Joni Jurmo | D

[GoldenAlien 2,174]

D  |   6'4"   |   190 lbs
 

Shoots | Left

Born | 2002-04-19

Draft | 2020 Round 3 #82 Overall by Vancouver Canucks

 

 

The Draft Analyst:

A no-nonsense puck mover who apparently has played more error-free games than any draft-eligible defenseman I’ve watched this season, Jurmo has to be considered one of Europe’s top two-way rearguards. He plays for a superpower in Jokerit, which relies on him to eat big minutes, play on special teams, and match up against opposing top lines.

Jurmo has everything you would want in a potential top-pairing defenseman. He is an effortless skater with a long, clean stride , and he doesn’t buckle under the first sign of pressure. When it comes to the breakout, Jurmo utilizes quick thinking and a series of deceptive moves to either peel away from a forechecker or trap him with a bank pass. At 6-foot-3, 190 pounds, Jurmo can be an intimidating presence as he powers through the zone at top speed. His decision making with the puck is more clean than it is creative, but he has excellent vision and will delay in the offensive zone to open up a line for either a hard shot or an on-the-tape seam pass. And good luck trying to dance around him in a one-on-one scenario — Jurmo closes on rushing forwards in a hurry and will neutralize an entry attempt with either a strong body check or well-timed stick-on-puck.

 

“Jurmo loves to take the puck from his own end and carry it all the way to the other end. And because of his puck-handling skills and skating ability, he can often be successful at that. But sometimes, he loves carrying the puck way too much and doesn’t even consider other options. He tries to force himself through traffic and if that fails, that usually means a breakaway or an odd-man rush against. He is capable of making good breakout passes, so it’s just a matter of making better decisions with the puck.” – Jokke Nevalainen, Dobber Prospects

 

“Jurmo is now my top European defenceman and the more I watch him, the more I’m convinced he is a first-round talent. I believe he has top-pairing potential based on his skating ability and his offensive instincts. There is refining and developing to be done, but the raw upside warrants this ranking. Jurmo reminds me a lot of fellow Finn Rasmus Ristolainen, who went eighth overall in 2013, but Jurmo hasn’t gotten as much exposure to date. He is still very underrated and could be labelled a sleeper based on other rankings and mock drafts. Jurmo is often labelled a project — thus the conservative rankings — but I’m ready to call him the real deal.” – Larry Fisher, The Hockey Writers

 

Last Word On Sports:

Jurmo combines his skating with effective puck-handling skills. He can avoid forecheckers when retrieving loose pucks and make a quick move to get past them and start the transition game. From there, Jurmo can either rush the puck up the ice or make a smart pass to a forward to lead the rush. His stickhandling and skating allow him to avoid defenders and make successful zone entries. He can quarterback the play from the point, finding passing lanes and exploiting them to set up teammates. His movement in the offensive zone creates opportunities and he can feather passes through tight areas. He also has excellent vision and almost always makes the smart pass.

 

Jurmo's projectable 6-foot-4 frame and smooth-skating lend itself to covering large swaths of ice and carrying the puck from one zone to the next sometimes effortlessly. His speed makes him one of the best puck-rushers in the Finnish U20 league. He accelerates well when he's already in motion and is a deceptive skater in the neutral zone with crossovers and changes of pace. -EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide

 

Edited October 7 by GoldenAlien

[BPA 2,466]

Nice big D man.

[HKSR 2,780]

Good size, good skating, puts up good numbers ... What's not to like?  

[Tre Mac 10,270]

He's got good girth, good looking body.  He's what you want, he's what you want.

[CanuckinEdm 547]

This sounds like a real players name. 

[Jester13 4,098]

Welcome to the Canucks, Joni.

[-Vintage Canuck- 81,662]

 

[LegionOfDoom 331]

Why is nobody taking Joni jurmo 

[HKSR 2,780]

1 minute ago, Tre Mac said:

He's got good girth, good looking body.  He's what you want, he's what you want.

[NUCKER67 8,849]

It sounds like he was ranked higher, by pretty much every scout, good pick 

[#Canucks 1,008]

3/4 years he will be a regular in the line up. Nice pick.

[Petey Castiglione 687]

 

2 minutes ago, BPA said:

Nice big D man.

[Odjick29willkillyou 411]

Welcome to the team big guy!

[250Integra 6,505]

Great pick!!

[CanuckinEdm 547]

Haven't we learned all Finish Dmen that are affiliated with the Canucks are injury prone. 

 

[Petey Castiglione 687]

1 minute ago, Odjick29willkillyou said:

Welcome to the team big guy!

Holy crap.  Thanks for the child piano lessons flash back. lol

[RomanP 155]

Hopefully he will continue a great line of Canucks Finnish defensemen - Jyrki Lumme, Sami Salo

[GhostsOf1994 861]

Welcome to the Canucks JJ!

[Bombastik der Teutone 4,311]

welcome and hopefully next sami salo 

[mordekai 79]

From athletic 

A prominent knock on Jurmo is that he doesn’t leverage his size enough as a defensive asset – he’s too reliant on his stick – but he’s not a liability in his own zone and clearly has room to grow as a defender given his unique stature.

Nonetheless, huge defencemen who can skate like the wind and possess above-average puck skills are rare commodities, making Jurmo a potential steal in the second or third round.