Even Patrik Laine didn’t live up to expectations – This is what the 2016 NHL draft would look like now

If the 2016 NHL draft were held again, there would be at most one Finn in the top 15: Patrick Laine.

A little over seven years ago, the situation was different. In Buffalo’s First Niagara Center, no less than three Finnish names were called during the first five innings.

The Winnipeg Jets booked Laine with the number two pick, the Edmonton Oilers introduced Jesse Puljujärvi on fourth down and the Vancouver Canucks snapped Olli Juolevin with number five.

The NHL had never before and never since reserved three Finns, even in the top ten.

It was supposed to be Finland’s best ever reserve age group in terms of top talent.

However, that was not what it was.

Spray paint

– Laine is a power forward and a scoring machine who can score from anywhere. He reminds Brett Hulldirector of NHL Central Scouting Dan Marr estimated in 2016.

So the man was expected to be a paint sprayer – and he became one.

The native of Tampere has scored the second most goals (203) and the fourth most power shots (386) of the 2016 reserve age group. He would probably be booked in the top ten right now, but definitely not number two.

They would at least win against the skilled but injury-prone Laine Matthew Tkachuk, Adam Fox and Charlie McAvoy. Probably a couple of other names too.

Laine, who has played as a winger all his life, has been tried as a center this season. The man’s game intelligence and passing skills are sufficient for the middle lane, but the defense is so rough that it is pointless to dream of a career as a center at the NHL level.

Considering his potential, Laine has been a great disappointment.

There was no radar pair

We were called from Puljujärvi Connor McDavid’s a pair of radars for Edmonton’s number one chain.

– He is a big guy who can create situations and works hard. He has speed and great hands. I think he’s a bit like Austin MatthewsDetroit’s head of European scouting Håkan Andersson described Lake Puljujärvi To Yle 2015.

Pulju didn’t become a Matthews-level player, nor was he on McDavid’s radar.

He might still be booked at the end of the first round, but compared to expectations, the son of the north has been a huge disappointment. The winger, who dominated the big rink with his physique and wide range of motion when he was younger, has not found his place in the NHL.

Puljujärvi has a huge fire and desire to score goals, but the man’s understanding of the game is not at the level that he would be able to regularly score in the NHL’s top chains.

Puljujärvi has scored 114 (51+63) points in 334 regular season games. He is the 19th most effective player in his reserve age group.

Due to his attitude, Puljujärvi could still be used in the NHL in the lower chains, but at the moment the man is rehabilitating his hips that were operated on in the summer, and he does not have a contract with any NHL club.

The story continues after the picture.

A flop

When a player’s name is called out in the booking ceremony at the top of the five, he is expected from the start franchise-level player around whom the team is built.

Vancouver loaded Juolevi with such expectations at Buffalo’s booking event.

– It is clear that he is a defender of the first or second pack pair in the NHL, which is of great importance in terms of winning, TSN’s Craig Button evaluated Juolevia in 2016.

Seven years later, the Finn’s balance is 41 NHL games with powers of 2+1.

Not exactly a button search from Vancouver.

Juolevi is a fluid defender with a good eye for the game, but these qualities alone should not have been loaded franchise-level expectations.

The development of Pak, who excelled in Joker’s junks and London Knights, has been stagnant for years. One reason for this is the constant injuries.

Juolevi started this season in the SHL in the ranks of Timrå, but he already got his starting passes there. Now he represents Tappara.

It would be a big surprise if Juolevi were to secure a place in the NHL one day.

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A surprise name

The biggest Finnish surprise of summer 2016 was certainly Henrik Borgström, whose name came out already in the first round. Florida drafted him at No. 23.

Borgström would have been eligible for booking due to his age already the previous year, but then he was not suitable for anyone. A year later, the HIFK center did such tricks with his magical hands in the A-junnu that Florida expected him to be a creator in the NHL as well.

However, soft hands and a good wrist shot alone were not enough in the NHL, because Borgström gave others a handicap, for example, with slightly stiff skating.

There were 111 games and 26 points (13+13) before Borgström returned to Europe. The 191-centimeter center is currently twisting the SHL in the ranks of HV71, and it’s not worth dreaming about the NHL anymore.

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10 players

A total of 15 Finnish players were booked in the “All-Time Finnish Draft”. Numerically, it is close to the average of the 21st century, which is 14.08 Finns per year.

However, only one of them currently plays in the NHL: Laine.

At least ten players from that group have played in at least one NHL game: Laine, Puljujärvi, Juolevi, Borgström, Janne Kuokkanen, Kasper Björkqvist, Markus Niemeläinen, Tarmo Reunanen, Otto Koivula and Joona Koppanen.

However, none of the players in that reserve age category has exceeded expectations – in fact, on the contrary: none of them have yet reached the level that was hoped for.

At the moment, it seems that the 2016 booking ceremony was, compared to expectations, one of the biggest Finnish disappointments of all time.