Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
Prospect Info: With the 132nd Overall Pick the New York Rangers Select Lauri Pajuniemi
- Thread starter Pavel Buchnevich
- Start date
-
Xenforo Cloud will be upgrading us to version 2.3.5 on March 3rd at 12 AM GMT. This version has increased stability and fixes several bugs. We expect downtime for the duration of the update. The admin team will continue to work on existing issues, templates and upgrade all necessary available addons to minimize impact of this new version. Click Here for Updates
aufheben
#Norris4Fox
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
I think he will sign in 2021, a year before his rights expire, go back to TPS for one more year (The Reunanen path) and start in Hartford for the 2022-23 season, hopefully making his way to MSG near the end of that season
Brooklyn Rangers Fan
Change is good.
He's not putting up huge numbers, and most of us don't get to watch Liiga games, so it's to be expected.
Regarding Pajuniemi, gotta say... I was never that high on the pick. But it's hard to deny what he's doing this year. Very much looking forward to hopefully seeing him in training camp next year.
Always hoped this kid would start putting it together. Glad to see he's progressing so well. Having kids like this in the pipeline can difference between your organization having a "window" and being a perennial contender. Good, cheap young talent who seem to step in out of nowhere.
Not saying I expect Pajuniemi to be an impact player. Just that he makes the pipeline that much stronger.
Not saying I expect Pajuniemi to be an impact player. Just that he makes the pipeline that much stronger.
Yeah there was a discussion the other day about whether our prospects as a whole have done "good" this year or were disappointing. While there's obviously some disappointment with a couple high-end guys at the top, the system is so deep and a lot of guys like Pajuniemi have taken big steps. Makes it feel like the system overall has done well this year, even if Lias, Miller, etc. have struggled.
Harbour Dog
Registered User
And don't forget that Karpovtsev kid that we've got playing the VHL.
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
Wrote something about his military service, as his team TPS uploaded a video earlier today with an interview
Rangers prospect Lauri Pajuniemi in military service - Forever Blueshirts: A site for New York Rangers fanatics
Rangers prospect Lauri Pajuniemi in military service - Forever Blueshirts: A site for New York Rangers fanatics
Analyzing the top 10 prospects for the NY Rangers: No. 10 Lauri Pajuniemi
Drury is saying Pajuniemi needs to improve his 2 way game, that is not good if Pajuniemi is just being used as a PP specialist, not much of an NHL future if that is the case.
Drury is saying Pajuniemi needs to improve his 2 way game, that is not good if Pajuniemi is just being used as a PP specialist, not much of an NHL future if that is the case.
He's not totally a PP specialist. He did score a good amount of 5v5 goals this year. But, he's still one of those guys, the likes we had a few of recently, who need to find time and space to get off a shot. He's not really going to make much of his own offense. He also doesn't kill penalties, and while I haven't read the article yet, I agree his two-way play isn't a strength. I mean he's willing, he's just not adept.
Hopefully he can round out his game in Hartford when he does come over, because if he's one-dimensional it's unlikely he'll make it. He won't be handed PP time and if he's not in the top six he'll be worthless.
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
He needs at least 1 more year, possibly 2 in Finland and then make the jump to the AHL. I don't expect him to be an NHL regular until 2023. And even that will depend on how he develops.
Last edited:
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
It took Jesper Fast 5 full years from being drafted to becoming an NHL regular. I have always expected the same timeline for Pajuniemi. Both were 18 when drafted. Pajuniemi was a 2nd year eligible, but as a late birthday so he was almost the same age as Fast when drafted despite Fast being drafted his 1st year of eligibility, as an early birthday
LOFIN
Registered User
- Sep 16, 2011
- 18,683
- 27,514
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
How bad is the rest of his game outside his shot?
Obviously hard to judge him as a player based only on his highlight reel, but his one-timer looks elite. Seems like Frk or Pulkkinen would be easy comparisons, but I think his shot is on another level accuracy wise.
Doesn't seem to be a lot of excitement here based on the board ranking him 16th best prospect.
Obviously hard to judge him as a player based only on his highlight reel, but his one-timer looks elite. Seems like Frk or Pulkkinen would be easy comparisons, but I think his shot is on another level accuracy wise.
Doesn't seem to be a lot of excitement here based on the board ranking him 16th best prospect.
He's a decent prospect. I have concerns--half of his goals were on the PP. He was bordering on being a PP specialist. Most of his goals look the same--setting up somewhere on the left circle and ripping the shots. In Liiga, whether on the PP or 5-on-5, he was given a lot of space, a lot of time. He won't have that moving forward (as in, in the AHL or NHL). He doesn't handle physical play super well which will be a big adjustment for him. He puts in good effort but isn't really strong, not great in the corners, doesn't kill penalties. He's not really a driver of play himself and doesn't do much in the dirty areas.
You can be effective the the NHL as a guy who finds open pockets and relies on your teammates getting it to you in time to rip a shot. You just have to be really, really good to do that. Ryan Gropp played a much heavier game in the WHL, but still relied a lot of finding time and space to get off shots. He couldn't read and react quickly enough in the AHL which is why he was one contract and done with us. Pajuniemi moves around better than Gropp and is more creative as well, but again, can he find those seems, those open spaces, and get his shot off in North America? Can he process things fast enough when he's under constant physical pressure? It's certainly possible, but by no means a given.
I'm also slightly skeptical he can repeat that performance, even in Liiga. Coming into the year he was a guy known far more for his vision, passing ability, and creativity than for his shot. And suddenly he becomes a sniper? Is it sustainable? Who knows.
I like him as a prospect but I think the odds of him making it are quite low, which isn't abnormal given where he was picked. He has some nice tools, but his overall game is not one that easily translates. He'll need to quickly adjust, because if he doesn't score goals out of the gates he's not likely to be successful in a bottom six capacity and in turn won't play much. He's not going to jump right onto the top PP unit. It's a tough path. You can see Stromwall and Meskaknen who were similar in their reliance on time and space, they came over and struggled. Pajuniemi is better than them at a younger age, but still, it's about the games they play and how well that translates.
In an average system he's probably 9-12 overall, which is good.
eco's bones
Registered User
Regarding his chances with the Rangers I look at him as a long shot. He's going to need a 200' game for sure because it's not likely he's going to bust into our top 6. The two lottery wins pretty much finished off those kinds of hopes for him. Top 6 doesn't even look like an easy one for Kravtsov anymore.
Thanks for the feed back. I'll keep him on watch list for a few years. Maybe he can be a later bloomer like Kubalik or Olofsson.
I think it's harder to teach that shot than it is to teach defensive responsibility, so hopefully some more strength will let him find that space in a couple years.
I think it's harder to teach that shot than it is to teach defensive responsibility, so hopefully some more strength will let him find that space in a couple years.
Harbour Dog
Registered User
Sticking with recent Rangers comparisons, I think I would lean a little more towards Lettieri.
The challenge for all three is to find space and time to get their shots off. But, the hope with Gropp was always that he would start using his size more; develop into somewhat of a power forward.
Lettieri is a guy that needs to find a way to outhustle and outwork guys, along with needing to find space for his shot. That is more the niche that Paju will have to fill.
And honestly, before last season, I thought that outhustling guys was a standout attribute of his. I'm not sure if that was on display last year much; it certainly wasn't how he put up most of his points.
The challenge for all three is to find space and time to get their shots off. But, the hope with Gropp was always that he would start using his size more; develop into somewhat of a power forward.
Lettieri is a guy that needs to find a way to outhustle and outwork guys, along with needing to find space for his shot. That is more the niche that Paju will have to fill.
And honestly, before last season, I thought that outhustling guys was a standout attribute of his. I'm not sure if that was on display last year much; it certainly wasn't how he put up most of his points.
Amazing Kreiderman
Registered User
- Apr 11, 2011
- 45,067
- 40,911
Gropp's biggest weakness was him relying on a star prospect (Barzal). Pajuniemi doesn't really rely on a Lundell/Aho type player. He is just a bit one-dimensional. He is a good skater, but he really needs to work on his overall game, especially defensive awareness.
Edge
Kris King's Ghost
Gropp was a kid who you could immediately see the talent that would attract scouts. Even watching him in the AHL, you could see that his natural ability was greater than the average player in that league.
The challenge with Gropp is he never quite committed to being the player he needed to be in order to succeed at the higher levels. Concepts like driving to the net, getting into the slot, paying the price for real estate, etc.
I never found the problem to be that he relied on a star center, so much as he didn't really distinguish between what would work in the WHL vs. what would work in the higher levels.
Pajuniemi doesn't have the physical gifts of someone like Gropp, but he probably has a clearer indication of the player he is and is going to be. The question, like Gropp, is whether he can make the necessary (though different) adjustments to the AHL and NHL games, and whether his one trick is enough to cover for the fact that there's not much beyond it.
In that sense, whereas there was some fan interest in taking a guy like Perrault at 22, I tend to feel like the Rangers already have someone somewhat in that mold in Pajuniemi. He's never going to be your most dynamic player, but if he can somewhat consistently commit to other aspects of the game, and if the pieces fall into place with getting into position to bury pucks, maybe you can get that 25 goal, offensive-minded support-winger who slides in next to a playmaking center and a defensive-minded LW.
