A spleen injury ended Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s season early, but it looks as if he’s going to return to the Montreal Canadiens in the best shape he’s been in.
When the Montreal Canadiens drafted Jesperi Kotkaniemi third overall in 2018, no one could deny the playmaking skill the organization was getting. That summer ahead of the Rookie Tournament and training camp had Habs fans sitting on their hands, especially watching him play over the summer in Finland. The plays and passes Kotkaniemi was making were true signs that he was ready for a higher level, and fortunately, it wound up with him making the team.
Despite the early evaluations, analysts weren’t shy to point out Kotkaniemi’s skating. It wasn’t perfect, but at times, it was being made more of an issue than it should’ve been. At the same time, it makes sense for it to have so much focus as the league favours those who can skate well. Physical strength was another thing to make a note of considering Kotkaniemi had a solid frame but needed to add more weight to it.
Packaging all of those things together could make for a dangerous Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and it looks as if that’s exactly what the Montreal Canadiens are going to get.
A photo from Kotkaniemi’s Instagram mad the rounds last week, and fans have noticed a favourable difference in his stature.
2 things about this shot Jesperi Kotkaniemi posted on his Insta: 1.Assuming it’s current, it’s probably a good thing that he’s playing tennis (in terms of his spleen injury). 2. He looks noticeably bigger. Might even be invited to join Bergevin, Lapointe and Timmins in Bicep Club pic.twitter.com/hCHzoQVRA5
— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) June 14, 2020
As Eric Engels made not of in his tweet, it’s a really good sign if Kotkaniemi is strong enough to play tennis after recovering from surgery. Additionally, the muscular boost leads down to another optimistic thought path.
Strength in hockey goes beyond throwing and being able to withstand hits. It also helps in winning faceoffs, being able to hold on to the puck while being pursued, and, most importantly, one’s shot. Technique and form are a large part of how someone shoots the puck, but individual strength can impact its speed both of the release and the puck itself.
Kotkaniemi already has a good shot that is very accurate. He’s made use of a slap shot more often when open by the right circle, and adding even more strength to it will do wonders for him.
Going back to the skating, Kotkaniemi is already taking the right steps to improve that hiring coaches Janne Hänninen and Raimo Summanen to help him. This came from Finnish podcast Total NHL Forever, who also mentioned that Carolina Hurricanes forward Teuvo Teravainen did the same thing early on in his career.
Teravainen has grown into a very consistent player in the NHL, and it’s clear he’s benefitted from his offseason work with Hänninen and Summanen.
If all of this extra training pulls off, it will be difficult for the Montreal Canadiens to keep Kotkaniemi off of this team. That will make roster decisions complicated, especially down the ice, but the Habs have been looking for progress within him, and these are all the right steps to get there.