| Topias Hynninen | Jukurit | Liiga | L | RW | 5’10” | 164 | Vihti, FIN | 2005 | 2023-2024: B+ |
Game Grade: B
Comments: Draft eligible Hynninen brought a ton of energy to tonight’s game. He might be smaller than a majority of his opponents but he showed a ton of heart and proved to be a dog each time he stepped over the boards. He jumped in battles along the boards and made sure to keep his feet moving, he didn’t let guys beat him without a struggle and was buzzing around all night. He was pretty confident with the puck for a U18 in a pro league and was able to pull off a couple nice moves on a confident rush into the offensive zone. He is going to need to refine his soft skills as he fumbled the puck a bit and looked a bit clunky at times but he made moves and passes with intention. He showed off a quick release in the third which nearly ended up in the back of the net. He has not had the best statistical year in Liiga but his high motor and IQ should give him a great chance to get drafted in an early round next June.
| Konsta Helenius | Jukurit | Liiga | R | C | 5’11” | 180 | Ylojarvi, FIN | 2006 | 2023-2024: A |
Game Grade: B+
Comments: Draft eligible Helenius is currently leading his Liiga team in points as a 17 year old. He skates very well with a technically sound form, powerful stride, and smooth edgework that propel him around the ice. He is not the fastest player in the world and takes a second to fully accelerate but his top speed is still good and he can keep up with the pro pace of play with ease. Helenius is a pass first player and he quickly began searching for options when he gained possession. He was able to set up a couple of close chances in the crease with quick pass decisions. He pulled off a skilled give and go play after entering the zone which ended up setting himself up with a chance around the cage. I also liked his quick choices when in transition. He picked his head up early and fired quick, crisp passes up ice to push play up ice. The puck was not on his stick for very long and I would like to see him slow his game down at times to try to control play. There were times where he showed off some slick moves with his hands but he does not have the handling ability to beat opponents 1v1. He attempted to rush the puck up ice and was easily shut down because he was unable to make a move around a man stepping up to him. He also forced himself into corners by skating into crowds and not having the ability to map out an escape plan. Without the puck on his stick, Konsta needs to turn his energy up to make a defensive impact. He often joins battles and was positionally sound in his own end but did not give full effort and usually let the opponent get away with a low energy poke check. He finished a ton of checks in this game but there were just as many times where he let an opponent go free when he could have easily closed him off into the glass. Konsta has had an impressive start to his draft year and appears to be one of the better players in this draft. I would like to watch another one of his games soon to see if this was a dud. Either way, I think Konsta has the potential to be a good playmaker and with improvements to his defensive effort and escapes from pressure, I think he could be a good top 6 forward in the NHL some day.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Player Evaluations: Henry Lawrence