Comparing Anton Lundell and Jesperi Kotkaniemi

However, Lundell has, over the past two seasons, accumulated 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points through 82 professional games as a 17 and 18-year-old, not bad at all. This means that he tallied  0.573 PPG in two Liiga seasons, while Kotkaniemi put up 0.509 in just one season. I am not trying to argue that Lundell has a higher ceiling offensively than Kotkaniemi, or vice-versa. My argument is that the offensive side of Lundell’s game has been underappreciated and that his portrayal as a player who can rise no higher than a second-line player in the NHL is unfair.

Lundell seems to have a very similar upside on the offensive side of the ice to Jesperi Kotkaniemi, with the sole exception of a less lethal shot. However, his skating is more refined, and his defensive play is leaps and bounds ahead of where Kotkaniemi’s was as a draftee. The nine-month age difference does carry weight, but it does not eliminate the potential that Lundell possesses, which, if everything in his development goes right, could resemble a Ryan O’Reilly.

That is to say, a fairly big player who performs when it matters is very strong defensively and can contribute significantly offensively. Lundell is a player who will come top-3 in Selke voting at least once in his career if you ask me and may very well be a perennial contender for the award.

The similarities between these two players are abundant, and I believe Lundell could be a real steal in the 10-15 range of the NHL draft. I will personally have my eye on Marco Rossi, Lucas Raymond and Cole Perfetti in particular if the Habs do end up with the eighth overall selection.

However, Anton Lundell would be a fascinating selection, and his development alongside that of his Finnish countryman could result in gifting the Montreal Canadiens with one of the league’s most lethal 1, 2, 3 punches at centre ice in a few years’ time when you add Nick Suzuki to the mix.