Confirmed with Link: CBJ sign D Ilari Melart to 1 yr ELC

[Fro]

NHL Blue Jackets ‏@BlueJacketsNHL 1m
NEWS: #CBJ sign defenseman Ilari Melart to a one-year entry level contract
http://bluejackets.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=671838

Click to read more...

 

[Fro]

 

[KingBob]

Good player, good deal!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0k8mvJQE_o0

 

[Verbal Kint]

As a big defenceman he plays like he should be playing. Tough to play against, punishes opponents in front of goal and plays a simple game. Gives a good first pass. Not a bad skater at all. If anything Melart is a no-nonsense D-man that CBJ fans should like.

Very interesting signing. Great job by Jarmo.

 

[ernmorris]

Does this mean that Holden won't be back at Springfield?

 

[Colorado Avalanche]

lol

he sucks

he doesn't have tools for NHL.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

lol

he sucks

he doesn't have tools for NHL.

Then he will play in the AHL.

 

[Socks]

That's kind of an awesome first name.

 

[skillhockey]

I fear he's too slow for NHL, he will sit in box a lot. In finland they let dmen hold etc all the time, it won't work in nhl.

 

[Finnpin]

Couple years ago he was 7th dman in SM-Liiga and role was basically just a "goon" and now signs NHL deal. Jarmo wanted him to Jokerit when he was GM'ing them so this is not a surprise. Melart has improved a lot in past 2 years and IMO he can still improve. Punisher in front of goal and drops gloves now and then...though IMO he isn't very good at it especially when compared to North American level.

 

[Samkow]

Interesting signing.

(Reading way too much into things here) He's 24. Doubt he's interested in spending much time in the AHL, so perhaps he was promised a spot on the big club. Maybe we'll see some big blueline changes this summer.

 

[The Saw Is the Law]

His skating is slow and awkward in SM-liiga. How the hell he could play in the big show which is ten times faster hockey

 

[Finnpin]

Hopefully this video shows outside FIN

Melart's hit last month against Swedish player. Hard and clean. Unfortunately plexi glass is like a rock...like in so many European rinks

http://www.katsomo.fi/?progId=189187

 

[Jaan]

... so perhaps he was promised a spot on the big club. Maybe we'll see some big blueline changes this summer.

Nah. He's not NHL calibre (yet), gotta improve his skating and passing accuracy. He'll spend the season in AHL.

 

[QnebO]

 

[Zeitung]

His skating is slow and awkward in SM-liiga. How the hell he could play in the big show which is ten times faster hockey

His skating isn't that bad but its not good. Lets say that its average for a big dman. I hope he gets a fair chance to prove himself but I still can't see him in NHL top6, at least not next season. Few good games in AHL and he could get a game or two in Columbus. I like his style, he takes **** from no one and really gives hard time to opposite team in front of net.

 

[JacketsFanWest]

He could be a decent project. The Jackets need size and toughness, and signing a Euro free agent is low risk. If he doesn't work out, maybe he just goes back to Finland. He's probably not the type of player who's going to sign a huge contract in the KHL, so hopefully he's willing to spend some time developing in the AHL.

It sounds like he's been progressing the past two years, which is a good sign that he's a hard worker and committed to improving, so maybe with some power skating coaching over the summer he can get his skating at least to a passable NHL level.

 

[Bakayoko Ono]

A great character, who loves to play physical, rough hockey, is always willing to defend his teammates and isn't afraid to fight. Melart has very limited puck-handling skills and makes a lot of mistakes under pressure, but he does have a solid, hard shot. His hockey IQ is fairly low and he sometimes tends to be overly aggressive, take stupid roughing penalties and go for the big hit instead of playing the puck.

He's not going to have problem with the physicality, but it's going to take time for him to get used to the smaller ice and higher tempo of the North American game.

This kind of defending isn't going to cut it in the NHL:

 

[QnebO]

I fear he's too slow for NHL, he will sit in box a lot. In finland they let dmen hold etc all the time, it won't work in nhl.

I think small rink will benefit player type like him compared to European game.. In AHL should be good, maybe he can evolve for NHL level too, time will show. If he can keep up the progression he has had, NHL is plausible at some point.

 

[Jussi]

I think small rink will benefit player type like him compared to European game.. In AHL should be good, maybe he can evolve for NHL level too, time will show. If he can keep up the progression he has had, NHL is plausible at some point.

NA rinks and reffing will suit him more than SM-Liiga. At least he'll be able to hit without the fear of getting ejected every time. Has improved as a player tremendously from a "goon" to steady physical dman. Also has a decent slapshot. If he continues to improve, he might get to play in NHL instead of AHL.

Somewhat off topic, this was rumored yesterday already, hardly anything hockey related escapes jatkoaika.com posters these days. According to the same source though, it's NHL or Europe for him, won't play in AHL. Though considering it's Kekäläinen's team, he might be able to convince him otherwise.

 

[VandyBuck]

A great character, who loves to play physical, rough hockey, is always willing to defend his teammates and isn't afraid to fight. Melart has very limited puck-handling skills and makes a lot of mistakes under pressure, but he does have a solid, hard shot. His hockey IQ is fairly low and he sometimes tend to be overly aggressive, take stupid roughing penalties and go for the big hit instead of playing the puck.

He's not going to have problem with the physicality, but it's going to take time for him to get used to the smaller ice and higher tempo of the North American game.

This kind of defending isn't going to cut it in the NHL:

[/sarcasmfont]Hmmm...Sounds exactly like the type of player Jarmo said he wanted to target[/sarcasmfont]

 

[CBJWerenski8]

There's a Dman for Springfield.

 

[Double-Shift Lasse]

I think small rink will benefit player type like him compared to European game.

NA rinks and reffing will suit him more than SM-Liiga.

I thought this as well, at least that it's a possibility. Hopefully magnifying his strengths and forcing him to adjust to mitigate his weaknesses.

Seems pretty low-risk to me. Give him a look, assign him accordingly and if it's the AHL and he would prefer to play at home, I'm OK with that.

 

[Cyclones Rock]

Love seeing the commentary from Finns and other Europeans who are familiar with this player.

Thanks for the comments

 

[Syan Ruter]

Coming from an HIFK fan, I can tell you that he was hated around the league, but everybody on the HIFK roster loved him, as well as the fans. He gets the game going with a big hit and is a really good stay-at-home D-man. If he was a little faster, he could make it in the NHL.

The main problem I have with him, though, is his inconsistency. Some games, he would hit 3-5 times while playing amazing D, and some games he would fail miserably at everything and end up taking a stupid penalty that would cost HIFK the game. It'll definitely be interesting to see what happens from here on out!