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RW Kaapo Kakko - TPS, Liiga (2019 Draft)

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Agreeing with the other posters here - I tried to focus on TPS's game as a whole, trying to figure out what mkaes the team tick together, and while they were utter garbage against Pelicans yesterday, you couldn't stop watching Kakko. I remember thinking how Nurmi and Palmu oozed talent last year on a consistent basis and how Pajujärvi was promising in some flashes. This is just different - Kakko is all over the ice all the time, dominating against grown men. All of those four penalties he drew where only about him being too sneaky, too clever, too assertive, power forward style.

I'm so happy we TPS fans can enjoy his play this season. Having seen Rantanen and Ristolainen in the years before, Kakko has been even more dominant.
 
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Kakko has added physicality to his game, and his strength against adult players is an element of his game that I am surprised has developed so quickly. When I said I saw more of Matthews in his game than Forsberg, I wasn't anticipating Kakko to start reverse-checking opponents and out-muscling everyone with such ease. He has become more powerful this season.

I think the Forsberg comparison is becoming more and more accurate.

Forsberg was a magnificent player. He was an incredible possession player -- smart, powerful along the boards, shifty on his skates, excellent with the puck, and extremely poised.

Here's a four-minute video of some of his shifts from Game 1 of the 1996 Western Conference Finals vs Detroit.



I see a lot of this style in Kaapo Kakko's game.

 
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How is Kaapo’s skating? I’ve heard different reports on it one saying he needs to work on it and another referring to him as speedy. What is the truth?
 
grentthealien said:
How is Kaapo’s skating? I’ve heard different reports on it one saying he needs to work on it and another referring to him as speedy. What is the truth?
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His top speed isn't elite but everything else in his skating is elite in my opinion. He has the ability to shake opponents away from him with just couple of steps and that's not always granted with big players as Kakko.

I think most of the talk about his skating issues were from couple of seasons ago but since then he has improved a lot.
 
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FEL prospect watcher said:


Would love to see him play center at Liiga level, he definitely has the playstyle for it.
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Well there it is then finally. Liiga team often bring prospects in the same way they do that in the NHL, from the wing. I'm sure they've considered this already and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him play C at some stage of the season even in FEL. Maybe after Korpikoski comes back? Anyway, damn how awesome would that be. Not only flying in the shades of Forsberg, but also playing the same position. Never say ever! If Kotkaniemi stays in the NHL I'm almost certain Kakko will be Finns' first line center by the way. If he becomes what I expect of him, the country wouldn't have to worry about center depth for a couple of decades.
 
kelsier said:
Well there it is then finally. Liiga team often bring prospects in the same way they do that in the NHL, from the wing. I'm sure they've considered this already and I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him play C at some stage of the season even in FEL. Maybe after Korpikoski comes back? Anyway, damn how awesome would that be. Not only flying in the shades of Forsberg, but also playing the same position. Never say ever! If Kotkaniemi stays in the NHL I'm almost certain Kakko will be Finns' first line center by the way. If he becomes what I expect of him, the country wouldn't have to worry about center depth for a couple of decades.
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There were concerns with Kotkaniemi that he wouldn't be a center because he played wing in Liiga but looks even better at center now.
 
FEL prospect watcher said:


Would love to see him play center at Liiga level, he definitely has the playstyle for it.
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What do you think are his chances of making it to the IIHF Worlds in Slovakia next spring? Laine played in Russia in 2016 before his draft and Barkov would have made the 2013 team without his season-ending injury. Maybe Kakko could even play with Kotkaniemi in Kosice and Bratislava.
 
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Gsus said:
I think Kakko is a pretty safe bet to make the national team in spring.
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I hope he'll at least be there in 2022. I'll hopefully be living within a walking distance from the arena of the IIHF Worlds final by then. It would be nice to see Barkov, Laine, Kotkaniemi, Kakko, Rantanen, Aho and Rask play in that game. That tournament might be the best chance for some of Finland's NHL stars to play together for a long time cause there's no info of the next best-on-best national team tournament. It seems like people tend to forget that when they talk about how stacked the Finnish team might be a couple of years from now.
 
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Would probably be a hard transition to Center in a pro league like Liiga, then again for someone with Kakko's skills it is possible.
 
Would be interesting to see his defensive game if he played center. Currently he isn't that engaged in the defensive zone but it might be by design to create more of an offensive threat. As a center he would probably have to work more in the d-zone.
 
So what are we talking here-how is he being hyped? More than Laine? Or is it to early in his draft season to tell? Where does he rank in European prospects in the last 10 years?
He looks like Kurt Cobain.
 
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Kranix said:
So what are we talking here-how is he being hyped? More than Laine? Or is it to early in his draft season to tell? Where does he rank in European prospects in the last 10 years?
He looks like Kurt Cobain.
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Kakko is more hyped at this point in their draft seasons, Laine just managed to perform godlike in wjc, playoffs and wc, which pushed him to top of the draft.
 
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SaekkiPaelli said:
I love Kakko I think he already is a stud. But if the draft was right now I think 29/31 teams would pick Hughes for sure. Toronto and Edmonton might be the only teams that might consider Kakko. And Edmonton is a reach here as well. Maybe Florida, if they think Trochek can sustain this level. And even these teams probably pick Hughes and move one of the centers to wing, or trade someone for assets. If Kakko moved to center without losing effectiveness it would be a lot closer, or if he has an insane season in liiga(talking a lot over PPG, something like 1.2 etc), othewise I just don't see him overtaking Hughes, as long as he doesn't stagnate or soemwhow become worse.

But honeslty us finnish fans should be super happy, since there is finally a real second golden generation (not the M Koivu and T Ruutu generation) of players coming up in the system. It doesn' really matter if someone is picked 1st or 2nd or 100th, what matters is how they play during their porfeissonal career. No need to obsess over having a 1st overall pick. Being picked 1st doesn't automatically mean you'll become a star or the best player in the draft.
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true. what i was saying, all that speculating and measuring between top players (which may seem to look mindless to people outside finns) is happening just because Finland still doesn't have their first pick. Everyone understand it doesn't matter if you're first or second. Once they get their pick it will stop.
 
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