After the Pittsburgh Penguins beat the Ottawa Senators 3-2 in Game 7 on Thursday the Dallas Stars officially have the 29th pick in the NHL draft (by virtue of the traded with the Anaheim Ducks for Patrick Eaves).
The Stars also have the No. 3 pick and 39th pick, putting Dallas in line to grab three top-40 draft picks next month in Chicago.
And Finnish winger Kristian Vesalainen could be an option if he’s still available when the Stars are making their second and third picks at the draft.
Vesalainen had one of the more frustrating seasons amongst draft eligible prospects.
After making his SHL debut with Frolunda as a 16-year-old — an extreme rarity — during the 2015-16 season, Vesalainen never really found a comfortable spot during the 2016-17 season. He started the year with Frolunda in Sweden, but struggled and was loaned back to HPK in Finland in November.
At the World Junior Championships he wasn’t much of a factor and even though he was an underage player, that left a frustrating taste for several scouts. Vesalainen did however show off against his peers at the under-18 championships for the Finns and had 13 points (six goals, seven assists) in seven games. The video below is from his showing at u-18s.
That showing was a sign that the 17-year-old was simply struggling with jumping from country to country and playing against older competition. He also had to adjust to the size of the ice in Finland after getting used to a consistent surface in Sweden.
(In the Finnish league rinks range in size between NHL and International ice, so it can be an adjustment returning from the SHL where all rinks are international size by IIHF standards.)
Despite his struggles Vesalainen has the tools to be a top-six forward in the NHL as he matures and plays in a less hectic, more comfortable situation. He’s got good size at 6-foot-3, 207 pounds and he uses that to his advantage in front of the net and along the boards.
He has a good skating stride and is often in the right position. Vesalainen also has a quick release and makes the smart pass when he has the puck. There is some versatility in his game and Vesalainen is a lefty, but he can also play on his off wing.
Before this season some scouts thought Vesalainen would make his way into the top-10 and even top-5 pick territory, but he never had that breakout for Frolunda that would have turned him into a can’t-miss prospect in this draft.
In a way he’s a project pick, but it’s a project to find consistency for the young Finn. Whichever NHL team drafts him will want to find a situation where he can have a stable environment — wherever he plays during the 2017-18 season — and focus on playing his game rather than being bounced from league to league.
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