Prospect Info: At 24th Overall the Jets Select Kristian Vesalainen

[SM]

At the time, it was quite widely agreed that Vesalainen was the BPA at 24. It was not like there were any surefire studs available after Heiskanen, let alone at the latter part of the first round.

Yes, I agree Jets had him ranked as their BPA at 24. I meant that I disagreed with the ida that they had Tolvanen ranked above Vesalainen when it came time to draft, but passed on him because they thought his potential was higher than Vesalainen’s, and that he wouldn’t have a spot with our elite top 6 in 2 years’ time. The poster above stated they preferred to draft Vesalainen because he could contribute in a 3rd line scoring role.

 

[Mortimer Snerd]

I think the biggest reason why Jets drafted Vesalainen was due to Jets already having a real solid top-6 but somewhat lackluster bottom-6 when it comes to scoring.

I bet the management was debating hard whether to pick someone like Tolvanen who is basically a Laine lite/sniper or Vesalainen who probably doesn't have the potential crack Jets top-6 in the near future but instead they saw a lot of great 3rd line scoring potential in Vesalainen who can at the same bring more to the table than sniper like Tolvanen, although Tolvanen is far from being one dimensional sniper. Still, Vesalainen will probably always be a better two way player than Tolvanen.

I can understand why the Jets saw Vesalainen as a better fit for their team and why they would still probably go with him in a redraft.

Maybe but I think they were just looking for BPA at the time. Vesalainen was the one they saw there. Doesn't mean they were right or wrong. Just the name that popped up on the list.

 

[Aavco Cup]

More than likely the best defensive lineup That Finland has ever had in the world juniors. Tolvanen , Vesalainen etc. Good stuff.

5 years from now : the new legion of doom.

Vesalainen-Scheifele-Laine

Prime Vesalainen better than prime Renberg? - hope so

Prime Laine better than Prime Leclair? - I think so

Prime Scheifele better than prime Lindros? - Tough one. I hope so lol

This years tournament could be one of the best ever with both Canada and the US also having very sexy lineups. Goaltending might be the deciding factor.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

This years tournament could be one of the best ever with both Canada and the US also having very sexy lineups. Goaltending might be the deciding factor.

Canada wins the goaltending battle if u ask me. Hart has been out of this world this season.

Finland has outstanding top end talent and D depth, but we'll have to see if goaltending and F depth can keep up with the big countries

 

[DaJackal]

I'm pleased to see that Vesalainen is on fire. Though still puzzled why we did not draft Tolvanen instead. Or that why no one did take Tolvanen earlier. I guess Jets and Preds got lucked in that Finns did not have success at U20, which did make value for Vesalainen and esp. Tolvanen lower than they should have been.

Because it would have been criminal to have Laine on the left side and Tolvanen on the right side on PP.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

Vesa as an 18 year old is leading his team in a very strong league in points.

Ppl can go on about Tolvanen but looks like Vesa is a darn good one also.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Vesa as an 18 year old is leading his team in a very strong league in points.

Ppl can go on about Tolvanen but looks like Vesa is a darn good one also.

There is a big difference between being almost a lock to be the alltime highest scoring 18 year old in KHL, and leading Liiga team in points. It's nothing away from Vesalainen but Tolvanen is just a level above him

 

[Whileee]

On retrospect, Tolvanen might have been the better choice, but I have no problem with Vesalainen at #24. In fact, before the draft I indicated I would be fine with him at #13. He has a very good package of size, aggressiveness and skill and could be a very good power forward that can play with pace.

 

[Gabe Kupari]

There is a big difference between being almost a lock to be the alltime highest scoring 18 year old in KHL, and leading Liiga team in points. It's nothing away from Vesalainen but Tolvanen is just a level above him

Is there? Why is the K with guys who were healthy scratched lighting it up more impressive? I dont get it... To me the K is more of a beer league... I mean superstars like Nigel Dawes lead the league in scoring... Tolvanen is showing he can score but can he do anything else?

 

[TheFinnishTrap]

Is there? Why is the K with guys who were healthy scratched lighting it up more impressive? I dont get it... To me the K is more of a beer league... I mean superstars like Nigel Dawes lead the league in scoring... Tolvanen is showing he can score but can he do anything else?

I always find it somewhat stupid to point out that Nigel Dawes or whoever is leading KHL in scoring, if you checked who was leading SHL, Liiga or AHL you probably wouldn't be very impressed either. Nigel Dawes destroyed AHL and had some decent NHL seasons. That being said, what Vesalainen is doing compares quite well with other Finnish prospects lately. He has been very good for the last 3 months.

 

[Whileee]

There is a big difference between being almost a lock to be the alltime highest scoring 18 year old in KHL, and leading Liiga team in points. It's nothing away from Vesalainen but Tolvanen is just a level above him

Seem to be a lot of high scorers in the KHL this season. Linden Vey and Nigel Dawes at >1.2 points/game. Tolvanen is around 15-20 in points/game in the KHL (depending on who you include based on games played) and Vesalainen is 20-25 in Liiga.

 

[Whileee]

I always find it somewhat stupid to point out that Nigel Dawes or whoever is leading KHL in scoring, if you checked who was leading SHL, Liiga or AHL you probably wouldn't be very impressed either. Nigel Dawes destroyed AHL and had some decent NHL seasons. That being said, what Vesalainen is doing compares quite well with other Finnish prospects lately. He has been very good for the last 3 months.

Linden Vey?

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Is there? Why is the K with guys who were healthy scratched lighting it up more impressive? I dont get it... To me the K is more of a beer league... I mean superstars like Nigel Dawes lead the league in scoring... Tolvanen is showing he can score but can he do anything else?

He is generating shots as well as Kovalchuk. And why does it matter at all who is leading the league scoring? Nigel Dawes might not be a NHL player but he is still a very good hockey player. It's a fact that KHL is the 2nd best hockey league in the world.

Edit. Tolvanen is very good

 

[TheFinnishTrap]

Linden Vey?

Seems to be Dawes' linemate.

 

[DeepFrickinValue]

It is looking like vaselienan was good pick. Good value as usual.

Maybe 31 pick this year is not so bad.

 

[204hockey]

He is generating shots as well as Kovalchuk. And why does it matter at all who is leading the league scoring? Nigel Dawes might not be a NHL player but he is still a very good hockey player. It's a fact that KHL is the 2nd best hockey league in the world.

Edit. Tolvanen is very good

but being good in the khl doesn't mean u will be good in the NHL! :p

 

[Kaako Kappo]

Is there? Why is the K with guys who were healthy scratched lighting it up more impressive? I dont get it... To me the K is more of a beer league... I mean superstars like Nigel Dawes lead the league in scoring... Tolvanen is showing he can score but can he do anything else?

I mean....this is just pure ignorance on your part. KHL is a very competitive league with talented teams and players. Do you think that most SHL, Liiga, or other European leagues scoring leaders are all NHL caliber? No. And then you start adjusting age and points. Pettersson in SHL is doing something very impressive. But if that someone was a 33 year old SHL veteran, no one would give a crap and it wouldn't be that impressive. Same goes for Tolvanen.

 

[Channelcat]

V on pace to project similar to Armia, and that's not necessarily a bad thing.

 

[StatisticsAddict99]

Personally I didn’t want Tolvanen at 24, we have Laine who has arguably the best overall shot in the League(when you account all differing types of shots)and Ehlers who I think is EXTREMELY underrated in this category and who I think also contains an Elite shot(He is reminiscent of Taresenko to me, less shot more speed... Obviously...), but that’s just my opinion.

I was actually praying to pick up Vesalainen because his size, strength, speed(especially for his size), talent and the fact he had Laine in his name... But for real we need more Playmakers rather than Snipers at this point and Vesalainen if Vesalainen could be our next Wheeler(Lite or extremely overachieve and become just as good) as a Playmaking Power-forward he’s the perfect pick for this team, however I do think Tolvanen is and will pan out better in the long run(as a Tarasenko type talent guy), but if Vesalainen simply fits our system in the the Top 6(or better) of the Jets future I would not be surprised if he has better numbers because of the Players he will be playing with...

 

[TS Quint]

I'm pleased to see that Vesalainen is on fire. Though still puzzled why we did not draft Tolvanen instead. Or that why no one did take Tolvanen earlier. I guess Jets and Preds got lucked in that Finns did not have success at U20, which did make value for Vesalainen and esp. Tolvanen lower than they should have been.

They were two players heading in different directions last year. Vesalainen made TheHockeyNews most influential before last season. But (I think) there was an injury that brought him down in his draft year. I guess the Jets went with the player who had a longer time line of being regarded as a top pick and disregarded the short period where he was injured.

I've given up criticizing the Jets 1st round picks. They seem to turn out pretty ok. Good luck to those who lost their minds when Stanley was drafted because he was too tall.

 

[TS Quint]

There is a big difference between being almost a lock to be the alltime highest scoring 18 year old in KHL, and leading Liiga team in points. It's nothing away from Vesalainen but Tolvanen is just a level above him

Points aren't everything. Nigel Dawes has been one of the best in the KHL forever.

I'll wait for players to come to North America before I anoint them the next Terasenko.

 

[Calendal]

His season's been quite impressive lately. He's been very close to a PPG pace. I can't recall but I believe his PPG is at the very least extremely close to Sebastian Aho's at this point in time, and Aho of course went on to have very successful u-20 as well as WHC tournaments and could pretty easily adapt to a top 6 role in NHL the next season. Now, for Vesalainen it might not be quite as smooth but he's really looked impressive lately. If he has a good u-20 tournament he might be able to carry the momentum to an even stronger finish in Liiga.

I haven't watched Vesalainen, but Aho had excellent defensive ability in his last Liiga year (like Laine). It's no coincidence Aho and Laine were chosen for WHC and made the NHL team directly afterwards without stepping in AHL. Based on the points (and highlights) I can definitely see Vesalainen playing well in AHL next year but I can also see him staying in Europe for one more year. On some other teams he would even get some NHL games next year (Jets are a little too deep and careful for that).

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Points aren't everything. Nigel Dawes has been one of the best in the KHL forever.

I'll wait for players to come to North America before I anoint them the next Terasenko.

I'm not saying he is another tarasenko because he produces well, but this season he has been on another level compared to Vesalainen, which was my original point here.

 

[Hammer Slammer]

No prospects playing today so I did this. The source video flickered really bad in a couple places so I edited around it. Didn't wanna mess anyone up if they're sensitive to that.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

Points aren't everything. Nigel Dawes has been one of the best in the KHL forever.

I'll wait for players to come to North America before I anoint them the next Terasenko.

Good lord. Is Dawes 18? Where was he when he was 18?

Thats like saying Laine wasnt impressive in Liiga because some random old farts excell there.

Such a stupid, useless argument.