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RW Kaapo Kakko - TPS, Liiga (2019 Draft) Part 3

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Zakkk said:
You guys really think Kakko will be invited to WHC camp?
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Definately. Despite some minor flaws that comes from him being 18yo, he is still offensively the best player in Liiga and he has taken such a big steps in just couple of months that it should be a no brainer to at least give him the 13th forward spot if the coach doesn't feel like giving him a spot over some regular NHL players that possibly joins the squad.
 
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Kakko needs to go play somewhere, I think.

TPS's B-juniors would have been an option, but they got eliminated recently as well.

Hopefully both u-18s and WCs but I'd be somewhat OK with him doing just WCs.
 
Worlds are over a month away, the best way for Kakko keep his form is to play the toughest/highest stakes games possible and that would be the U-18 WJC. The long pre-World Championship training camp is very physically(keeping your best form) and mentally taxing, according to several Finnish players who've gone through it (usually early KHL playoff drop outs). Kakko can rest a week, then join the U-18 WJC camp, play the tournament, rest a while after it and still play at the Carlson Hockey Games for one or two games to see how he fares on men's international pace.
 
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Jussi said:
Worlds are over a month away, the best way for Kakko keep his form is to play the toughest/highest stakes games possible and that would be the U-18 WJC.
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I'm pretty sure the men's national team games that are played simultaneously with the U18-WJC are tougher than the U18 games, but I'd still rather see Kakko play at the U18s.
 
No wonder if the HPK players were praising him. The entire series was Kakko vs HPK from the get go. I really feel bad for the kid for being forced into position to having to carry entire team while being by far the youngest player and I must admit despite of knowing TPS was pretty bad as a whole, even I didn't expect to find them from an utter abyss. Furthermore, who knows how much better he'd been in a better team. He had fantastic playoffs despite of not progressing after the quarter finals (which cannot always be said about other top draft eligible prospects).

Was really cheering for TPS just to see Kaapo get deep in these games and get more experience but sometimes there's not much one person can do, but at least he gave them a huge scare.
 
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kelsier said:
No wonder if the HPK players were praising him. The entire series was Kakko vs HPK from the get go. I really feel bad for the kid for being forced into position to having to carry entire team while being by far the youngest player and I must admit despite of knowing TPS was pretty bad as a whole, even I didn't expect to find them from an utter abyss. Furthermore, who knows how much better he'd been in a better team. He had fantastic playoffs despite of not progressing after the quarter finals (which cannot always be said about other top draft eligible prospects).

Was really cheering for TPS just to see Kaapo get deep in these games and get more experience but sometimes there's not much one person can do, but at least he gave them a huge scare.
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Agree with this notion. Secondary scoring just died and as Filppula and Palmu couldn't provide anything HPK could just focus on shutting down Kakko (and Palve to a lesser extent). This kid is just so dominant already against Liiga competition he still kinda did what he wanted to do out there.

A lot of people like to compare him to Forsberg which seems pretty accurate, another one who he reminds me of is Nathan MacKinnon without the elite top speed. He is really just amazing in tight spaces and is able to just force himself through opposition with his elite edges, strength and hands.
 
[We] have no direct comparison to any NHL prospect having diabetes and being selected so high in the draft, at least to my knowledge. Domi would be the highest in recent years that I am aware of. In any event, my point was that it should not affect Kakko’s ultimate ranking and selection in my opinion, which I believe should be a non-controversial statement/opinion.
 
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Lepardi said:
They're not playing Denmark during the U18s. They're playing Sweden.
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But Denmark are in the training camp schedule, 11th and 13th. Then Norway on the 18th and 19th. He'd be playing those games as well. The Sweden games are on the 25th and 26th. It's better to play the U-18 WJC and then the Carlson Hockey Games game against Sweden because then the teams will be close to World Championship rosters with NHL players playing.
 
Eagle Peninsula said:
Agree with this notion. Secondary scoring just died and as Filppula and Palmu couldn't provide anything HPK could just focus on shutting down Kakko (and Palve to a lesser extent). This kid is just so dominant already against Liiga competition he still kinda did what he wanted to do out there.

A lot of people like to compare him to Forsberg which seems pretty accurate, another one who he reminds me of is Nathan MacKinnon without the elite top speed. He is really just amazing in tight spaces and is able to just force himself through opposition with his elite edges, strength and hands.
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I think he's the closest thing to Forsberg singe Forsberg. While watching one of the playoff games the commentator was making the same comparison. I suppose there aren't many Finnish hockey fans who lived through those times that doesn't remember the man and the way he just ridiculed us whenever we faced Sweden.

Anyway, what really has caught my eye lately is his shooting ability. Used to think he had a good wrist shot but nothing out of the ordinary. That was probably because he didn't really use it as much in the past and he would rather just look for open passing lanes. That is of course until something happened and he figured it out. That something may have been the fact of Filppula not being able to score to save his life. Which now seems like a blessing in disguise.

Kakko scored 23 goals in his last 30 games (correct if I'm wrong) which is absolutely insane. Now we know he can score in multitude of ways but should we take a closer look at the goals scored from a distance, these goals have been one-timers or wrist shots, with absolutely ridiculous release and laser sharp accuracy. In the fourth playoff game he went five hole and I remember looking at the goal on a slow motion and wondering how the heck he had the balls to even try that when normally you go for the top shelf from that distance. Most players would need lucky rabbit to pull that off. Anyway, here's the goal (the sequence starts from 2:37 mark and you can see the goal at 2:52 and slow motion from the correct angle at 3:05):



Not only has he the ability to drive to the net but he's a danger even from far out. Some seem concerned with his top speed but it's actually pretty good at this level and it should improve a lot as he gets older. Kakko already has the foundation of agility, acceleration, balance and edge-work, which makes him a great skater for his age in my opinion. With that said, I thought it was kind of pity that they didn't continue with his transitioning to center eventhough he showed that he wasn't out of place at all. Had it not been for that chemistry between him and Palve I'm quite certain he'd have finished the season not playing on the wing. He's skill set and traits in general added with physical aspects would make him a great center. So here's to hoping a team that drafts him doesn't have a grave shortage on the wings.
 
As a type 1 diabetic I can confirm it really shouldn't affect where he is drafted. I get tested for celiac disease regularly as it is quite common for diabetics to get it
 
Goulet17 said:
[We] have no direct comparison to any NHL prospect having diabetes and being selected so high in the draft, at least to my knowledge. Domi would be the highest in recent years that I am aware of. In any event, my point was that it should not affect Kakko’s ultimate ranking and selection in my opinion, which I believe should be a non-controversial statement/opinion.
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I am unable to respond to the moderator in question regarding this post or the others that were deleted, but I do not feel it is an appropriate action to directly revise what I wrote rather than deleting it. I am happy to carry this conversation over privately so as to avoid sidetracking this thread.
 
f1nn said:
As a type 1 diabetic I can confirm it really shouldn't affect where he is drafted. I get tested for celiac disease regularly as it is quite common for diabetics to get it
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In some perverse way, I look at it possibly making Kakko a more disciplined kid in terms of how he monitors his health and diet. He would have to do so out of necessity.
 
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