Fansided

2018 NHL mock draft: Post-NHL draft lottery

By Derek Grochowski

PLYMOUTH, MI - FEBRUARY 16: Andrei Svechnikov #7 of the Russian Nationals controls the puck in front of Jack Hughes #43 of the USA Nationals during the 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament game at USA Hockey Arena on February 16, 2018 in Plymouth, Michigan. USA defeated Russia 5-4. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)*** Local Caption *** Andrei Svechnikov; Jack Hughes
PLYMOUTH, MI - FEBRUARY 16: Andrei Svechnikov #7 of the Russian Nationals controls the puck in front of Jack Hughes #43 of the USA Nationals during the 2018 Under-18 Five Nations Tournament game at USA Hockey Arena on February 16, 2018 in Plymouth, Michigan. USA defeated Russia 5-4. (Photo by Dave Reginek/Getty Images)*** Local Caption *** Andrei Svechnikov; Jack Hughes /
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BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 28: Rasmus Kupari #34 of Finland checks Lasse Mortensen #14 of Denmark in the second period during the IIHF World Junior Championship at KeyBank Center on December 28, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images)
BUFFALO, NY – DECEMBER 28: Rasmus Kupari #34 of Finland checks Lasse Mortensen #14 of Denmark in the second period during the IIHF World Junior Championship at KeyBank Center on December 28, 2017 in Buffalo, New York. (Photo by Kevin Hoffman/Getty Images) /

15. Florida Panthers: C Rasmus Kupari

The Florida Panthers have done well recently drafting Finnish players in the first round. See: Aleksander Barkov. Adding another center from Finland seems like it would make sense. Rasmus Kupari and Aleksander Barkov are not really comparable in the way that they play. Kupari is extremely hard to knock off of the puck and possesses great talent when stick handling the puck. At the age of 18, Kupari played in the top league in Finland for Karpat. His 14 points in 39 games played does not leap off the page. But as you watch Kupari play, it is clear he will be fine.

There will be some things that Kupari needs to work on as he works on getting to the next level. He is good in the face-off dot, does a good job in front of the net and has great puck handling. Kupari works well on the power play and has proven he can contribute there. Like many of the young forwards in this draft, he needs to work on his defensive game. He is young, but he showed a lot of poor decision-making in his own zone and that has hurt his draft stock. It should not be too concerning to the Florida Panthers he is still very talented and has time to grow into a better all-around player.

With Aleksander Barkov, Vincent Trochek, Derek McKenzie and Jared McCann already taking the center position Kupari does not need to rush. He can take his time to develop and fully groom his game. This puts him in the best position to succeed. As he breaks into the league he may see time playing on the wing instead of center. This would help him grow and break into the new league slowly. 

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