Jussi Jokinen was not a super promise – one feature still raised him to the top of the world: “Greatest talent”

Jussi Jokinen played a great NHL career, even though he was only booked at 192. Aop

In 2001, the NHL booking event was held in Sunris, Florida. Dallas Stars shouted Jussi Jokinen Name at the sixth round at 192.

-The expectation was that I would go in the fourth or fifth round, but when the 18-year-old World Cup didn’t go very well, it certainly dropped my number, Jokinen recalls.

However, the young man was not disappointed draft after.

– If you don’t go to the first round, it doesn’t matter if you go in the fourth, fifth or sixth round, Jokinen recalls.

So. In the end of that age group, Jokinen was the sixth most of the NHL regular season games (951), although he was previously booked by as many as 191 players.

More played only Jason Spezza (1248), Dan Hamhuis (1148), Jason Pominville (1060), Mikko Koivu (1035) and Tomáš Plekanec (1001).

“Honest species”

The first round bookings often receive more screening positions than players reserved in later rounds, but a high booking number is not a guarantee of NHL.

– Even if he is an unchanged player, he will eventually take that number one place if he is a better player. In that sense, hockey is a pretty honest sport, Jokinen says.

So it doesn’t matter much in the final games, which number of the NHL is reserved.

– If you are a good enough player, then you can get there in the NHL. There are also players who are not booked at all.

Of the uncharged players, a fairly handsome career has played, among other things Martin St. Louis, Adam Oates, Ed Belfour, Curtis Joseph, Dan Boyle and Artemi Panarin.

Raw world

Jokinen received more motivation for the NHL booking.

– As a result, I thought that playing in the NHL is now one step closer.

Still, after the booking, he played for four more years in Finland before he went to chase the NHL spot on the Star of the Dallas Stars Star Star.

– I took one step every season. Eventually I made a breakthrough in the SM League elite and got to the World Cup. Only then did I feel that I was ready for the NHL.

The feeling was right, as Jokinen played 81 regular season games in his arrival and scored a handsome 55 (17+38) points.

– I wouldn’t have been worth going there before because I wasn’t physically ready.

According to Jokinen, many players today are too busy in North America. It is a raw world for a teenage player who is not mentally and physically ready.

– For example, in the farm, the player is finally pretty alone. There is very little feedback, and in many places you have to organize everything yourself. You have to know how to take care of yourself.

Work!

North Americans are often physically ahead of Finns during booking. For this reason, they are often better in the trough and get a smaller booking number.

– But that’s just the situation of the moment. It determines what to do after the booking for the next 10-15 years, Jokinen says.

NHL Konkari knows that many people may forget to work after booking. The young person may imagine that something has already been achieved, even though this is not the case.

– Then it is important what kind of related parties are. What kind of message do you get from them.

Jokinen would never have had the NHL if he had started floating or imagining something after the reservation.

– The greatest talent for myself was that I have always had a really hard desire to develop, do everything on the last one and practice well, says Jokinen.

So in practice, talent is about practicing more than others. So Jokinen has only one instruction for players in charge who dream of the NHL.

– Then that kind of work just begins. What you do over the next 15 years determines what kind of career you play as a hockey player.

The NHL booking will be held in Los Angeles from 27 June to 28 June.