In their defense, the 2 highest drafted players to come from Liiga recently are Slafkovsky and Kotkaniemi who were both rushed to the NHL by the same team and had their development ruined.
Aho and Barkov werent rushed and turned out just fine.
Indeed. As a Finn It was tough to watch talent like Kotkaniemi, Puljujärvi and Kakko rushed the way like they did when you knew they weren't ready just by watching a single interview. I imagine it's hell of a thing for any young guy, but for an European especially to try and hack it in a completely diffrent culture as an 18-year old. It was the only reason I was concerned about Carlsson coming over as early as he did. That remains to be seen, but I think for small market team like Ducks who are also taking it slow with re-building (with veteran swedes like Silf, Lundy) it's different.
There is an insane amount of pressure in markets like Edmonton, Montreal and to a lesser degree American teams like the Rangers. You gotta know what you're getting into first and it's easy to be way over your head in situations like these. Also not saying things wouldn't turn out the same for many of the Finns, but I do think it matters more than you'd might think.
I find it kind strange teams scout these top prospects all-year round, but don't seem to get the psycological aspect of these key development years that include learning the ropes that they might not be ready for. You never know if you're ready for anything, but at least try to make it easier for 18-year olds coming over from an different culture. Most of them need development that's beside the game and it's easier to do in your home country to begin with. Euro leagues are pretty much on bar for AHL anyway, and Liiga is one of the more physical Euro leagues as well.
All people are different though, and the early jump might be beneficial for some of them, but I really do question some of these teams who obviously didn't do the homework of the person they were rushing into big leagues. I'm glad Carlsson seems to be paying off, but to be fair, he is a completely different type of talent because how fast he processes the game. You gotta have that if you're thinking of playing in this league as a kid.
Long needless rant I guess. As for Helenius he has that hockey brain and I think even some of the other "it" factors, but he still has some developing to do in Finland. Watching the tapes (seen him live once as well) and he reminds me of Aho a bit. It's tough for a smaller guy when you have to learn how to fight for space with much bigger guys, but he has that ability I think. We'll see, but I predict he'll be a top 10 pick next June, and for once Ducks are in a position to pick a Finn I like in the 1st round.
