With the 16th pick in the draft, the Calgary Flames selected defenseman Juuso Valimaki from the Tri-City Americans.
Valimaki is 6'2', 200-pound defenseman who makes a good first pass and excels in pushing the pace and moving the puck up ice. He makes smart decisions with the puck and is very effective quarterbacking the power play.
Valimaki is coming off a spectacular season where he tallied 19 goals and 61 points in 60 games. His numbers weren't overly inflated by extra man situations, either, as he led all CHL draft eligible defensemen in even-strength goals per 60 and finished 2nd to only Conor Timmins (Soo Greyhounds) in even-strength points per 60.
With Dougie Hamilton, T.J. Brodie and Mark Giordano on the NHL roster and the likes of Valimaki, Rasmus Andersson, Oliver Kylington and Adam Fox on the way, the Flames' blue line figures to be excellent for a long, long time.
Calgary Flames Blogger • 
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