Junkyard Dog Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 My opinion Kasperi is one of the most complete players outside the top 5 and also one of the youngest in the draft being born on July 23rd. The only aspect Kasperi really lacks is physicality. Kasperi is highly skilled and extremely smart and uses those attributes to his advantage offensively and defensively playing against men. Kasperi is a RW and also a right handed shot which is a bonus considering the majority of our forward prospects are left handed and either LW's or C's. Hockey is also in Kasperi's blood with his father, Sami Kapanen, who used to play in the NHL for quite a number of years. Get this, Kasperi actually got to play professional hockey with his father in Finland's SM-liiga before Sami retired.To me Kasperi has the potential to become a Krejci/Zetterberg type player. Kasperi's height and weight are completely different on each website I have checked. I have a rough estimation from these websites that Kasperi is 5'11'' and between 170-180 lbs for those who are wondering. A few bios Kapanen is a small and slippery with very creative hands and impressive 1-on-1 arsenal. He has a decent shot with good release but needs added velocity. He has quick feet and impressive lateral agility and is a dangerous goal scorer who can make skilled passes and offensive zone reads. Kasperi Kapanen plays a cerebral game with the skills and speed to allow him to make the proper plays in all situations and make the players around him better. While not over whelming from a physical standpoint and with room to continue growing, his hockey sense is on par with the other top players in his age group and he maximizes his talents to get the best out of his game. Like other top Finnish prospects Aleksander Barkov (FLA) and defenseman Risto Ristolainen (BUF), Kapanen has played in Finland's elite league as a teenager and shown the ability to compete and have success against players that are bigger and older. Though the physical elements of North American hockey and the size and strength of NHL players will be a challenge for him, Kapanen has a rare combination of skill and hockey IQ that put him among the better forward prospects in his age group. Statistics -------> http://www.eliteprospects.com/embed_player_stats.php?player=92226 Highlights I hope I was able to convince you. If no one drops from the top 5 then we should pick Kasperi up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 oldnews and smashian kassian were making some points about this in the Virtanen thread, and it bears repeating - Finnish hockey has really just begun to enter a new era after the work on their development programs starting in the late 80s. It's definitely showing in their international tournament play. Part of me wonders if scout rankings overlook this and it causes Finnish players to drop a bit, but I'm really not educated enough to say for sure. Kapanen is really intriguing to me. Too bad this thread is sure to be hijacked by people focusing on the 'small and slippery' bit declaring that he won't make it in the West. I can think of at least one other Finn of similar size who's found a way to make it work... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CANUCKS FTW! Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I prefer Ehlers and maybe even Nylander over him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpt Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I prefer a guaranteed NHLer in Ritchie. Either a Sestito or a Clowe and unlikely but possibly a Lucic. I hope for some freak reason Draisatl falls to #6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
messier's_elbow Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I prefer Ehlers and maybe even Nylander over him. I second that, and im not in love with either of those guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 He'd be a good pick with the 10th if our new GM goes for that Kesler deal with the Ducks. Not with the 6th pick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 No. He was a ghost in the WJ's and not even the Finns are excited about his future.Hell, even the top Kapanen cheerleader here flopped on him.Eventually, you'll come along people. PASS on these midgets. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 He'd be a good pick with the 10th if our new GM goes for that Kesler deal with the Ducks. Not with the 6th pick.Hey, I heard there's a deal with the Ducks for their 10th.That 10th pick owned by the Ducks sure looks good.Kesler to the Ducks for that 10th. Good as done, dude.Have you guys heard about Kesler to the Ducks for their 10th? Wow.Glad we're sending Kesler along to our competition for a pick in a weak draft. Out. Standing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saucypass Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 No. He was a ghost in the WJ's and not even the Finns are excited about his future. Hell, even the top Kapanen cheerleader here flopped on him. Eventually, you'll come along people. PASS on these midgets. I'm not saying Kapanen is my first choice either, but since when was 6'0 ft. "midget" sized? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRussianRocket. Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I don't think so .. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Hey, I heard there's a deal with the Ducks for their 10th. That 10th pick owned by the Ducks sure looks good. Kesler to the Ducks for that 10th. Good as done, dude. Have you guys heard about Kesler to the Ducks for their 10th? Wow. Glad we're sending Kesler along to our competition for a pick in a weak draft. Out. Standing. I'd only take the deal if Etem/Silfverberg and something else was coming back as well. If they don't overpay, no trade. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horvat Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 No. He was a ghost in the WJ's and not even the Finns are excited about his future. Hell, even the top Kapanen cheerleader here flopped on him. Eventually, you'll come along people. PASS on these midgets. For the small time iv even been on CDC, im already tired of your stupid fuxving posts Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artin Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 just like everyone else will point out his size is an issue, not to mention his numbers dont even look good compared to the players that will be available at 6th. so no... dumb idea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BanTSN Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 For the small time iv even been on CDC, im already tired of your stupid fuxving posts"HurpdahurpdaHURP!" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 No. He was a ghost in the WJ's and not even the Finns are excited about his future. Hell, even the top Kapanen cheerleader here flopped on him. Eventually, you'll come along people. PASS on these midgets. Had a shoulder injury that knocked him out of the WJ's. Last year he scored 8 points in 7 games as a 16 year old at the WJC. Not bad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
King Heffy Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Last year he scored 8 points in 7 games as a 16 year old at the WJC. Not bad. Pretty impressive. I'd rather take a bigger player, but I like him a lot better than Nylander, and a little better than Ehlers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bookie Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 For the small time iv even been on CDC, im already tired of your stupid fuxving posts Yep. But there's a wonderful function called the Ignore List that will hide posts for you. Check it out. BanTSN is an excellent inaugural choice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldnews Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 just like everyone else will point out his size is an issue, not to mention his numbers dont even look good compared to the players that will be available at 6th. so no... dumb idea There is literally no comparison to be made between the numbers players put up playing in the Finnish or Swedish elite leagues relative to junior hockey in North America. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Herberts Vasiljevs Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 I'll take him or Ehlers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Honky Cat Posted April 25, 2014 Share Posted April 25, 2014 Good player..apparently,he's been pretty quiet at the U18s.....not sure if that will affect his draft ranking or not.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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