Quote:
Originally Posted by SuperMatt18
Looking into it a little more I do question just how impressive Puljujarvi has truly been in his draft year in the SM-Liiga, especially when comparing them to recent draft picks from Finland.
Granlund: 0.93 PPG
Barkov: 0.91 PPG
Laine: 0.71 PPG
Armia: 0.60 PPG
Puljujarvi: 0.56 PPG
Rantanen: 0.50 PPG
Teravainen: 0.45 PPG
Feels to me like he is more in that second tier of players out of Finland, than the first tier with guys like Barkov. Although a guy like Rantanen did have a dominant performance in the AHL this season so who knows.
Still feels like outside of the amazing WJC performance that his season in the SM-Liiga would have him pegged more in the 5-10 range like a guy like Rantanen than a sure fire top 3 pick like Barkov (who even then was expected to be taken at 4 in his draft).
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A lot has to do with how translatable scouts feel prospects are, and PPG has always been difficult to compare between players at the best of times.
53GP 13G 10A 23pts - does this tell you? Impressive? Someone that the Flames should keep an eye on?
Ok, it is a forward. More interested?
Ok, it was this kid's draft season, and it was in the KHL. You know, a 'pro' league after all. Sound interesting now? A bit more, right?
That's Ovechkin.
Now what about this:
34GP 3G 9A 12PTS
Also in the KHL. Not very impressive. That's Malkin. He went 2nd overall that year. I would bet that some fans in Pittsburgh that weren't following the draft would have noticed that "Hey, we drafted some Russian kid. How was his numbers?" Looked them up on line, and probably ended up swearing at the screen for 10 minutes thinking his GM was a moron.
Now what about this guy? Another Russian:
55GP 23G 27A 50PTS
He busted. His name was Alexander Nikulin. A bit unfair, and a bit of an extreme example as he was drafted in the 4th round, but out of the Junior ranks in Russia - not the pros. However, the point still stands that stats and PPG comparisons really can fail, especially when comparing prospects in a pro league.
People are 'underwhelmed' by Puljujarvi's numbers as compared to Laine's numbers, but they don't see that Puljujarvi's team is way deeper with more players that are better 'now', and he doesn't get the ice time that Laine was afforded.
I don't follow Finnish Elite, so I can't comment on all of them. What does happen a lot is that just like the NHL, prospects are kept down and not as trusted. However, if they luck out and there is an injury that elevates them to a better line, and the end up showing well, their coach can keep them there. Suddenly what was a mediocre season has turned into a really good one in terms of PPG.
Most of these players had flaws. As noted, Granlund had size + poorer skating. That is almost a death sentence in the NHL, but due to his high IQ, he has been having a decent career at least.
We know Barkov is a complete stud in so many ways - but it is interesting anyways. Barkov's team was less talented. Only 4 guys on his team had double-digit goals, whereas Granlund's had 8 guys on it. It was probably easier for Barkov to get the ice-time as his skill (plus size) was probably already better than a lot of his teammates.
Teravainen played on Jokerit in his draft eligible season. Jokerit is a powerhouse. Just making the team as a 17 year old is fairly impressive. Terevainen was .45ppg, but was the 14th highest scorer on the team. He was highly regarded, but he slipped a little in the draft due to his size issues as well as people didn't think he would translate to a center at all, and though his skill-set overall is really good, it isn't good enough to compensate - though it is still early to say for sure how he will turn out.
Puljujarvi is ranked so high because - like Malkin and Ovechkin - his skills are so translatable. He is such a complete player in every facet of the game. He has elite size and speed, his shot is very good too, his vision - though not elite - is very high, and he already plays a complete game. He also has other intangibles like a non-stop motor and is considered to be a very solid character all around. His point production started off slower because it took him more time to 'earn' the ice time he is given, but it is still not top-line time.
You really have to see the players play in order to appreciate them as prospects. We are all guilty of stat-watching - especially for players that are difficult to actually see play due to them being in a different country. That is why I have learned to keep an open mind about anyone the Flames draft these days.