Owls' Quick Draft Hits: Aleksi Heponiemi

#Aleksi Heponiemi: Swift Current Broncos (WHL)

Recently named recipient of the Jim Piggott memorial trophy for WHL Rookie of the Year, Aleksi Heponiemi is a left shooting centre. Definitely a project pick at only 143lbs, Aleksi's got unquestionable upside with 86 points in the WHL this year (including 24 goals and 26 assists at even strength), 16th overall in the league (and first among rookies). On his own team he outscored all players except 19 year-old Tyler Steenbergen (who I've covered before here). He's a common name in the Finnish national team for his age group, and in previous years he's been widely awarded on his junior level Finnish teams (2014-15 Jr. C All-star, best player and best forward, 2015-16 Jr. B All-star and best forward while also winning the championship in Jr. A)

Heponiemi relies on two things to succeed at the WHL level -- high level passing and excellent speed, using top tier acceleration to find open ice and maintain separation from defenders for extra time so that he can let plays develop as long as possible before hitting great tape-to-tape feeds. He plays with intensity every shift and being slippery on his feet with great edgework and decent puck protection skills (he’ll need to get better to maintain this advantage against better players) gives him the ability to draw defenders away from their covers, creating holes and giving his teammates some more space to work with.

A lack of physical size makes board battles and below-the-hashmarks play lacklustre, and parts of his game, particularly on defense, suffer because of it -- it's not that he doesn't work hard, just that he primarily relies on his stick. He’s also been called a perimeter player, and it’s hard to tell whether he has to play that way because he isn’t large enough to make ice for himself in the slot, or if he plays that way even when he should be able to drive the net, and his size just hides that. Finally, his shot definitely needs some strength (though his release is quick, as 28 goals suggests), and that’s going to be a huge question mark for him moving into pro levels.

NHL-wise, I see Heponiemi converting to the wing as he moves into minor/pro unless he goes through a huge growth spurt, and being one of the myriad NHL players who's basically a speed-demon -- Byron, Cogliano, Hagelin, etc. -- with a variety of possible landing spots in the line-up depending on just how well his offense translates (and assuming he can continue to be blazing fast). If his top-end vision doesn't suffer from NHL-level pressure, you're looking at a 10G-30A type of playmaker who sees huge benefits with better linemates (see Hagelin in Pittsburgh v. Hagelin in Anaheim). If not, you're looking at someone who will stick to your bottom six only if he can develop good penalty killing or defensive habits (Cogliano, Hansen) but who can be a surprising depth scoring option even as a defensive specialist.

Previous Quick Hits:

• Lukas Elvenes