Kasper Halttunen

Big chippy Finnish right winger who drives the front and score dirty goals. Has a heavy shot and a scorer’s touch, soft hands and vision. Plays beyond the whistle and is always stirring the pot.  While on the Finnish U-18 team as an underaged forward last year, he scored six goals and 12 points in 19 games. He led all U-17 players in the Finnish U-20 league with 38 points in 41 games, good for 10th all-time and third behind Kaapo Kakko and Roni Hirvonen (55 points each) over the past five years. His puck battles are ones that transpire from him working his bags off. Dominates down low and wins almost all puck battles there. It is a pretty tough guess to where he falls at this juncture in this draft. He wasn't as productive in the scoring sheets as expected in the Ivan Hlinka-Gretzky U-18, but he has soft hands, a sniper's touch and dominates down low. There are so many sharp shooters at the top end, but none with his physical stature, skill and snarl. He lacks a bit of lateral agility but competes to the whistle (and many times past). His straight line skating is powerful and can be disruptive. He is the type of wing every impact centre would love on their wing, as he is a difficult beast to handle and that creates space for them.

                                                                              —Bill Płaczek