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D Vili Saarijärvi (2015, 73rd, DET; traded to ARI)

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12 points in 9 games in the OHL so far this season, leads the league in PPG among d-men (less GP than most though).

Anyone watch any games and able to give some first-hand information on how he's looking?
 
He seemed to have bottom of the barrel instincts and hockey IQ last time around in the WJCs.. has he gotten any better?
 
Sometimes he's a bit lost in the D zone and runs around too much. But when he has the puck he is extremely dangerous, especially in the offensive zone. I remember he made a couple of bad breakout passes at last year's WJC but he also had some really good plays with the puck, for example that 3-2 PP goal in the final. And at the U18 WJC he was fantastic.

I'm really looking forward to seeing him at this year's WJC.
 
How does a player with skating as good as his fail to at least put up points in the AHL? Is he playing bottom pair with plugs?
 
XX said:
How does a player with skating as good as his fail to at least put up points in the AHL? Is he playing bottom pair with plugs?
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Yeah, if the D isn't getting PP minutes and plays on lower-pairs, it's not easy to put up points as D-man in the AHL. And worse... if you are poor defensively you can get hemmed in the D-zone due to the grinder type forwards that are plentiful in the AHL.

Hicketts is even smaller than Saarijarvi - on the same team - but consistently had more points. Weird.
 
voxel said:
Yeah, if the D isn't getting PP minutes and plays on lower-pairs, it's not easy to put up points as D-man in the AHL. And worse... if you are poor defensively you can get hemmed in the D-zone due to the grinder type forwards that are plentiful in the AHL.

Hicketts is even smaller than Saarijarvi - on the same team - but consistently had more points. Weird.
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Hicketts is shorter but he's much stronger and plays a pretty physical game.
 
XX said:
How does a player with skating as good as his fail to at least put up points in the AHL? Is he playing bottom pair with plugs?
Click to expand...
He's never done poorly at the AHL level, but Grand Rapids has always been a very win-now AHL franchise. They stack their roster with vets to the point where there's probably room for 1 prospect per position to get prime minutes. It just never ended up being Vili on RD.
 
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Darkseider said:
He's never done poorly at the AHL level, but Grand Rapids has always been a very win-now AHL franchise. They stack their roster with vets to the point where there's probably room for 1 prospect per position to get prime minutes. It just never ended up being Vili on RD.
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that’s not true. Grand Rapids has two rookie RD playing on the top pairing. Saarijarvi never did anything to earn more minutes.
 
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What kind of season did he have with Arizona? Is he better off going back to Finland and trying to re-establish himself there or is his game coming along with Arizona's AHL affiliate? I remember how highly rated he was at one time, and it appears as if his stock has dropped a lot since the 2016 World Juniors.
 
Pavel Buchnevich said:
What kind of season did he have with Arizona? Is he better off going back to Finland and trying to re-establish himself there or is his game coming along with Arizona's AHL affiliate? I remember how highly rated he was at one time, and it appears as if his stock has dropped a lot since the 2016 World Juniors.
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I don't think he's an NHL player.
 
Currently leading the Liiga in points by a defenseman, and it look like EP is reporting him to be on Finland's national team roster. Breakout season or good luck 12 games in?
 
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