i like tij more but i agree he and mbn would both be solid picks for this roster. in the briefest way possible, i think he has a more versatile skillset and much better on-puck awareness while still largely offering the same forechecking intensity and shot generation that mbn would provide. basically, i trust him more to hit higher in the lineup even if the certainty of his projection isnt as clear as mbn, who is likely a slam dunk roster player to some degree. i can elaborate a bit more
mbn basically has no downside as a pick, i recognize that. an extremely committed defensive winger with a high compete level and heavy shot almost assuredly turns into something. hes great along the boards, hes great in the corners, and hes great at causing havoc around the crease, all while offering legitimate goal scoring upside. there is no issue with adding this player to the roster. my preference for iginla is from the standpoint of pursuing greater upside without, in my opinion, compromising much of what mbn would offer
tij is nowhere near as effective defensively, thats one major tradeoff. but i think hes significantly better with the puck on his stick and at generating his own chances. tij's handling in general, but particularly in small area play, is a huge step up from mbn. hes elite at cut backs and attacking space. he protects the puck with ease, using both his body and stickhandling, and he has a great ability to maintain possession through traffic. he methodically outworks defenders until he identifes a lane to drive and attack the net. his shot might lack the top end heaviness that mbn has but hes constantly shooting from high danger locations and i find his release much more difficult to read. he seemingly always has a survey of the ice and while at this point i think he might overshoot at times, hes shown enough moments of high level playmaking vision that i dont have much doubt he'll be able to facilitate play for his linemates, particularly tight to the boards. in contrast, i think mbn leans more triggerman with a baseline game thats more focused on overpowering the opposition rather than outsmarting and outworking them to pry open opportunities. while i think he has a good read for where his linemates usually are, and to his credit i like his ability to hit teammates in transition, i do occasionally find him getting caught by backcheckers with the puck on his stick, leading to unforced turnovers. hes almost better the less he has the puck on his stick, which is a near polar opposite of iginla
switching gears, i know helenius might not be everyones favorite player here, but i do like him for our pick and would be very happy with the selection. konsta is a cerebral, high compete center who excels as the primary play driver on a line. hes extremely composed on the puck and showcases elite vision and awareness, constantly finding soft spots to attack. his playmaking upside is quite high, not for having laser passing ability or anything, but for his fantastic reads and decision making on the puck to set teammates up for dangerous scoring chances. his anticipation is great and youll seldom see one of his pass attempts get picked. i also argue he has respectable scoring upside as well. im not talking huge totals, but his adept positioning, quick release, and knack for finding soft spots makes me believe his goal scoring ability is better than hes typically given credit for. i dont think he shoots enough at this point either, which might also mask his upside to some degree
off-puck i find him to be just as effective of a player. his anticipation and reads are on full display here as well, and youll frequently see him intercept pucks and quickly get play started the other way. he has a great understanding of where to park himself in his own zone, and uses adept defensive stick positioning to take away lanes. hes very good at sticking to his man and playing a highly competitive stickchecking game to disrupt possession. he also thrives along the boards, which you wouldnt expect for a player of his size. helenius understands his frame limitations and in turn leverages them to become a strength with how he undercuts defenders and pushes his body up into players to shield them from the puck. he has an insanely high motor in puck battles which he combines with well timed stickchecks and great spatial awareness to commonly come away with possession. not only is he feisty at times, but as i just witnessed in his liiga playoff run (which unfortunately came to a close), hes actually surprisingly physical and a bit of a pest. he played a heavy checking game against opponents much larger than him, and he deliberately did little things like extra jabs after the whistle and putting the puck in the net after play ended to get under the oppositions skin
i understand helenius has a bit of a projection concern given that he lacks true ++ tools beyond his vision/awareness/compete, but i struggle to really worry about him considering how easily scalable his game is. in fact, i think he'll only get better on smaller ice where he'll have the ability to play a tighter checking game and really use his anticipation to his advantage since defenders wont have as much leeway with less available ice. on top of all of this, you factor in how unbelievably barren our prospect pool is when it comes to centers, and i think you arrive at a pretty compelling case to draft the player. someone will need to play up the lineup when jack and/or nico go down, and i have little concern that helenius wont be able to do so. i should note, many people like to project him as a RW and not only do i not see that being the case for a high IQ, high compete, puck dominant play driver who holds up in the physical game, im also left to wonder where its even coming from considering i dont think ive seen him play 1 second of wing in my viewings. one final point, FIN is looking to potentially add him to their world championship camp roster (as opposed to the U18s) in the coming weeks. even if he doesnt make the cut, i still think thats a great vote of confidence in the player
