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Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Named OHL Most Outstanding Player

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The Buffalo Sabres may not have had the best season, but one of their prospects certainly did. Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has won the Red Tilson Trophy as the OHL’s Most Outstanding Player, just the sixth goaltender to do so in the history of the league. Toronto Marlies forward Justin Brazeau and Dallas Stars prospect Jason Robertson came in second and third respectively.

Luukkonen, 20, also has the honor of being the first European import to ever win the award, which has been given out since 1945 (then by the OHA). The trophy is a prestigious honor, with plenty of past recipients going on to long prosperous NHL careers. Jordan Kyrou, Alex DeBrincat, Mitch Marner, Connor McDavid, Connor Brown and Vincent Trocheck are the past six winners, with other names like Ryan Ellis, John Tavares, Eric Lindros and Doug Gilmour all having taken a turn.

The Finnish goaltender was selected 54th overall by the Sabres in 2017, and was fantastic for the Sudbury Wolves this season. With a 38-11-2 record and .920 save percentage, he carried the Wolves all season. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough for them to advance deep into the OHL playoffs, but Luukkonen did manage to get into one game with the Rochester Americans—in which he stopped 32 out of 34 shots for the win—before having hip surgery in late April.

Unfortunately, that surgery is expected to keep Luukkonen out for up to six months and could put the start of his first professional season in jeopardy. The young goaltender is set to join the Americans in the AHL, but will obviously have to prove his health before getting back on the ice.

East Notes: Gardiner, Luukkonen, Hallander

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Despite a rough showing in the postseason while playing at less than 100%, Maple Leafs defenseman Jake Gardiner remains one of the top potential free agent defensemen available.  (He ranked 12th overall in our midseason power rankings, third among blueliners.)  With that in mind, TSN’s Darren Dreger suggests (Twitter link) that Gardiner is expected to command at least $6MM per season on the open market which would represent at least a $2MM raise on what he has made over the past five years.  The 28-year-old saw his offensive numbers dip from 52 points down to 30 this season but can still hold down a top-four spot.  While Toronto would certainly like to bring him back, that scenario appears to be highly unlikely given the big contracts they have on the books already plus winger Mitch Marner needing a new deal as well.

Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference:

  • It has been an interesting few days for Sabres prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen. On the plus side, he was named Goaltender of the Year in the OHL, a nice way to finish off his time at the junior level.  On the negative side, it will be a while before he does any hockey-related activities as he’s expected to miss roughly the next six months after undergoing hip surgery earlier in the week, notes Bill Hoppe of the Olean Times Herald.  Luukkonen was a second-round pick of Buffalo back in 2017 and posted a .920 SV% in 50 games with Sudbury before getting into a game with AHL Rochester before their elimination earlier this month.
  • Penguins prospect Filip Hallander is expected to be loaned to Lulea of the SHL for the 2019-20 season according to a report from Hans Abrahamsson and Tomas Ros of Aftonbladet. The forward spent this past season with Timra where he recorded a respectable 21 points (7-14-21) in 45 games while also suiting up for Sweden at the World Juniors.  Pittsburgh already has Hallander, their second-round pick last June, under contract but the deal contains a European Assignment Clause.

Prospect Notes: Ginning, Luukkonen, Michaud

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The Philadelphia Flyers have had a near-annual influx of talented young defensemen join the team over the last few years, but they’ll have to wait a little bit longer for one of their next promising blue liners to make the jump. Adam Ginning, the Flyers’ 2018 second-round pick, has re-signed with his Swedish Hockey League club for another year. Linkoping HC announced today that Ginning had inked a one-year contract extension to stay with the organization that has groomed him since he was 13 years old. Now 19, Ginning just finished his first full season in the SHL and did not look out of place playing against older and more experienced competition. At 6’4″ and 205 lbs., Ginning plays a physical and technically sound defensive game and projects to be a shutdown defender in the NHL one day. Some more time in the SHL certainly won’t hurt his development, but Philadelphia is definitely hopeful that he will join the system sooner rather than later to begin working with their coaches and adjusting to the North American style of play.

  • The Buffalo Sabres will get a closer look at one of their top prospects ahead of schedule, as goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has joined the AHL’s Rochester Americans on an amateur tryout basis, the team announced. Luukkonen is likely to make his North American pro debut in the near future to cap off what has been a big season for the talented netminder. Luukkonen, a second-round pick of the Sabres in 2017, made the jump overseas this year to play for the OHL’s Sudbury Wolves and made an immediate impact. The 6’5″ keeper was a brick wall in net, leading the league in wins and shutouts and finishing in the top three in save percentage and goals against average. Luukkonen was arguably the best goalie in the OHL this year, but that wasn’t even the highlight of the campaign. Luukkonen also led Finland to a gold medal finish at the World Junior Championships earlier this year, posting a .932 save percentage and 1.80 GAA along the way. The Sabres hope that the next stop on Luukkonen’s path of dominance is the AHL and soon after the NHL.
  • One name that won’t be playing in the pros, in North America or Europe, for at least another year is NCAA forward Westin Michaud. Michaud, 23, just wrapped up his senior season at Colorado College, in which he finished second on the team with 30 points in 41 games. Competing in the ultra-competitive National Collegiate Hockey Conference against several elite programs, Michaud still managed to take major steps forward in each of the past three seasons and at least one rival school took notice. With a year of NCAA eligibility remaining after sitting as a freshman, Michaud has decided to spurn pro offers for now and leave Colorado College behind him to transfer to the University of North Dakota for a graduate year with the national powerhouse. The experienced center will likely slot into a top-six position with North Dakota and could be in for yet another jump in production. Joining an already-strong roster that also has an impressive recruiting class incoming, Michaud makes the Fighting Hawks a dangerous contender next season.

 

Canada, Sweden Upset At World Junior Championship

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The quarterfinal round of the 2019 World Junior Championships in Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia, is underway today and the first two results have both been stunning surprises. Sweden, the Group B winner, fell to Switzerland 2-0 earlier, while Canada, the host team and tournament favorite, lost to Finland 2-1 in overtime after giving up the lead in the final minute of regulation. The United States and Russia remain alive for now, ahead of their semifinal match-up on Friday, but two of the top teams and many of the best NHL prospects are now out far earlier than expected.

For Canada, the defending WJC champs, this loss is historic. It marks the first time that Canada has failed to medal in a World Junior on home soil. The Canadians, the leading team in goal differential following a definitive 14-0 win over Denmark to open the tournament, were heralded for their depth and talent this year. Anaheim Ducks prospect Max Comtois, who played in ten games with the team to begin the season, led a skilled group that also counted first-rounders Morgan Frost (PHI), Cody Glass (VGK), and Owen Tippett (FLA) among its top scorers. However, the group recorded only 25 shots against Finland’s Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen (BUF) in the loss and will depart the tournament with little to show for their efforts.

Meanwhile, Sweden continues to have terrible luck in the elimination stages of the World Juniors. The Swedes have not lost in group stage at the WJC since 2008, a whopping 48 wins in a row, but have just one gold medal and an overall losing record in the subsequent rounds in that time. This year, behind an incredible early effort from Emil Bemstrom (CLB) and Erik Brannstrom (VGK), the team finally looked primed for a deep run. Instead, undrafted Luca Hollenstein got the shutout for the Swiss as Sweden failed to produce many high danger chances.

With either Finland or Switzerland, whoever wins their resulting match-up, now guaranteed a spot in the gold medal game, this World Junior has already been turned on its head. Can the U.S., who won’t have to face Canada at all in the WJC for the first time since 2005, and Russia, the points leader through group play, avoid similar surprising fates? Or will one of those teams capitalize on the early upsets to seize the World Junior title this year?

Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen Signs In OHL

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If you’re a fan of the Buffalo Sabres and the OHL you’re in luck, as top goaltending prospect Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has decided to play for the Sudbury Wolves this season instead of going back to Finland. Luukkonen was the third pick in the CHL import draft which was a strong indicator that he would come to North America right away. The Sabres signed him to a three-year entry-level contract in June, and were likely big supporters of coming over where they can see him more often.

Luukkonen, 19, was the Sabres second-round pick in 2017 and is among the top goaltending prospects in hockey. Standing 6’4″ already, at times it can seem as though Luukkonen fills up the entire net with his huge frame and yet still has quick movements and reflexes. His results have varied throughout his career in Finland, but there are few who doubt his potential to be a starting goaltender one day in the NHL. That’s a tough thing to live up to for any young netminder though since the game changes so much at each level, meaning this year will be a good test to see if he can dominate right away.

Sudbury struggled all over the ice last season and had poor performances in net, but should be improved this season in front of Luukkonen. If he can perform well this season, there could be a spot for him in the AHL as soon as 2019-20. The Sabres are promoting Linus Ullmark to the NHL this season and signed Carter Hutton for the next three years, but don’t have a ton of young depth at the position. Scott Wedgewood will be the likely starter in the AHL this season, but that could be just keeping the crease warm for Luukkonen’s arrival.

Buffalo Sabres Sign Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen To Entry-Level Contract

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One of the top goaltending prospects in the world has signed his first NHL contract, as the Buffalo Sabres announced Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen has inked his three-year, entry-level contract.

Luukkonen, 19, was selected 54th-overall in last year’s draft and spent this season playing in the Finnish second league where he recorded a .909 save percentage. He also suited up in the World Junior Championship, but was unable to carry Finland to a medal performance. The big, mobile netminder is built like the prototypical goalie prospect and should have a long professional career ahead of him. Still, he’ll have to find some more consistency before really making an impact for the Sabres.

Where he plays next season is still unclear, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see Luukkonen stay in Finland for at least one more season (if not several). The Sabres obviously want to get him into their system, but throwing a teenaged-goaltender into the fire of the AHL is rarely a good development strategy. With Linus Ullmark set to jump to the NHL level and Robin Lehner still part of the organization, there is no reason to rush their young prospect. Instead, they can let him mature into the goaltender they hope he can be, which by all accounts could be a legitimate NHL starter.

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