LW Yu Sato - Dynamo-Altay Barnaul, VHL (2020 undrafted)

[3 Minute Minor]

Fair enough. The racism has no place, agreed. But perspective on prospects development relative to their peer group in...let's say the big 8....should also factor in. The Iguchi thread and to extent this thread, hyping prospects without perspective, has the appearance of bias and unwarranted hype. People on here were drooling over Iguchis Pavel Barber hype videos....when they were just that....hype videos with no merit.

Give me a legitimate NHL prospect from any non-traditional market....and I will gladly cheer for them and follow along.

Give me a player, that at best can hang with AA players his own age, and I will remind you that there are hundreds if not thousands of kids in NA ahead of him.

Here's the thing, I don't remember any genuine hype around Iguchi. There were people saying he could be a player and people dumping on him. I don't remember too much actual "Oh he's going to be the 1st overall pick!" that wasn't sarcastic.

There are loads of NHL prospects from non-traditional markets. Borna Rendulic made the NHL from Croatia. Liam Kirk is in the AHL right now and didn't leave England until he was 18. There's a giant goalie from Italy named Damian Clara who just moved to Sweden and could be an NHL pick this year. People would have lol'd at the thought of Adam Vay (Hungary) being an NHL draft pick. Never came close to the USHL. a year after a season in the WSHL he was an ECHL starter. There are a few draft picks from the 2012 draft who would love to have his career. Yushiroh Hirano is a Japanese player that didn't make the jump from Japan to Sweden until he was 19. He jumped to the USHL at 20 and he's currently in the AHL. There are 1st round draft picks from his draft year that are still struggling to be top 6 fwds in the AHL.

I could literally sit here all day and talk about players from non-traditional countries who went undrafted and outperformed players you would say are "ahead of them" at 15 because they play in a league you recognize

 

[Gordon Graham]

Playing with names doesn't change the fact that you're talking about lower league and exhibition stats which are rather meaningless. Most recently his actual body of work is finishing 12th in scoring within his own team as a 20-year-old in the USHL.

exhibition stats aren't meaningless when jobs are on the line...for veterans, sure. For young players trying to prove they belong, they certainly are meaningful and 4 goals in 6 games was "meaningful" enough to garner him a pro contract, competing against a dozen other guys fighting tooth and nail for that same contract. Playing with names? Is SM-sarga the top junior league in Finland or not? You said those stats are from Mestis...That's not what is listed in Elite Prospects

 

[Gordon Graham]

It helped him a lot that Larionov was his agent. That's how he got drafted by the Quebec Remparts and now why he signed a KHL deal.

Yes, absolutely having Larionov as his agent got his foot in the door, but it was the 4 goals in 6 games and his overall sound play that got him the contract.

 

[Gordon Graham]

Here's the thing, I don't remember any genuine hype around Iguchi. There were people saying he could be a player and people dumping on him. I don't remember too much actual "Oh he's going to be the 1st overall pick!" that wasn't sarcastic.

There are loads of NHL prospects from non-traditional markets. Borna Rendulic made the NHL from Croatia. Liam Kirk is in the AHL right now and didn't leave England until he was 18. There's a giant goalie from Italy named Damian Clara who just moved to Sweden and could be an NHL pick this year. People would have lol'd at the thought of Adam Vay (Hungary) being an NHL draft pick. Never came close to the USHL. a year after a season in the WSHL he was an ECHL starter. There are a few draft picks from the 2012 draft who would love to have his career. Yushiroh Hirano is a Japanese player that didn't make the jump from Japan to Sweden until he was 19. He jumped to the USHL at 20 and he's currently in the AHL. There are 1st round draft picks from his draft year that are still struggling to be top 6 fwds in the AHL.

I could literally sit here all day and talk about players from non-traditional countries who went undrafted and outperformed players you would say are "ahead of them" at 15 because they play in a league you recognize

I probably took up most of that Iguchi page because I coached the kid from the age of 5~12. Never once did I mention the NHL. I just defended the idea that he could play on a level with the best AAA kids in North America. Then it was, well...wait til the hitting starts, he'll get destroyed in Canada or the US. I reminded people that he had played Bantam AAA in Canada with Langley Rivermen and posted a clip of him scoring the OT winner in tournament hosted by the LA Jr.Kings along with a shot of him hitting a player twice his size and knocking him to the ground. I don't remember anyone on this board saying anything about Aito being an NHL prospect. People negatively talked about how he couldn't be one. I just said, he was a brilliant kid who could compete with Canadian AAA level players.

 

[Gordon Graham]

No questions. I really wish him to succeed but still am sceptical about his perspectives. Maybe Larionov actually sees something in the kid nobody has seen yet but a player just can't go from being a not very good USHL player to a KHL starter. And if he can then they just have to instantly fire his USHL coach...

Here's my take which is completely biased because I coached the kid from the age of 5~12. So completely biased. He is slender, but has decent leg strength, but if improved upon could turn him into a very effective pro. I guarantee he has the best stamina on the team. He was a champion swimmer and long distance runner as a kid and his training for cardio is insane. His agility is off the charts, even at the pro level. Japanese emphasise agility from day one. Kids are doing crossovers backwards handling the pucks through tires by the age of 6 or 7. Vasily Pervukhin ran our development program for about 10 years. Our training is from the Soviet development program. Yu went to Russia at 12 to play AAA competition. He excelled on a poor team. His hockey sense, always being in the right spot, on the right side of the puck, anticipating the play and reacting efficiently and effectively are his traits. In Finland he did well playing with Jr.A calibre players, but he was still very slender and had next to no experience playing North American hockey, so the adjustment was huge. He had to put on weight, Larionov got him in the door, but he was stuck on the 4th line getting very few minutes. Honestly speaking he could keep up with the pace and showed flashes of brilliance, but not getting a regular shift matters when you're making an adjustment to the North American game. He should have gone to North America sooner, but he had an opportunity in Finland. In the USHL, again he got stuck on the 4th line. It wasn't until the end of his 2nd season that they bumped him up to the 2nd line that he started to show some offensive promise. Still, his skating and hockey IQ have enabled him to play hockey at any level he's played, including the KHL. When I say his skating I particularly mean his ability to maintain a high speed throughout an entire shift because of his great stamina and his agility to be able to quickly cut off lanes etc. He's an effective player with his skating. He has an elite shot, but he has the habit of deferring to his linemates for the shot, which isn't a great idea when you're on the 4th line and you have a good shot. He should shoot more often. I told him to be more selfish. It's not in him.

 

[Gordon Graham]

Thanks Champ! I guess absolutely zero negative discussion about prospects should take place! It's all sunshine and lollipops. I prefer to avoid the child discussions and focus on true prospects.

"He would have been destroyed in minor-midget AAA hockey in Ontario" has a taint on it that makes it less of a "negative discussion" than an insult or hope. He played AAA contact hockey in Canada and didn't get "destroyed", in fact, he did quite well playing with Langley Rivermen Bantam AAA hockey...there's contact in Bantam, in fact, there's more hitting in Bantam than in Midget, because Bantam is the first year you can hit, so everyone is running around.

 

[3 Minute Minor]

I probably took up most of that Iguchi page because I coached the kid from the age of 5~12. Never once did I mention the NHL. I just defended the idea that he could play on a level with the best AAA kids in North America. Then it was, well...wait til the hitting starts, he'll get destroyed in Canada or the US. I reminded people that he had played Bantam AAA in Canada with Langley Rivermen and posted a clip of him scoring the OT winner in tournament hosted by the LA Jr.Kings along with a shot of him hitting a player twice his size and knocking him to the ground. I don't remember anyone on this board saying anything about Aito being an NHL prospect. People negatively talked about how he couldn't be one. I just said, he was a brilliant kid who could compete with Canadian AAA level players.

Ye my statement about people over here in NA thinking the USHL/CHL is exclusive to amazing hockey players almost goes double for AAA lol

There are kids from non-traditional countries playing AAA every year, all over Canada. Some do well, some stink, and there are always Canadians who are worse than them. We might be very good at spitting out unreal NHL talent on a regular basis but we have a tendency to act like our youth system is some unbelievable standard of hockey with pro prospects top to bottom that no other country can touch. IMO the youth systems in Finland & Sweden are probably better than anything in Canada but that's a luxury you can have when you don't have 4 time zones in your country

 

[Gordon Graham]

Fair enough. The racism has no place, agreed. But perspective on prospects development relative to their peer group in...let's say the big 8....should also factor in. The Iguchi thread and to extent this thread, hyping prospects without perspective, has the appearance of bias and unwarranted hype. People on here were drooling over Iguchis Pavel Barber hype videos....when they were just that....hype videos with no merit.

Give me a legitimate NHL prospect from any non-traditional market....and I will gladly cheer for them and follow along.

Give me a player, that at best can hang with AA players his own age, and I will remind you that there are hundreds if not thousands of kids in NA ahead of him.

"Give me a player, that at best can hang with AA players his own age, and I will remind you that there are hundreds if not thousands of kids in NA ahead of him." Aito played in 3 AAA tournaments in Canada, winning the scoring in two of them.

 

[Albatros]

Is SM-sarga the top junior league in Finland or not? You said those stats are from Mestis...That's not what is listed in Elite Prospects

In Finland the autumn round consists of U18 SM-sarja and U18 Mestis teams playing their own series separately. After New Year the top level is reduced to 10 teams while worst SM-sarja teams move on to play second tier with the best teams of Mestis. From the perspective of a Mestis team like Kiekko-Vantaa this means a round where they play the worst SM-sarja teams instead of the worst Mestis teams which obviously is an elevated level of competition, but it still remains the second tier and they never play the best. Eliteprospects evidently does not differentiate between stats from higher and lower leagues, but it's a rather big difference whether you play Kärpät and Jokerit or Karhu-Kissat and Hermes. Sato did the latter.

 

[Gordon Graham]

In Finland the autumn round consists of U18 SM-sarja and U18 Mestis teams playing their own series separately. After New Year the top level is reduced to 10 teams while worst SM-sarja teams move on to play second tier with the best teams of Mestis. From the perspective of a Mestis team like Kiekko-Vantaa this means a round where they play the worst SM-sarja teams instead of the worst Mestis teams which obviously is an elevated level of competition, but it still remains the second tier and they never play the best. Eliteprospects evidently does not differentiate between stats from higher and lower leagues, but it's a rather big difference whether you play Kärpät and Jokerit or Karhu-Kissat and Hermes. Sato did the latter.

10 teams seems a very narrow top tier. There are 20 teams in the OHL alone, never mind the Q and the WHL. So those teams from SM-sarja that got relegated to the lower half are the same teams that the top half players played to pad their stats as well...What were the stats of the top player in the top tier? I see Raty had 45pts in 52 games which is not that impressive if he played half his season against second tier talent, talent that Sato scored 17pts in 12 games against, unless of course, Raty did all his scoring against the top tier? Hirvonen is an excellent player. He scored 55 pts in 50 games...were a quarter of his games vs second tier talent? He's certain to be an NHL player in the near future, yet those aren't jump of the page numbers, especially considering the talent pool he was up against for half a season. Maybe those lower teams aren't such a drop off, otherwise where are the padded numbers?

 

[Albatros]

10 teams seems a very narrow top tier. There are 20 teams in the OHL alone, never mind the Q and the WHL. So those teams from SM-sarja that got relegated to the lower half are the same teams that the top half players played to pad their stats as well...What were the stats of the top player in the top tier?

For the autumnal round sure, but of course also for the post-New Year higher league stats are kept separately.

2019 U18 higher league top scorers:
Leo Ring, Jokerit 11+14=25 (now KeuPa HT, Mestis)
Petteri Puhakka, Kärpät 11+14=25 (now Tappara, Liiga)
Alexander Forslund, Blues 7+14=21 (now Pelicans, Liiga)
Oskari Luoto, Tappara 6+15=21 (now Tappara, Liiga)
Daniel Mäkiaho, Blues 10+10=20 (now Jukurit, Liiga)
Vili Munkki, TPS 6+14=20 (now TPS, Liiga)
Samu Salminen, Jokerit 8+11=19 (now UConn, NCAA)
Samu Tuomaala, Kärpät 7+12=19 (now Jukurit, Liiga)
Leevi Viitala, Ässät 11+7=18 (now Ässät, Liiga)
Jeremi Tammela, KalPa 7+11=18 (now Lukko, Liiga)
Anton Mäkelä, Ässät 6+12=18 (now Sport, U20 SM-sarja)
Julius Vesaaja, Pelicans 13+4=17 (now JoKP, Mestis)
Jesse Seppälä, Tappara 8+9=17 (now HIFK, Liiga)

2019 U18 lower league top scorers:
Roni Karvinen, Kiekko-Vantaa 9+21=30 (now SaiPa, Liiga)
Roby Järventie, Ilves 14+14=28 (now Belleville Senators, AHL)
Oskari Latvala, Kiekko-Vantaa 10+17=27 (last season EVU, U22 & IV-divisioona)
Kristian Kujala, JYP 12+11=23 (quit hockey)
Eemeli Mäki, Ilves 12+11=23 (now FPS, Mestis)
Verneri Metsänen, Ilves 8+15=23 (now KOOVEE, Mestis)
Marko Huhtanen, Ilves 13+8=21 (now Pyry, Suomi-sarja)
Eemeli Kestola, SaiPa 7+14=21 (quit hockey)
Topias Liljamo, Sport 9+11=20 (now Hermes, Mestis)
Robert Ossipov, SaiPa 4+14=18 (now Pelicans, U20 SM-sarja)
Yu Sato, Kiekko-Vantaa 9+8=17 (now Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod, KHL)
Ossi-Petteri Jaakola, KooKoo 8+9=17 (now KooKoo, U20 SM-sarja)
Veeti Lehmuskallio, Sport 6+11=17 (now Hermes, Mestis)
Olli Sorsa, Lukko 5+12=17 (last season Hunters, Suomi-sarja)

 

[GermanSpitfire]

 

[Gordon Graham]

F**K!

 

[bashbros32]

F**K!

I know it's been a month, but what did the tweet say? the user deleted their account and I'm super curious.

 

[Albatros]

Still 0+0=0 but kind of won his team the game against Avangard as Chistyakov brutally murdered him and Torpedo used the 5-minute PP following the game misconduct for a couple of goals.

 

[AlexanderSemin21]

A secondary assist for him, excellent cross saucer pass.

 

[Kshahdoo]

First KHL goal for the kid.

 

[Caser]

 

[Kshahdoo]

Wow, it was a beautiful goal.

 

[Gordon Graham]

I know it's been a month, but what did the tweet say? the user deleted their account and I'm super curious.

He had broken ribs

 

[JoeCool16]

He had broken ribs

And he's back and scoring goals already?

 

[MardyBum]

Can't help but root for him after reading dozens of manga about a Japanese athlete looking to compete against the world in a sport they're not great at as a country.

Yu Sato anime 2030.

 

[vorky]

 

[Kshahdoo]

Scored an OT winner, his 3rd KHL goal.

 

[Kshahdoo]

Scored his 4th KHL goal.