2022 Draft Profile:
LW/C Aleksanteri Kaskimaki, HIFK U20, Finnish Jr.
One viewing of one shift by Alex Kaskimaki is enough to realize that the draft consensus is easily confused. You notice him right away, he's a 6'0-180 forward with elite skating ability which is among the best in the entire 2022 class. He possesses a great set of hands and thus the rare ability to make moves with the puck at high speeds, adding a degree of shiftiness and deception to his lightning-fast game. He shoots the puck very well and is normally the go-to scorer on his line, one of the reasons attributable to his gaudy numbers in Finland Juniors, with 19 goals and 39 points in just 29 games at the writing of this. Then, why is Kaskimaki's consensus ranking generally in the late 2nd/early 3rd round? Though players are often overlooked in less-scouted leagues like the DEL or the MHL, this is rarely the case in Scandinavia. Though players are routinely knocked down rankings for the two most common areas of skating and size, Kaskimaki has good size and skating is his foremost strength. The mnre you watch Kaskimaki, the more you realize this is a player who, while certainly needing work, represents a potential draft-day steal if he falls to his general draft ranking.
Kaskimaki is an absolutely explosive skater in every sense who has been the best skater on the ice in every viewing of him I've had this year. He features two more plus tools, in his hands and his shooting, though neither of these abilities is on par with with his jets. This trio of skills alone give him at least the ability to be a terrific bottom 6 NHL-er. I think the problem is there are several areas of necessary improvement in his game which cloud his ability to be a top 6 forward despite his impressive scoring totals thus far.
Kaskimaki is an okay passer, but he's more of a functional playmaker than one of high vision or creativity. This is to say, he'll hit the open man if he's looking to pass, but he's generally a shoot first or beat-the-defender-first weapon by choice. Passing is if he cannot do it himself. So, while this is not an area of weakness for Kaskimaki, it's also not a particular strength. He's a checkers-passer not a chess-passer, though he's a solid checkers player. Kaskimaki is also a player with much to work on defensively -- I find his IQ and hustle both play better in the offensive zone, and sometimes both he and his whole line can get caved in the defensive zone against better competition. I'd say Kaskimaki is a player of above-average to average awareness offensively, but defensively that slips a bit. Still, his speed factors into why his coaches use him as a regular on the PK, and he's actually pretty good in that role. Where I think the overall lack of his awareness and anticipation at a high level affects Kaskimaki is that he probably projects more to the wing at the NHL level than to center.
Still, this is a player of much potential, and even if his development stalls on several levels his skating and puckhandling alone should see him be able to carve out a 4th line role in the NHL. You always have to be aware of Kaskimaki on the ice. But if Kaskimaki's development takes a jump, he's a potential steal. If he can learn to better anticipate and position himself defensively, his speed gives him potential as a really high-end defender. And if his overall game improves in the coming years, this is certainly a player with 2nd line scoring upside. As such, I feel Kaskimaki's general ranking is a bit too low, and I would not be surprised or disappointed if he were taken very early in the 2nd round of the 2022 NHL Draft.
