| Jesse Nurmi | KooKoo | Liiga | L | LW | 5’11” | 165 | Valkeala | 2005 | 2022-2023: A- |
Neutral NHL’s Ian Moran January 31, 2023: Nurmi is an explosive skater with a very quick cross-over who is not afraid to attack the net and carry the puck through traffic to the far post. He does not have a powerful cross-under that would allow him to plow through defenders at the next level, but his feet are quick. He settles bouncing pucks / rebounds quickly and has the soft hands to put a rolling puck up under the crossbar. I love the anticipation he shows on potential rebounds. While a teammate is taking a shot he recognizes where his teammate is shooting and is jumping towards the potential rebound before anyone else on the ice. He still looks to have a slight frame, but with a skating base that will allow him to carry more weight which is a good thing because he will have to be dramatically stronger and more powerful to win front battles in the NHL. Fact in point, as of right now only four of his goals this year have come from higher than the hash marks with one of those being a seeing eye snapper from the blueline that deflected off multiple bodies on the way into the net. I like him and think he can play, but I don’t think the drafting team will be getting a first liner. I do think they’ll be getting a hard working bottom six 5on5 player that kills penalties who can move up in the line-up from time to time and be very effective.
U18: 5 Nation Tournament, November 8-14, 2022: Jesse is an energetic 5’11/165 pound left shooting left winger. He has good puck poise and makes good decisions, able to shift and protect the puck well before finding open men to pass off to. His scoring has been very good in Finland, but was not as significant at this tournament. He did however score a hard working well deserved goal from a side of net battle. Jesse was very evasive low in the offensive zone, showed good outside wide speed and gets in on dumped pucks with speed and intensity.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images