Korpedo VS Huge Specimen

I haven't been able to see either of these guys play this year but I do try to read up and watch their stats:

Hugh Jessiman RW 35 9 10 19 +5 79 2 0 0.54 2.26
Lauri Korpikoski LW 34 6 11 17 +11 32 2 0 0.50 0.94

As stated by theahl.com http://stats.theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=skaters&subType=6&season_id=12&&leagueId=4&lastActive=&singleSeason=

Okay, is this good or bad?

Does this mean that the Huge Specimen is finaly turning into a hockey player or does this mean that Korpedo, with all the skills, in his second full season in the AHL, still can't put them together to beat out Jessiman in his offensive production? Jessiman who many considered to be a bust.

Too me it's not fair to equate the two on stats. Jessiman's ceiling was that of a first line forward.
Korpikoski projected to be a low-level 2nd liner, great 3rd liner.

But I have not been impressed with either of them from what little I have seen.

Too me it's not fair to equate the two on stats. Jessiman's ceiling was that of a first line forward.
Korpikoski projected to be a low-level 2nd liner, great 3rd liner.

But I have not been impressed with either of them from what little I have seen.

So you're leaning to the bad side I take it?

are what you want for a first round pick. As SBoB mentioned, Korpedo's projection is not of a first liner. Not sure I agree with the assessment of a low-level second liner though as you don't pick low-level second liners in the top 20 of a decent draft (let alone trade up for one). I think Korpedo was projected as a 20+ goal scorer who is very good defensively, along the boards, as well as a grinder. I think many are talking about him being a third liner on a checking line. Either case, the guy should be putting up better points at the AHL level. Right now, he's looking more like a fourth liner. Hugh's pretty much the same, and sometimes I wonder if these guys couldn't be as productive as Hollweg. I'm not totally sure if that's the case since Hollweg can throw a bunch of hits, scrap a bit and keep up with the NHL pace.

huge specimen aka huge p.o.s

I wonder if these guys couldn't be as productive as Hollweg.

I often wonder the same and figure that one will take his spot next season. Even more so, I wonder if they'd be better than Orr on the 4th line. I don't really think it's necessary to play Orr in every game. The only legit reason that I think of though is playing time, but a game here or there couldn't hurt.

Too me it's not fair to equate the two on stats. Jessiman's ceiling was that of a first line forward.
Korpikoski projected to be a low-level 2nd liner, great 3rd liner.

But I have not been impressed with either of them from what little I have seen.

I had thought that Korps was a low lvl 1st, high lvl 2nd line projection which has slowly declined into what you've stated. I had seen him compared to Zetteberg while he was still in Finland.

I had thought that Korps was a low lvl 1st, high lvl 2nd line projection which has slowly declined into what you've stated. I had seen him compared to Zetteberg while he was still in Finland.

I might be wrong. I don't, however, remember people raving about his offensive ability.

are what you want for a first round pick. As SBoB mentioned, Korpedo's projection is not of a first liner. Not sure I agree with the assessment of a low-level second liner though as you don't pick low-level second liners in the top 20 of a decent draft (let alone trade up for one). I think Korpedo was projected as a 20+ goal scorer who is very good defensively, along the boards, as well as a grinder. I think many are talking about him being a third liner on a checking line. Either case, the guy should be putting up better points at the AHL level. Right now, he's looking more like a fourth liner. Hugh's pretty much the same, and sometimes I wonder if these guys couldn't be as productive as Hollweg. I'm not totally sure if that's the case since Hollweg can throw a bunch of hits, scrap a bit and keep up with the NHL pace.

Both have been big disappointments...It was pretty obvious from early on that Jessiman was not goingto be the PF that we hoped we drafted with the 1st rounder.That being said, there is still some hope that he can keep improving atthe AHL level and become a big, physical, 3rd-4th liner that has some skill....

As for Korpikoski, I hated his drafting (and trading up for it) as much as I liked the drafting of Jessiman at the time..I never saw anything more then a low scoring checking winger in Korpikoski...His AHL career has been inconsistent, especially on the offensive side...There are some games I have watched where he has clearly been the worst forward on the ice, not effecting or impacting anyhting..ON other nights, you can see a future 3rd line checking winger with just a little offensive ability...Don't think we can hope for anything more then an interchangeable 3rd/4th liner/reserve in this guythat...

As for comparing them vs Hollweg..I guess in some instance they could be better (esepcially on offense)..But not for the current version of the Rangers..Neither have the speed, hitting, and forechecking ability (and his defensive postioning has gotten much better also) that Renney uses Hollweg for ...

Now, having them replace Orr or thinking about Next year is a different story.

Both have been big disappointments...It was pretty obvious from early on that Jessiman was not goingto be the PF that we hoped we drafted with the 1st rounder.That being said, there is still some hope that he can keep improving atthe AHL level and become a big, physical, 3rd-4th liner that has some skill....

As for Korpikoski, I hated his drafting (and trading up for it) as much as I liked the drafting of Jessiman at the time..I never saw anything more then a low scoring checking winger in Korpikoski...His AHL career has been inconsistent, especially on the offensive side...There are some games I have watched where he has clearly been the worst forward on the ice, not effecting or impacting anyhting..ON other nights, you can see a future 3rd line checking winger with just a little offensive ability...Don't think we can hope for anything more then an interchangeable 3rd/4th liner/reserve in this guythat...

As for comparing them vs Hollweg..I guess in some instance they could be better (esepcially on offense)..But not for the current version of the Rangers..Neither have the speed, hitting, and forechecking ability (and his defensive postioning has gotten much better also) that Renney uses Hollweg for ...

Now, having them replace Orr or thinking about Next year is a different story.

Thanks for the great post.

Korpikoski will make next years team out of camp and alot of people will eat their words.

That is all.

Korpikoski will make next years team out of camp and alot of people will eat their words.

That is all.

I'd love to do it.

I had thought that Korps was a low lvl 1st, high lvl 2nd line projection which has slowly declined into what you've stated. I had seen him compared to Zetteberg while he was still in Finland.

On the Finninsh National team, Korpikosi was on this strong line with Kukonen (Kings?) and Nikoleanen (sp? Isles?).When drafted, the Rangers raved about how highly they had Korpikoski rated (higher then kids picked before him) and how they thought he had a huge offensive upside to go with his already developed defensive awareness...There has been very little offensive development and his defensive game has proven to be that special either..Perhaps in time..

Both have been big disappointments...It was pretty obvious from early on that Jessiman was not goingto be the PF that we hoped we drafted with the 1st rounder.That being said, there is still some hope that he can keep improving atthe AHL level and become a big, physical, 3rd-4th liner that has some skill....

As for Korpikoski, I hated his drafting (and trading up for it) as much as I liked the drafting of Jessiman at the time..I never saw anything more then a low scoring checking winger in Korpikoski...His AHL career has been inconsistent, especially on the offensive side...There are some games I have watched where he has clearly been the worst forward on the ice, not effecting or impacting anyhting..ON other nights, you can see a future 3rd line checking winger with just a little offensive ability...Don't think we can hope for anything more then an interchangeable 3rd/4th liner/reserve in this guythat...

As for comparing them vs Hollweg..I guess in some instance they could be better (esepcially on offense)..But not for the current version of the Rangers..Neither have the speed, hitting, and forechecking ability (and his defensive postioning has gotten much better also) that Renney uses Hollweg for ...

Now, having them replace Orr or thinking about Next year is a different story.

isn't Korpi one of the fastest skaters. I could swear i keep hearing about how damn fast he is. I also thought he was a good forechecker. Euro's also seem to take longer to develop than North Americans. I think he will blossom in another 2 yrs. Remember he is still very young.

Jessiman I think will blossom in another 2 yrs as well to a solid 3rd liner maybe 2nd liner. Look at Antropov. Power forwards generally take longer as well. From what I've read he has been getting better this year. Although he isn't that young, I think it would be worth it to sign him to a 2-3yr contract and just see if he can develop.

On the Finninsh National team, Korpikosi was on this strong line with Kukonen (Kings?) and Nikoleanen (sp? Isles?).When drafted, the Rangers raved about how highly they had Korpikoski rated (higher then kids picked before him) and how they thought he had a huge offensive upside to go with his already developed defensive awareness...There has been very little offensive development and his defensive game has proven to be that special either..Perhaps in time..

All 3 have been underwhelming. I remember all the hype around Tukonen, still have some hope for the Korpedo.

On the Finninsh National team, Korpikosi was on this strong line with Kukonen (Kings?) and Nikoleanen (sp? Isles?).When drafted, the Rangers raved about how highly they had Korpikoski rated (higher then kids picked before him) and how they thought he had a huge offensive upside to go with his already developed defensive awareness...There has been very little offensive development and his defensive game has proven to be that special either..Perhaps in time..

Yea, I remember hearing that as well. I remember comparisons to Alfredsson, but we haven't really seen him breakout in NA yet. I don't get to watch Hartford often. Could anyone give me an assessment of his defensive play this year? If he's still playing a strong mental game, it could eventually only be a matter of finding the right linemates to get him going offensively.

isn't Korpi one of the fastest skaters. I could swear i keep hearing about how damn fast he is. I also thought he was a good forechecker.
yeah, he is. I think Korpikoski is a much better fit than Hollweg for his current role.

if Hollweg is faster and a better forechecker than Korpikoski, Straka could one-punch Orr

isn't Korpi one of the fastest skaters. I could swear i keep hearing about how damn fast he is. I also thought he was a good forechecker. Euro's also seem to take longer to develop than North Americans. I think he will blossom in another 2 yrs. Remember he is still very young.

Jessiman I think will blossom in another 2 yrs as well to a solid 3rd liner maybe 2nd liner. Look at Antropov. Power forwards generally take longer as well. From what I've read he has been getting better this year. Although he isn't that young, I think it would be worth it to sign him to a 2-3yr contract and just see if he can develop.

I thought I heard the same kinds of things about Korpikoski's speed.

I know big guys progress slower, but 25-26-27 before he cracks the NHL? C'mon is he really even worth it at that point? When his contract is up, Hartford should sign him to a ML contract. If he plays well, he's a long time Wolfpack, if he plays great, the Rangers can sign him as they did Girardi.

Korpikoski will make next years team out of camp and alot of people will eat their words.


I'd love for you to be right. Where do you project him to play, 2nd, 3rd, 4th line?

yeah, he is. I think Korpikoski is a much better fit than Hollweg for his current role.

if Hollweg is faster and a better forechecker than Korpikoski, Straka could one-punch Orr

Put them on in an NHL game and i have no doubt Hollweg would show more speed and better forechecking then Korp right now...If Korpikoski has speed, he sure as hell doesn't use it all the time..On too many nights he is basically invisible both ways...There is some potential there but he has a long way to go before he is anything more then a inconsisent, average AHLer..maybe in 2-3 years we'll see something..

The Korpedo pick reminds me of the Niklas Sundstrom pick of the 1990s. I'm not sure why Don Maloney was so high on him but he certainly danced a jig when we were able to trade up and get him.
As far as Jessiman is concerned, he's only a huge bust because he was a first rounder. If he had been a third rounder he'd be considered a marginal prospect with some promise. I can tell you that no other team was probably looking at this kid as a power forward. I'm not sure what was in Sather's head that day at the draft table.
Right now this great plethora of prospects that we have in this organization that everyone was raving about isn't looking all that great. And that's why I'm hesitant to start dealing any of the guys who've actually made it to the Rangers so quickly. Do we really want to deal Prucha, Callahan and Dawes so quickly with virtually nothing to show for it behind them (Korpikoski, Bourret, Greg Moore, Dane Byers). Sure Anisimov and Cherepanov are on the way but it will be years before they are here and getting top six forward ice time.

As far as Jessiman is concerned, he's only a huge bust because he was a first rounder. If he had been a third rounder he'd be considered a marginal prospect with some promise. I can tell you that no other team was probably looking at this kid as a power forward. I'm not sure what was in Sather's head that day at the draft table.

That's an interesting take. My response would be if he was a third round pick, the Rangers would not have been as patient as they have been with him. Whether he was a first or third round pick, it's never a good thing when you're 5 years from being drafted and you are a marginal AHL player. And that is compounded when so many of his classmates have made the step to the NHL.

I thought I heard the same kinds of things about Korpikoski's speed.

I know big guys progress slower, but 25-26-27 before he cracks the NHL? C'mon is he really even worth it at that point? When his contract is up, Hartford should sign him to a ML contract. If he plays well, he's a long time Wolfpack, if he plays great, the Rangers can sign him as they did Girardi.



I'd love for you to be right. Where do you project him to play, 2nd, 3rd, 4th line?

Probably start on the 3rd. I think he has the offensive skills to make it to 2nd eventually.

Jessiman seems to be doing better in the past two weeks or so. Hard to tell if this is a short lived surge of production, or if he's finally developing some more. I'd also be really interested to see his icetime over the course of the season and see if there's any correlation between his increased production and an increase in icetime (though it might be hard to determine if the increased production resulted in the increased icetime, or vice versa).

I was pretty hard on both of them in my first quarter grades, but must admit that both have looked better since. Jessiman in particular has been more noticeable. He's been physically engaged on a more consistent basis since around the midpoint of December. He seems to be putting up points fairly regularly as well. [Note: No, that doesn't mean I think he should or will be called up anytime soon.]

Edit to add: For the record, lack of speed is not a criticism that can be leveled against Korpikoski. That's one of the best things he has going for him.

The only issue that I see with Lori's game is his lack of strength. It was a draft day "issue" that was acknowledged by management but till now hasn't developed as quickly as it should have.

Watching him live though, this kid has twin turbos in his skates.

Nice to see Hugh producing but watching him skate up close you can see that he still needs to increase his core strength for better balance and power.

I know big guys progress slower, but 25-26-27 before he cracks the NHL? C'mon is he really even worth it at that point? When his contract is up, Hartford should sign him to a ML contract. If he plays well, he's a long time Wolfpack, if he plays great, the Rangers can sign him as they did Girardi.


I know it's a little bit of a stretch but look at Antropov and Bertuzzi. It took both 8 yrs in the NHL to really get going. Bertuzzi had 2 yrs in juniors (none in the A), while Antropov had 1 yr in Russia and less than a season in the A. Both were rushed to the NHL before they were ready, and it took them longer to develop.

Now, Jessiman has been in the minors for what 2 yrs (this being his third), and had a little over 2 season's of college hockey ending it w/ a serious injury that took time to rehabilitate and costing him progress. We have the luxury of being more patient w/ Jessiman so why not. That's why I don't think they should discard him after this year. Especially since he is showing signs of improvement this year. He could break out once he gets his confidence going, and keeps working. It's a low risk, high reward to try to sign him to a 2 way deal in the offseason.

I still stand by assertion that Jessiman will be a key contributor for the NYR for many years.

Where are all those poster who said to me that those euro stats for Korp didn't mean anything? Where are the guys who said he was gonna be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL? I seen in early on and said it since the draft, he was only a first rounder because of that line he played on and we once again bit on an over rated player in the draft. He is going to be an NHL player though just not good enough to justify his first round drafting, think Niko Kapanen with maybe a bit less offense.

Where are all those poster who said to me that those euro stats for Korp didn't mean anything? Where are the guys who said he was gonna be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL? I seen in early on and said it since the draft, he was only a first rounder because of that line he played on and we once again bit on an over rated player in the draft. He is going to be an NHL player though just not good enough to justify his first round drafting, think Niko Kapanen with maybe a bit less offense.

I was thinking a less skilled more physical PJ Axelsson. Good 3rd line player 4th line PK type.

Where are all those poster who said to me that those euro stats for Korp didn't mean anything?

Not that poster but look at some players who didn't put up the biggest #'s in Euro but are stars here. Euro stats don't mean all that much.

GP G A Pts.

Daniel Alfredson
1992-93 Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg SEL 21 1 5 6
1993-94 Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg SEL 39 20 10 30
1994-95 Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg SEL 22 7 11 18

Pavel Datsyuk
1996-97 Yekaterinburg Spartak Russia 18 2 2 4
1997-98 Yekaterinburg Dynamo Rus-1 22 7 8 15
1997-98 Yekaterinburg Dynamo Russia 24 3 5 8
1999-00 Yekaterinburg Dynamo Russia 15 1 3 4
2000-01 Kazan Ak-Bars Russia 42 9 17 26

Alexander Ovechkin
2001-02 Moscow Dynamo Russia 21 2 2 4
2002-03 Moscow Dynamo Russia 40 8 7 15
2003-04 Moscow Dynamo Russia 53 13 10 23
2004-05 Moscow Dynamo Russia 37 13 14 27

Then look at the other spectrum. Jarkko Immonen. He rips up the Sweedish league but couldn't really crack the NHL.

Bottom line is Korpi is only 21 right now. He is still learning and developing. He is 8the team in points, and only 1 of the 7 people in front of him are younger. Anisimov.

And the other person talked about in this thread Jessiman is 5th on the team in scoring.

Patience is a virtue. People relax.

I still stand by assertion that Jessiman will be a key contributor for the NYR for many years.

Good luck with that assertion. I don't see that at all. I doubt he ever cracks the Rangers lineup. He's a career AHLer for sure.

It sure does seem that all of the highly touted kids are one by one losing their luster. All prospects look great until reality sets in. Then you hope that at least a couple turn out to be as advertised.

If the 2 Russian kids don't turn out as hoped the cupboard is closer to bare than stacked, as we have been led to believe over the last 2 years.

really don't matter much. He was an 18 year old playing in a men's league. While many stars in the legaue have excelled in leagues such as the RSL and SEL, you can't expect every 18 and 19 year old to crack the lineups and if they don't they shouldn't be called busts. Many North American players are afforded two seasons to develop in juniors prior to hitting the AHL/NHL. Korps hit the AHL while playing little in an men's league, while his counterparts were honing their skills against lesser competition, but nonetheless developing.

Having said that, it's tough for one to say what Korps would turn out to be. In the last three seasons he hasn't shown any real offensive ability (and you can't blame him much - it's like keeping Malhotra up and expecting him to produce as an 18 year old in the NHL when he's on the bench). So Korps has to make up for lost development time.

Where are all those poster who said to me that those euro stats for Korp didn't mean anything? Where are the guys who said he was gonna be a 30 goal scorer in the NHL? I seen in early on and said it since the draft, he was only a first rounder because of that line he played on and we once again bit on an over rated player in the draft. He is going to be an NHL player though just not good enough to justify his first round drafting, think Niko Kapanen with maybe a bit less offense.
I was one of those and I still stand by my assertions at the time. There's no crystal ball you can look into and say a prospect will pan out this way or not. You weren't thrilled by the decision to draft him, I thought it was potentially a very good one. Both of us had solid arguments. I still don't think that the final word has been said on how good he will be.

If you look back on the draft, the Rangers were very high on the Korpedo (especially our Euro-Guru Rockström, if you'll recall). They also knew that he wouldn't fall any further than Dallas, who were set to draft him, so they went for it. You can argue whether he was the right guy to go after, but they did have sound reasoning for their decision.

With hindsight, sure, the Rangers could have gone for Zajac, but there were good, soundly reasoned questions about the level of competition he had faced up until that point.

I know it's a little bit of a stretch but look at Antropov and Bertuzzi. It took both 8 yrs in the NHL to really get going. Bertuzzi had 2 yrs in juniors (none in the A), while Antropov had 1 yr in Russia and less than a season in the A. Both were rushed to the NHL before they were ready, and it took them longer to develop.

Now, Jessiman has been in the minors for what 2 yrs (this being his third), and had a little over 2 season's of college hockey ending it w/ a serious injury that took time to rehabilitate and costing him progress. We have the luxury of being more patient w/ Jessiman so why not. That's why I don't think they should discard him after this year. Especially since he is showing signs of improvement this year. He could break out once he gets his confidence going, and keeps working. It's a low risk, high reward to try to sign him to a 2 way deal in the offseason.

I'm not saying discard him, I'm saying that Hartford should sign him not NYR because this is the first year that he's shown that he can stay in the AHL where previously the best he could do was shuttle back and fourth between Hartford and Charlotte. As a member of the Hartford organization if he shows himself worthy, the Rangers could always sign him to a contract. The only concern would be if he was offered a deal by another NHL club, which I can't see happening at this time.

I still stand by assertion that Jessiman will be a key contributor for the NYR for many years.

This is a bit of stretch don't you think?

Korpikoski will make next years team out of camp and alot of people will eat their words.

That is all.

Not with Chere, Anisimov and Dawes taking available spots.

The only concern would be if he was offered a deal by another NHL club, which I can't see happening at this time.
QUOTE]
This is what I would be afraid about if he starts playing well next year.


[QUOTE=Hplaya94;11887352]Not with Chere, Anisimov and Dawes taking available spots.

First off,

Dawes isn't that good either. he has done nothing at the NHL level to warrant a guaranteed spot next year, and I don't think he will even be on the Rangers next year (i see him traded).

Second,

There is no Guarantee Chere will be in NA next year let alone on the Rangers. He has a two year deal in Russia and is not extactly lighting up the league. Tretiak is closing that loophole before the end of the season where players can leave easy. I actually don't think Chere will be in NA next year. Nor from what I have read so far do I think he will be ready yet.

Third,

What has Anisimov done to solidify his spot next year at NYR either. He isn't the best player on HFD, nor is he dominating the leauge. He is progressing nicely but he isn't a guarantee either since technically we don't need any new centers next year. (Gomez, Drury, Dubi, Betts). i think him coming here will be a reflection of how well Dubi is progressing. If the coaches think Dubi can handle the second line and use Drury as a wing Ani could be called up. I think there is a 60-40 chance that he will start next season in NY, but it is all subject to change.

Not that poster but look at some players who didn't put up the biggest #'s in Euro but are stars here. Euro stats don't mean all that much.

GP G A Pts.

Daniel Alfredson
1992-93 Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg SEL 21 1 5 6
1993-94 Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg SEL 39 20 10 30
1994-95 Vastra Frolunda HC Goteborg SEL 22 7 11 18

Pavel Datsyuk
1996-97 Yekaterinburg Spartak Russia 18 2 2 4
1997-98 Yekaterinburg Dynamo Rus-1 22 7 8 15
1997-98 Yekaterinburg Dynamo Russia 24 3 5 8
1999-00 Yekaterinburg Dynamo Russia 15 1 3 4
2000-01 Kazan Ak-Bars Russia 42 9 17 26

Alexander Ovechkin
2001-02 Moscow Dynamo Russia 21 2 2 4
2002-03 Moscow Dynamo Russia 40 8 7 15
2003-04 Moscow Dynamo Russia 53 13 10 23
2004-05 Moscow Dynamo Russia 37 13 14 27

Then look at the other spectrum. Jarkko Immonen. He rips up the Sweedish league but couldn't really crack the NHL.

Bottom line is Korpi is only 21 right now. He is still learning and developing. He is 8the team in points, and only 1 of the 7 people in front of him are younger. Anisimov.

And the other person talked about in this thread Jessiman is 5th on the team in scoring.

Patience is a virtue. People relax.


I don't think Korp is even in the same class as those guys u mentioned in your post. He had 3 goals in two seasons. Those guys you mentioned are superstars, I don't think anyone in here had hopes of him being a superstar even with is stock being it's highest when he was drafted. I'm not saying he is crap, he was just a bad first round pick along with Jessiman. Could have gotten way better bang for the buck with those picks.

And Immonen was never given a real chance with the Rangers, he produced while he was here, but there was something Renney didn't like about his game, I think he felt he was too slow? I'm not too sure about that though.

If anything, Jessiman's numbers are better. He doesn't need to put up high numbers to make into the NHL, he can be a banger.

If Jessiman can ever score 20 points in the NHL while hitting everything in sight, he'll be a solid NHLer.

Korps doesn't have the body to hit everything in sight.

I haven't been able to see either of these guys play this year but I do try to read up and watch their stats:

Hugh Jessiman RW 35 9 10 19 +5 79 2 0 0.54 2.26
Lauri Korpikoski LW 34 6 11 17 +11 32 2 0 0.50 0.94

As stated by theahl.com http://stats.theahl.com/stats/statdisplay.php?type=skaters&subType=6&season_id=12&&leagueId=4&lastActive=&singleSeason=

Okay, is this good or bad?

Does this mean that the Huge Specimen is finaly turning into a hockey player or does this mean that Korpedo, with all the skills, in his second full season in the AHL, still can't put them together to beat out Jessiman in his offensive production? Jessiman who many considered to be a bust.

Lauri Koprikoski got allot of aspects pinned down. His attitude. He moves really well. In the AHL you can get away with only beieng able to skate in lanes like Rico Fata, but in the NHL you must be able to master your speed allot better. Lauri skates really well from that point of view. Lauri sees the ice really well. He can defenitly handle the puck. He is decent around the net.

But what I had not expected is that he haven't been able to improve his speed much at all the last 2 seasons.

Korpikoski is trying to develop a "go-to" offensive game in HFD, something he never really have had, and its maybe not likely that he ever will be able to develop. If he struggles with that, it don't concern me all that much. For me the diffrence is that if he makes the NHL, wheter he then will play on a 2nd or 3rd line.

What do concern me somewhat is that he haven't become much faster or stronger at all. We took him over when he was 19 y/o, and he was always a late bloomer. Kids that age that are thin built and got a good stride, usually becomes allot faster and natrually stronger the comming seasons. Korpedo have develop his offensive game some since comming to HFD, but he haven't really become better on the forecheck or along the boards, because he isn't any faster, and he isn't any stronger.

Thats suprising. I mean, watch a video of Marc Staal when he is 18 and compare it with how he looks right now, you can tell after 5 sec how much he have developed his skating and strength. Do the same with Korpi and it would be really hard to see whos whom of the Korpikoskis (the 18-19 y/o vs the 21-22 y/o)...

Comparing the two, there is one big diffrent. Jessiman got miles and miles to go before he could be used in a bigger role then a 4th lineer, in other words in a role where he have to move the puck in other areas then behind the net in the attacking zone.

Korpikosi could probably play on our 2nd line today, and not bring his teammates down much. Jessiman would constanly find himself lost in the pace in a role like that, zones behind the play. I am not saying that Lauro could "beat out" Avery/Prucha/Callahan for that role. But he would be better on a 2nd line overall then Nigel Dawes, in all aspects of the play, help his linemates more, but Nigel natrually got a much better scoring touch.

Korpikoski will make next years team out of camp and alot of people will eat their words.

That is all.

HOPE SO...