[Sandman]

RHD Ville Ottavainen, 6'4"201lbs (JYP U20 Sarja, FIN): Was passed over in last year's draft, after he put up 15pts in 53 games for the Kitchener Rangers. Started off that year on fire, scoring 10pts in 15 games, but only scored 5 assists in the remaining 38 games. Most of the reason for this is because the club wanted to go with more of a veteran presence on the backend, and brought in Holden Wale-which dropped Ottavainen down to the third pairing. This year, Ville played in the U20 league in Finland, and managed to put up 15pts in 15 games-7th in scoring on his team, despite playing only 15 of 39 games. Only player on his team playing over 4 games to score a point per game. Tied for 25th in the league in scoring, and there was only one other D-man in the top-100 to score a point per game. His efforts earned him a call-up to the Liiga, the men's league-where he scored 3pts in 22 games. It was the same situation as Aleksi Malinen-the young guys don't get a lot of minutes, or PP time.

Otts is a very mobile skater for a guy his size, but not a blazer by any means. I can say that it's fun to watch him skate, he can move, and he can even jump into the play. His size and puck control make him a weapon in transition, he loves to be the catalyst for the breakout. He's a good passer, and pushes the pace from the backend-he's always looking to advance the puck. He's also known for his booming shot. Defensively, he has good positioning, and his lateral agility helps him break up the rush and close out the attack. He's not the most physical, but will throw big hits to separate man from puck.

Since he is a second-year eligible, there's no telling where he'll go, but CS has him ranked 90th. I can't see him lasting through another draft with the numbers he put up this year, and the fact that he's huge and moves pretty well. He needs to continue to build on his skating, and work on his decision making.