Finnish defenders were in demand at the summer 2017 booking event. NHL clubs booked a record eleven young Finnish defensemen in Dallas.
The most famous of them is, of course, reserved for the pride of the host city in third place of the entire event Miro Heiskanen.
Who remembers those who came after?
The first round (31 reserve players) had barely made it to the halfway mark, when two more Finnish defenders had already been announced for the squad. Juuso Välimäki booked in Calgary at #16 and Urho Vaakanainen to Boston two shifts later. There was still room for the first round Henri Jokiharjuk.
They came from behind Robin Salo, Eemeli Räsänen, Kasper Kotkansalo, Oskari Laaksonen, Roope Lavainen, Antti Palojärvi and Ville Räsänen.
Few have reached the bright lights.
Heiskanen shines in the elite and Jokiharju has established his place in Buffalo. Over the past year, Välimäki has finally made his breakthrough in Arizona. 25-year-old Salo has played 32 games in the NHL, but profiles as a farm package.
And who remembers Vaakanainen still playing in the NHL?
Finnish players with a lower profile can be applied for in the NHL with a strict comb. Vaakanainen, booked by Boston, has suffered from numerous injuries in his career, which partly explains the small number of matches. The starting defender from Joensuu has already played eight seasons in the NHL, but only has 75 games under his belt – he has yet to score the opening goal.
Only from the players of the first round of 2017 Shane Bowers (1) and Kristian Vesalainen have played fewer NHL games than Vaakanai.
– Vaakanain has had a lot of bad luck. He played really well in the Boston farm, but an injury seemed to hit every time he had to step through the NHL door. At times, Boston’s defense was also really tough, ‘s hockey expert Ismo Lehkonen says.
The player trade to Anaheim was a good thing for Vaakanai. In a young team, getting playing time and making a breakthrough can be a degree easier than elsewhere. Vaakanainen is profiled as a basic broom operating in the triple pair’s game time of about a quarter of an hour.
– It is a quality car, but there have been dents in the sheet metal, Lehkonen laughs from Vaakanai.
– There’s a big guy who knows how to skate, pass and who understands the game well. I see in him Esa Lindell. In addition, he is a leader, a great team player and, last but not least, an athlete. To play, you have to gain self-confidence and consistency, and then you have to trust the coach to be that Esa Lindell.
Sheet metal work done
If there have been bumps in Vaakanainen’s side, the same can be said about Anaheim as a team. The club has rejuvenated its body in recent years, and it has been reflected in the results. Last season, the duck flock finished last in the entire series.
Fresh GM Pat Verbeek and a new head coach hired in the summer By Greg Cronin however, have used the means of transport in the local Latela.
The sheet metal work has been done and the duck car reads the road in a completely different way right now. Monday morning’s win over reigning champion Vegas sensationally increased the winning streak to six already. In addition to the champion, another champion candidate, Carolina, as well as Boston and Pittsburgh, have fallen on the way.
– This fall has been a really good step for the young team’s process. That game is nice to watch. It’s like hockey loans all the time in the company. Hats off to the coaching staff, that it seems like they are on a mission to teach these boys to play the game correctly, Lehkonen praises.
Anaheim is well known by Trevor Zegras and Mason McTavish through young people like him as a skillful, but not very winning hockey-playing combination.
– Zegras has played h-bet well and so has McTavish. Now you can see that there Zegras really puts his soul into the game and realizes that there is more to hockey than scoring goals.
Lehkonen also praises the club management for bringing experience to the group. Won two Stanley Cups in Tampa Alex Killorn and played with Florida in the finals last summer Radko Gudas bring toughness and culture to the team.
– There it was known exactly what kind of examples to look for young people. They have the spikes from behind, so experience, hardness and boredom were brought in, Lehkonen sees.
A mature newcomer
You can’t talk about Anaheim’s new arrival without talking about the goalkeepers. John Gibson and in Ilves, who rose to cult fame Lukas Dostal form one of the best tandems in the series.
– Dostal was still learning the game last season and the level fluctuated. Now there has been consistency in doing things. That’s a duo of such a level that the fives can’t explain that the veskars wouldn’t give them a chance to win. It’s great here in Anaheim that they even dare to play 3-2 or 2-1 hockey.
The Swedish newcomer should also be mentioned Leo Carlsson, 18, whose mature grips have endeared him around the league. The way the club operates with the youngster is also mature. You don’t want to push Carlsson to the end, so he misses some of the games.
– For a player of that age, he plays really wonderfully. Already in Örebro, under a strict coach, he had to play with quality in both directions. The tempo hockey he’s been playing can be seen there. He will raise the bar there for others as well, Lehkonen believes.
But how far will Anaheim and Vaakanainen’s good start last?
– These are just the right kind of stepping stones on the young team’s learning journey. I still won’t start flagging them for the playoffs, Lehkonen laughs.