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Prospect Info: 2020 2nd Rd Selection - #59 OA (via OTT) - C Roni Hirvonen (Assat) - 5'9 164

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He's been over PPG when facing his peers in the U16 and junior leagues in finland.

16 points in 52 games last year in the Liiga and has a point in 2 games so far this season.
 
Saw this pick and went how did we get this guy, he went 34th...

That was Jarventie

It's been a longggg round
 
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SeaOfBlue said:
- One of the highest IQ players in the draft.
- Great all-around skater, but could get even better.
- Needs to fill out and get stronger to improve his shot, which is accurate but needs strength.
- Works hard and goes to the dirty areas to get goals and make plays.
- Great playmaker.
- Strong defensive player. Perfect option for as a 3C down the line.

He could have gone at 44 and it still would have been solid value. Trading down to 59, getting another pick at 64, and still getting him makes this an easy 'A' pick for me, even though I would have preferred Cormier.

People will see size and be sad, but get over it.
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Awesome work.
 
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Cor said:
Via Elite Prospects;

"Hirvonen is dutiful in the defensive zone, maintaining an elevated work rate and putting on a clinic in body-leverage going into puck retrievals. He does a fantastic job of anticipating plays, closing passing & shooting lanes, and making defensive switches on the cycle. He moves the puck with pace and regularly finds teammates with high-danger passes."
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Geez...that's a really positive write-up.
 
I won't pretend to know much about this guy. But I'd bet my car that he was on Dubas' mind with the 44th pick.

I'm happy with this.

The plan is clearly to draft talent and skill first. Size and positional need are secondary, if considered at all.
 
Sooner or later Dubas will need to draft a more diverse set of skills. Is Hirvonen going to be a player that helps us succeed in the playoffs a few years down the line, or be more of the same?
 
Prominence said:
I like dubas' picks and I am not coming from a place of ignorance, but has there been an elite two way player under 6'0? Roni is described as a two-way player so I was just wondering.
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Sid is not 6’0, as he is 5’11. Then there is Marchand. Martin St Louis
 
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- Leafs HF
 
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Cor said:
Via Elite Prospects;

"Hirvonen is dutiful in the defensive zone, maintaining an elevated work rate and putting on a clinic in body-leverage going into puck retrievals. He does a fantastic job of anticipating plays, closing passing & shooting lanes, and making defensive switches on the cycle. He moves the puck with pace and regularly finds teammates with high-danger passes."
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So 3rd line penalty killer?
 
Finnish center already playing against pros could interest Flyers in draft

Roni Hirvonen

Position: Center

Height: 5-foot-9

Weight: 164

Shoots: Left

Team: Ässät

Scouting report

Hirvonen is an undersized center who was on the ice for about 15 minutes per game this season in Finland’s top league. As he transitioned to Liiga, he had 16 points in 52 games for Ässät (five goals, 11 assists). In 2018-19, he had impressive production at the U-20 level for his hometown team, Kiekko-Espoo, with 21 goals and 34 assists in 50 games.

His modest numbers for Ässät this season shouldn’t be discouraging. Playing against adults for the first time, Hirvonen was good enough to earn a regular spot in the lineup. The 18-year-old plays a relatively mature game, reading the play well and showing a solid sense of where he should be positioned on both ends. One of his strengths is moving the puck up ice with crisp long-distance passes.

Though he’s unafraid to grapple in difficult areas, Hirvonen’s size is a concern, and it’s possible he’ll need to play on the wing in the NHL. The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler praises his “feistiness,” which is a trait that should serve him well moving forward. Even when Hirvonen is giving up height and muscle, he finds ways to get to the front of the net. Despite not recording a power play goal this year, Hirvonen has the potential to be impactful on the power play because of that knack for sticking himself in dangerous spots, his vision and his puck handling.

His skating sometimes appears effortful and it takes him a while to accelerate, but he's generally pretty smooth once he gets going. Hirvonen told Jokke Nevalainen of DobberProspects.com in October that he feels his skating has recently improved.

“I’m a smart player,” he said to Nevalainen. “Versatile. And as previously said, a dynamic skater. I have a warrior’s mentality.”
 
I'm interested to see how his career progresses compared to Kleven (the guy Ottawa took with out 44th).
 
While 5’9 plus needing to work on skating sounds like a bad combination, the rest seems perfectly fine.

Nothing to be shocked at. It is a Dubas draft. We’ll load up on as much skill as we can, hope they develop well, and hopefully trade as many as we can for what we need later.
 
Meh, don't hate it. Natural center with a bit of skill. Did a quick read up on him, seems like a safe enough pick where we got him.
 
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