[Sandman]

LHD Aleksi Malinen, 6'0"185lbs (JYP, Liiga FIN): 3pts in 30 games, but before you judge his stats, consider that he's playing in a men's pro league behind several vets, and just turned 18 on May 26th. The fact that he was able to play in that league and hold his own is quite amazing-even though he played for the worst team in the Liiga. Malinen is a puck-moving, playmaking Defenseman who will start generating numbers as he matures, gets stronger, and is given more ice-time. Right now, he knows he's not really counted on for offense, so he's not very assertive in the O zone, but it will come.

Malinen's skating is among the elites in this draft-he moves well in all directions, and both his first-step and backwards skating are explosive. He can already outskate just about anyone in the Liiga. In addition, he can change direction on a dime to evade defenders, or start the play up ice from the D zone. He exhibits great puck control, and is calculated and calm in possession. He drives the pace. Defensively, he uses good positioning and angles to pressure opponents and drive them from the net-he can stymie rushes. His speed and smarts means he can easily win races to loose pucks, and is difficult to get around. He plays the body when needed, but isn't overly physical. Despite this, he still hold his own in 1-on-1 battles. In transition, he is adept at performing controlled exits and entries, and can kickstart the breakout with either a solid first-pass, or by carrying it out himself.

Malinen has a ton of raw skill, and he will get time to develop. He needs to improve his strength, as he can occasionally be knocked off the puck. His stretch passes need to be fixed, as they can be erratic. Despite being able to hold his own defensively, he has to improve. It has been said that he might top out as a 2nd pairing, two-way D-man, and has been compared to Topi Niemela. MacKenzie has him at 65, but I think he'll be picked in the 3rd/4th round.