Finland is quickly rebuilding itself into a hockey powerhouse. 2019 NHL Draft eligible forward Kaapo Kakko is their latest product.
Lately, Finland has been producing some pretty incredible hockey players. Patrik Laine, Sebastian Aho, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Miro Heiskanen are just four examples. At the 2019 NHL Draft, their latest star, Kaapo Kakko, will almost indefinitely be one of the top two players chosen.
Kakko came into the 2018-19 season with a fairly sizeable gap between him and Jack Hughes. By dominating against adults, he has closed that gap quite a bit. Hughes is still the consensus number one prospect, but give Kakko credit for at least making it interesting. He might wind up as a better player than Hughes.
Prospect Profile
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Height: 6’2″ (187 cm)
Weight: 190 pounds (86 kg)
Teams: TPS (Liiga); Finland U20 (World Juniors)
Country: Finland
Position: Right Wing/Center
Handedness: Left-handed
Date of birth: February 13, 2001
Consensus Prospect Ranking*: 2
All profile info is courtesy of Elite Prospects.
*You can check the consensus prospect ranking right here.
Strengths
Kakko’s calling card is his hockey IQ. He’s an extremely smart player who sees the ice remarkably well. Even while playing against grown men, Kakko is usually a step ahead of everybody else. He’s playing chess while everyone else is playing checkers.
Also, Kakko is very comfortable and confident with the puck. He’s proven he can stick handle with the best of them. Kakko uses his size to his advantage, as he protects the puck quite well. He also has an NHL-ready body. Despite being 6’2″, Kakko is elusive and quick.
Another thing is he’s one of the best goal scorers in the draft. Among 17-year-olds in Liiga, Kakko is tied for first with Aleksander Barkov and has played nine fewer games than he did in his age 17 season (as of March 14). As far as points, he’s in third, behind Barkov and Mikael Granlund, respectively.
Kakko has an impressive combination of compete level and skill. He’s not afraid to go into corners and win pucks. Kakko is a very well-rounded player who can do just about everything well.
Everyone thinks Kakko is a right wing, and they’re technically right. He’s primarily played there in Liiga. But Kakko has played center, most recently at the World Juniors. When he did, he dominated. I’m quite confident Kakko has the tools needed to be a center. He possesses the upside to be the best player from the 2019 NHL Draft.
Weaknesses
There aren’t a lot of weaknesses in his game. Kakko’s had about the best draft season he could have hoped for. He’s proven himself against professionals and has flat out dominated his peers. However, I’m not 100 percent confident his future is at center. Hughes is without question going to be a center. But I’m not so sure about Kakko.
His defense needs some work. This explains why Kakko hasn’t played center in Liiga. He has made strides there though, which is encouraging.
What They’re Saying
"Kakko is mature, poised and displays high intelligence with or without the puck. He constantly is in motion and uses his strength to win physical battles or get inside positioning on opponents. – The Draft Analyst"
"Consider this: at the same age, Kakko is putting up better offensive numbers in Finland’s top league than Patrik Laine did in his draft year. – The Hockey News"
Highlights
Overall Outlook
Kakko reminds me a lot of Filip Forsberg. He can score goals and he has very soft hands. Kakko is a bit bigger than Forsberg, though. But if you look at his highlights, you can see why the comparison makes a lot of sense.
For more of our draft profiles, check out our NHL Draft page.