[News] With the 16th OA pick, the Flames select D Juuso Valimaki

[Ashasx]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

From our friends at FC:

https://futureconsiderations.ca/player/Juuso-Valimaki/

FC had him at 12. Liljegren at 22.

[Two Fivenagame]

Soooooo is this the player BT described as having a "very high ceiling"?

Seems like a safe-er sort of pick.

[The Swedish Flame]

Tervetuloa Juuso!

[IrishSpring2013]

Originally Posted by Two Fivenagame

Soooooo is this the player BT described as having a "very high ceiling"?

Seems like a safe-er sort of pick.

whats safe about this...?

[N-E-B]

Kid's gonna be better than Bobby Orr.

This comment has been brought to you by lots of beer.

[Roof-Daddy]

Combine measurements

6′ 1.5″ 211 lbs

[TheOnlyBilko]

Don't know much about this guy. I REALLY wanted Calgary to take Klim Kostin. He's still there too. Pat Steinberg said there's "nothing incredible" about our pick just now

[djsFlames]

No strong feelings whatsoever. Was hoping for some fireworks at the draft tonight in some form. But a 'safe' pick is a solid pick. So hard to complain.

[Zoller]

Hopefully this doesn't come back to haunt us. Liljegren looked like a pretty good player. RHS too

[Ashasx]

Kent Wilson‏ @Kent_Wilson

Excellent profile of Valimaki by @GarretHohl: https://flamesnation.ca/2017/06/10/n...uuso-valimaki/

[jeffman]

You so valomaki

[LIP MAN]

Originally Posted by cannon7

Has been compared to Mark Giordano, and is 6'2". No complaints here.

Flames on their way to having 6 Giordano's.

[Caged Great]

Originally Posted by TheScorpion

Is this the guy Caged Great wanted? If so, I'm happy

Nope, but he's decent in his own right. Was hoping for a forward.

[Henry Fool]

I like him better than Vesalainen or Tolvanen, but I haven't paid that much attentino to the Finns this year.

[dammage79]

It's a good pick. Solid d men like that are valuable. Maybe they wanted to replace Hickey with another d man to keep the cupboards full on the back end. I really thought they would pluck one of the scorers.

[devo22]

Originally Posted by devo22

interesting. Have the Flames ever drafted a Finnish defenseman in recent years? Can't think of any.

just had a look. A kid named Jyri Marttinen was the last one in the 8th round 2002. Before that, Toni Lydman in 96.

[Two Fivenagame]

Originally Posted by IrishSpring2013

whats safe about this...?

Well I guess I was expecting a scouting report something like "has elite skills, very high IQ, strong skater but needs work on his defensive game. Also needs to add some size and grit to his game....etc"

[Ashasx]

Corey Pronman's take:

16. Calgary Flames
The pick: Juuso Valimaki, D, Tri-City (WHL)
Nationality: Finland | Pronman rank: 22

Scouting notes: Valimaki has been a leading player in his age group for years, and he was excellent this season for Tri-City in the WHL. He's a very well-rounded defenseman. Valmaki stands 6-foot-2, 200 pounds, but skates like a 5-foot-11 player, with an easy, powerful stride. His puck skills aren't dynamic, but he has decent hands to couple with very good offensive instincts. He moves the puck quite well and can project as a potential second-unit power-play man in the pros. I've been more impressed with his offensive instincts in the WHL than I have been in international play for Finland. Defensively, he's a rock, with ability to close gaps with his speed, in addition to winning a lot of battles and making smart, simple plays.

Team fit: Calgary adds an advanced two-way defenseman to complement the skilled puck movers like Oliver Kylington, Rasmus Andersson and Adam Fox in their system. Valimaki could fast track to the NHL in a year or two if his development continues to trend in this direction.

[Henry Fool]

Sounds like Määttä with better skating.

[puffnstuff]

The kid might end up huge, if that was his dad they showed on cam.