Post by NWTHabsFan on Jul 1, 2024 1:37:13 GMT -5
My take: This pick is about potential and there is a lot to like that he will get somewhere along that development path. He was a very small kid a year ago, and has had a growth spurt. He has committed to off ice training to gain the strength into his new body. He had a decent season in Finland, and earned a deserved spot on the U18 team where he lead the tournament wit a 74% faceoff win stat. He is driven, so that is a theme of the new regime to find guys with top tier drive to win and improve. He has it in spades (Dad and uncle were both NHL captains after all). This was the third pick in a row that had me whooping like the Habs had scored a big playoff goal.
The reports:
It’s a blast from the past of sorts as Koivu is the son of long-time Canadiens captain Saku Koivu. He made his Liiga debut last season, getting into four games but spent most of the year split between the U-18 and U-20 levels.
Bio
Centre
Shoots: Right
DOB: June 22, 2006 – Turku, Finland
Height: 6’1
Weight: 170 lbs
Scouting Reports
Future Considerations: Koivu is known for his offensive creativity and intelligence, though he needs to improve his off-puck game. His best asset is his playmaking ability, consistently creating chances for himself and his teammates through successful entries. Recently, he has shown a more aggressive forecheck and a willingness to drive towards the inside of the offensive zone for high-danger opportunities, displaying creativity and physicality.
DraftPro: This is a smart center. Understands his strengths and weaknesses and plays that role. Responsible defensively, especially with his stick. Uses his stick on the backcheck to disrupt plays and quickly turn defense into offense. Has good size at this point but needs to put on more weight to become stronger on the puck. Time in the weight room and natural growth will further progress his game. Koivu projects as a two-way center at the NHL level.
Elite Prospects: In addition to having the right habits away from the puck, Koivu has legitimate skill as a shooter. After his promotion to the U20 level, he immediately became one of the more dangerous one-timer threats from the left half wall on the power play, beating goalies clean with well-placed and powerful snipes. It’s not all about the onetimer,though, as Koivu also has a variety of different shot types polished down to a promising level. He’s comfortable shooting from either leg and his curl-and-drag wrister mechanics were some of the best among draft-eligible Europeans.
Hockey Prospect: Offensively, his best weapon is his shot, a big contrast from his father who probably wished he had his son’s shooting skills. At the junior level and in international competitions, Aatos has demonstrated his shooting ability successfully. He has shown the ability to score from distance, often on the power play while playing from the Ovechkin spot, and was quite successful at this. He has a quick release, can pick corners with his shot and his velocity is considerably good. As of now, however, his shooting skills have been more noticeable than his passing skills. We wish we saw more projection with his playmaking but have yet to see significant high-end playmaking from him. Though this could develop over time, our observations this season suggest limited high-end playmaking from him, which impacts our NHL projection for him.
McKeens: There are some concerns with his off puck play and his defensive game, calling his hockey IQ and defensive awareness into question at times. While he’s been utilized as a center in Finland, he likely shifts to the wing in North America. There’s some raw talent here, and his development this season has been promising enough to suggest he has the potential to battle for an NHL, bottom-six roster spot.
The reports:
It’s a blast from the past of sorts as Koivu is the son of long-time Canadiens captain Saku Koivu. He made his Liiga debut last season, getting into four games but spent most of the year split between the U-18 and U-20 levels.
Bio
Centre
Shoots: Right
DOB: June 22, 2006 – Turku, Finland
Height: 6’1
Weight: 170 lbs
Scouting Reports
Future Considerations: Koivu is known for his offensive creativity and intelligence, though he needs to improve his off-puck game. His best asset is his playmaking ability, consistently creating chances for himself and his teammates through successful entries. Recently, he has shown a more aggressive forecheck and a willingness to drive towards the inside of the offensive zone for high-danger opportunities, displaying creativity and physicality.
DraftPro: This is a smart center. Understands his strengths and weaknesses and plays that role. Responsible defensively, especially with his stick. Uses his stick on the backcheck to disrupt plays and quickly turn defense into offense. Has good size at this point but needs to put on more weight to become stronger on the puck. Time in the weight room and natural growth will further progress his game. Koivu projects as a two-way center at the NHL level.
Elite Prospects: In addition to having the right habits away from the puck, Koivu has legitimate skill as a shooter. After his promotion to the U20 level, he immediately became one of the more dangerous one-timer threats from the left half wall on the power play, beating goalies clean with well-placed and powerful snipes. It’s not all about the onetimer,though, as Koivu also has a variety of different shot types polished down to a promising level. He’s comfortable shooting from either leg and his curl-and-drag wrister mechanics were some of the best among draft-eligible Europeans.
Hockey Prospect: Offensively, his best weapon is his shot, a big contrast from his father who probably wished he had his son’s shooting skills. At the junior level and in international competitions, Aatos has demonstrated his shooting ability successfully. He has shown the ability to score from distance, often on the power play while playing from the Ovechkin spot, and was quite successful at this. He has a quick release, can pick corners with his shot and his velocity is considerably good. As of now, however, his shooting skills have been more noticeable than his passing skills. We wish we saw more projection with his playmaking but have yet to see significant high-end playmaking from him. Though this could develop over time, our observations this season suggest limited high-end playmaking from him, which impacts our NHL projection for him.
McKeens: There are some concerns with his off puck play and his defensive game, calling his hockey IQ and defensive awareness into question at times. While he’s been utilized as a center in Finland, he likely shifts to the wing in North America. There’s some raw talent here, and his development this season has been promising enough to suggest he has the potential to battle for an NHL, bottom-six roster spot.
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/archetype/6F6VF25GCFF2HFJCOITRJSGNPE.jpg)