always looking for the perfect play which can cripple his game appearing to hold onto the puck too long or trying to do too much .. creates separation via an explosive short cross-over stride and superb lateral agility .. Nylander’s omission from Team Sweden entry into the WJC humbled him as he bore down in the second half playing a more mature game .. can play harder in defensive situations but he does possess Patrick Kane like skill in his ability to control and dangle with the puck needing minimal space to unleash a quick and accurate wrist shot.

Kasperi Kapanen (2014), RW

The son of former NHL’er Sami Kapanen, Kasperi returned for a second consecutive season in the Liiga having an opportunity this year to skate along side his father .. showed little difficulty adjusting due to his compact, explosive skating ability that allowed him to intimidate defenders with speed .. possesses a steady cadence to his stride pattern which he can quicken and shorten to suit the purpose .. ‘lurk in the weeds’ type of player once he has gained the zone - sets up well as a shooter with a wicked release on his snapshot and wrist shot, maintaining a strong center of balance while shooting .. tends to keep plays to the outside on account of his physical frame, easily over powered and man handled – he relies more on his finesse and 1 on 1 offensive skills .. shows enthusiasm to finish hits and play physical only in the offensive zone while his efforts wane on the back check .. can be selfish and individualistic when playing with his peer group as was the case at the 2014 World U18 Championships .. after winning a bronze medal at the tournament last year where he finished second in tournament goal scoring (7-5-3-8) Kapanen appeared overwhelmed and fatigued in a 10-0 QF thrashing by Sweden.

Sami Kapanen – McKeen's Hockey

Finland U20 Tournament – A report from Vaasa

Father’s Day: Nylander, Kapanen cut from same cloth