The Montreal Canadiens take no one by surprise and provide some much-needed talent to their centre pool selecting Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall.
The pain of the 2017-18 season may have paid off for the Montreal Canadiens with this pick. When the team won the third Draft Lottery moving up from third to fourth overall, there was a solid chance of bringing in a special player. There were also whispers that Marc Bergevin may move the pick either trading down or altogether, but management walked up to the podium and called out for Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
It’s interesting to see how far he’s climbed in the last few weeks. Kotkaniemi was projected to fall in the 8-10 range and was as low as 15 on some lists. However, his stock climbed as more scouts fell in love with the kind of player he was.
The 17-year-old has all the tools of being an effective NHL centre. He has a decent frame standing at six-foot-two and 183 pounds, and a good combination of offensive skill and hockey IQ. Kotkaniemi spent the better part of his season playing with Ässät of Liiga. He scored 10 goals and had 19 helpers playing among men in Finland.
Kotkaniemi also played internationally at the U18s and the World Juniors in Buffalo. Finland didn’t last too long in the latter tournament, but he managed to have scored three points in as many games.
Some scouts have knocked his skating over the course of the year, but Trevor Timmins put those worries to rest. In an interview with Tony Marinaro of TSN 690, Timmins brought up how Kotkaniemi had ACL surgery and that he as improved in that department.
Here’s what Future Considerations had to say about him:
"Kotkaniemi is a strong two-way center that manages his own zone well and creates offensive chances…solid skater with good all-round mobility…not the fastest off the mark, but will get faster as he adds leg strength…quick, skilled hands with the puck…a strong playmaker not only because he puts the puck on his teammates blade, but more so because he possesses great puck poise and patience for the best option to present itself…he has a sneaky quick release and puts his shots on target…protects the puck in traffic and in tight spaces…has a tendency to get a little too individualistic at times and needs to consistently use his teammates to maximise his effectiveness…works hard each and every shift…gets into shooting and passing lanes to close off opportunities…willing to play the body to separate the puck or battle on the wall…defensively responsible…has very strong instincts and gets to the proper areas to both capitalize on a scoring chance as well as to break up a play defensively…solid in the face-off circle…still needs to fill out…has some solid upside as a big two-way center at the NHL level."
Next: Players to look out for in the second round
It’ll be interesting to see where Kotkaniemi plays next season. Odds are he returns to Ässät for another season, but being drafted out of Europe, he could play in the AHL. Perhaps he plays for the Montreal Canadiens next season as well.