Bill Meltzer Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSS
• Archive
• CONTACT
QUICK HITS: JUNE 2, 2018
1) There are a couple of highly skilled Finns projected to go in the first round this season. Although it's been quite a while since the Flyers selected a Finnish player in the draft, that has been a matter of circumstance rather than design.
The organization was impressed with Teuvo Teräväinen in 2012 and Rasmus Ristolainen in 2013 but both were off the board by the time Philly's pick came up, and there were other prospects the Flyers liked those years, including the guys they selected (Scott Laughton in 2012 and Samuel Morin in 2013). As such, it would be foolish to say, "The Flyers never draft from Finland anymore, so you can just cross Jesperi Kotkaniemi (Ässät Pori center/winger) and Rasmus Kupari (Kärpät Oulu center) off the list."
I have no idea where the Flyers will have either of those guys ranked, or any other players on their radar. Talent profile wise, Kotkaniemi is one of the more balanced overall talents available in this year's Draft; a well above-average playmaker who displays good hockey sense with and without the puck, and a good wrist shot with a quick release. He has a good-sized frame at nearly 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds at age 17 (he turns 18 on July 6). The only thing lacking from Kotkaniemi's game is explosiveness and straight-ahead speed. He is considered an average to slightly below average skater, somewhat akin in his physical profile and skating to LA Kings 2017 first-round pick Gabriel Vilardi.
Despite not being a speedster, Kotkaniemi gets where he needs to go on the ice, and his skating is not considered a major concern especially as he continues to fill out and adds some explosiveness to his first stride. He gets involved physically and is hard to separate from the puck when he has it on his stick, as he demonstrated both internationally for Team Finland and also against grown men in Finland's Liiga.
Kotkaniemi has been one of the fastest risers over the second half of the season. There is now a good chance that he is off the board before the Flyers' first turn comes up at 14th overall. There is a pretty good chance that Kupari will be on the board, however, and possibly could still be there at 19th if the Flyers tab someone else at 14th.
Kupari is one of the most polished and fastest skaters in the Draft pool this year. While he is not considered to be on par with Kotkaniemi from a sheer hockey smarts perspective or in terms of playmaking creativity, both players are willing to compete for space and both have quick and accurate shots although neither is a world-class sniper. Kupari is sound defensively and has at least third-line potential even if he does not pan out as top-six caliber scorer or playmaker. There is a chance, however, that he could become a player who slots closer to the top of an NHL lineup if his ability to execute plays offensively catches up with his breakneck pacing.
In some ways, Kupari is a bookend to Flyers' prospect Morgan Frost. While Frost has excellent speed when he employs it, he typically prefers to slow the play down, assess his options and then carve up the defense when he sees his opportunity. Frost's playmaking, ice vision and stickhandling are all excellent. As he advances to the pro level to play against NHL caliber defenses and has less time and space, along with getting stronger physically, Frost will have to pick up the pace of his game to fully utilize his raw skating ability. The jets are there, but currently aren't turned on except when he really needs it.
Kupari is a player whose speed is his number one weapon, but his feet currently work faster than his reads on plays off the rush. He could actually stand to be a little more methodical at times, ala Frost. However, if Kupari can execute on the fly with greater consistency, he'll be an all-situations weapon in the NHL especially if he can be paired with linemates who can also play with pace shift-in and shift-out.
Additionally, it is not as if Kupari is devoid of hockey sense. He's already playing against pros in Finland and has held his own. Additionally, he'll play within structure as well as with pace. He's not a player who takes a lot of low-percentage gambles.
2) The first offseason edition of the FlyerBuzz podcast on Flyers Radio 24/7 is now available for online listening or download.
Our first offseason episode of FlyerBuzz is now available! @bsmithflyers and @billmeltzer discuss the CHL and AHL playoffs and who's best positioned themselves for career advancement heading into training camp. Check it out! https://t.co/F2OTOfOduv
— Flyers Radio 24/7 (@FlyersRadio247) June 2, 2018
3) On PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, part one of a three-part series on the organization's strategy at the NHL Scouting Combine is now online: click here.
4) Today in Flyers History: June 2, 2010 -- Claude Giroux's overtime goal lifts the Flyers to victory in Game 3 of the 2010 Stanley Cup Final.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»