| Jesse Kiiskinen | Pelicans U20 | U20 SM | R | C | 6’0″ | 187 | Hollola, FIN | 2005 | 2022-2023: B+ |
U18: 4 Nations Tournament, February 12, 2023: Kiiskinen totaled 19:19 in ice time including 0:47 while on the power play. he did not play while short handed. The right shot played right wing and we immediately noticed his ability to cleanly picks pucks up off the wall. Whether he was in the defensive zone handling wrapped breakout passes or corralling pucks rimmed below the goal line in the offensive zone Kiiskinen kept the play alive and did so with his eyes up looking for the next play. On the power play he showed nice poise while under pressure on the left mid-wall. His passes were hard, flat and easy to handle. He also showed an expanded one-timer shooting zone when he fired a rocket high to the short side on a pass that was well off his back foot. On the night he finished even with 0 points, 3 shots, 1 power play one-timer, 0 hits and he had 1 shot blocked.
U18: 5 Nation Tournament: Finland vs Czechia and Sweden, November 10 and 12, 2023: Watched on Nov 10th (B+) Nov 12th (C+). Got stronger as the game went on into the 2nd and 3rd period. Scored a goal coming down the right side using a pull and drag move to change the shooting angle. Finland’s power play runs through him. He shoots it and he distributes it very well. He uses a shorter stick which helps him puck handle in tight areas well. Not as noticeable vs Czechia on Nov 12th though Czechia played a trap most of the night. (Scout: Greg Puhalski)
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022: Jesse is Finland’s leading offensive point producer for his age. He is a right shot right winger who is already playing at 6 foot and close to 190 pounds. He wears the ‘C’ for Finland and he is a forward who can both score and set them up. He plays the game at a high level of speed, and uses his great skating to push the pace and stress defenses at all times. At full speed Jesse is an excellent puck handler with great stick skill. He is poised, low panic, and makes very good puck decisions even when under pressure. On the powerplay he is moved to the point where he is excellent and movement and shifting and getting pucks through. He is definitely a prospect that loves to shoot the puck. His hockey sense is apparent in all zones and with a combination of size, skating, skill and IQ he will be much sought after in this years NHL entry draft. (Scout: Marlin Muylaert)