Petteri Nokelainen

Nokelainen working back to Sound Tigers
by Michael Fornabaio, connpost.com, July 2, 2007

SYOSSET, N.Y. — There's something back in Petteri Nokelainen's face after he gets off the ice now. It's there when he talks about playing the game. It's there when he talks about his physical condition. It's joy. The past two years weren't much fun. He needed surgery for a chronic knee condition late in 2005-06. He spent 2006-07 with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, just trying to get back into shape while battling other ailments. It's a whole new summer this year. Nokelainen, 21, hopes he's on his way back to the form that made him a first-round draft pick of the New York Islanders in 2004. "There were times we didn't know, will it be a good knee?" Nokelainen said. "Right now, it's a great knee."

Nokelainen has looked quicker at the Islanders' prospects camp the past week. He has another gear of acceleration that wasn't always there while he fought the knee, a groin pull, the flu and a broken finger last season. Losing more than 10 pounds helped, too. He is able to run again, and he said he feels much lighter.

"It doesn't come like this," Nokelainen said with a snap of his fingers. "For a year, I did almost nothing, physically. I'm really starting from the bottom."

Nokelainen came to America touted as the complete package: speedy, physical, defensively responsible. He made the Islanders at 19 but only played 15 games before injuries set him back for a year. The knee — a congenital condition in the construction of the joint — needed surgery in April 2006. Doctors warned him then that it might take a year to fully recover. "I don't think any athlete enjoys playing a sport if he's hurting all the time," Nokelainen said. He constantly pushed to practice, to play, but he wasn't the same player, scoring 16 points in 60 games with Bridgeport. But this summer could be the beginning of a turnaround. He doesn't have to think about his knee. "Everything feels fine now," Nokelainen said. "I'm happy again."

Swedish Club Luring Nokelainen?

May 21, 2007: A Swedish news portal called the Expressen reported in their Tuesday, May 22nd edition, that the SEL club Lulea is looking to sign Islanders prospect Petteri Nokelainen for the 2007-08 season. Even though Nokelainen has one more year remaining on a three year deal he signed in 2005, the Swedish club is reportedly in negotiations with the Finn as they attempt to replace former NHL'er Mikael Renberg, who signed with a rival Swedish club Skelleftea. Lulea GM Hans Huczkowski has reportedly made signing Nokelainen a priority.

The article goes on to mention former SEL players who have also played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers like Frans Nielsen, Robert Nilsson and Johan Halvardsson.

If they fail to sign Nokelainen they have their sites set on a Slovakian player named Roman Kukumberg from Slovan Bratislava.

Nokelainen, as mentioned earlier, has one year remaining on a deal with the Islanders which would see him earn $984,200 on a two way contract. After playing in 15 games for the Islanders in 2005-06 in which he scored 2 points, Nokelainen missed most of the season with patella tendonitis in his knee. Following surgery last summer and rehabilitation, the 21 year old from Imatra, Finland returned to the Sound Tigers in 2006-07. In a season which included a slow start due to the sore knee and a late season broken finger, Nokelainen went 6-10-16 in 60 games played.

Bridgeport's President Howard Saffin stated a couple weeks ago that he was looking for Nokelainen to have a much better season in 2007-08. But now that seems questionable if it will happen.

islesinfo.com comment: Nokelainen's injury is an extremely tough one to come back from. He's taking it very slow and I'm not saying we should give up on him. Up until now with his injuries he has been a bit of a disappointment for a former 16th pick overall. What bothers me is I don't understand why European clubs are allowed to negotiate with players when they are currently under NHL contracts. According to the CBA, if an NHL club signs a European player they have to compensate his club. So why shouldn't Lulea not have to compensate the Islanders? In actuality, I don't see how Lulea could do this. It's not like the situation with Sean Bergenheim, who the Islanders allowed to go to Europe as a restricted free agent. So I can't see how Lulea is going to lure Nokelainen, who is still under contract, unless the Islanders let him go. And why would they pay a player to play in Europe? It will be interesting to see what comes of this.

Update, May 25, 2007: According to another reported source from Finland, Petteri Nokelainen is not in any kind of negotiations with the SEL club Lulea which was originally reported by Expressen. The article goes on to state Nokelainen wants to remain in North America to play the third year of his contract in 2007-08 according to his agent Markus Lehto.

2006-07 Update: May 1, 2007: Petteri Nokelainen went scoreless in 5 games played with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of April. He returned to action on Apr. 7th at Albany after missing 14 games with a broken finger. The Sound Tigers went 6-8-0 with Nokelainen out of the lineup. They went 3-4-1 down the stretch in April and 1-3-1 once Nokelainen returned. He was a -5 in Bridgeport's final 5 games played. Nokelainen will enter the third year of a three year contract with the Islanders in 2007-08.

April 1, 2007: Petteri Nokelainen recorded a goal in 3 games played with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of March. His goal came Mar. 2nd in a 5-3 loss at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Nokelainen missed 11 games for the Sound Tigers from Mar. 11th to Mar. 31st after breaking a finger earlier in the month vs. Philadelphia on Mar. 10th. He has been skating in practice and X-Ray's have shown he is healing and may be able to return to action for Bridgeport's final week of play in April. The Sound Tigers posted a record of 5-8-1 in March and were 1-1-1 with Nokelainen in the lineup. 

March 1, 2007: Petteri Nokelainen went 3-4-7 in 15 games played with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of February. It was his best month offensively as a professional. On Feb. 4th Nokelainen scored 2 goals in a 5-3 win at the Providence Bruins. He had a 3 game point scoring streak in which he went 1-2-3 from Feb. 16th to 18th. The streak consisted of 2 game winning assists: Feb. 16th in a 4-1 win vs. the Lowell Devils and Feb. 18th in a 1-0 win vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.

February 1, 2007: Petteri Nokelainen went 1-1-2 in 10 games played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of January. His assist came in Bridgeport's 7-4 win at Albany on Jan. 5th. Nokelainen recorded his 2nd goal of the 2006-07 season on Jan. 10th in a 2-1 shootout win vs. Philadelphia. His goal was obviously the only goal scored by Bridgeport in regulation and it was also the first goal of the game. On Jan. 13th in a win over Hershey, Nokelainen got into a fight with Bear's defenseman Deryk Engelland, who slashed Nokelainen. He was unsuccessful in a shootout opportunity on Jan. 14th. Nokelainen played in all 10 of Bridgeport's games in January and has not missed a game since Nov. 5th, playing in 33 straight games. Petteri has been playing on a line with Masi Marjamaki and Jason Pitton. 

January 1, 2007: Petteri Nokelainen went 1-2-3 in 13 games played with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers in the month of December. He scored his first career AHL goal on December 16, 2006 in a 6-4 win vs. the Lowell Devils. The goal was Nokelainen's first in over a year since he scored as an Islander in a 5-3 win at Washington on October 13, 2005. He was a horrible -11 as the Sound Tigers struggled in December going 1-7-0 in their last 8 games played. One good sign is that he managed to play in all 13 games during the month as he continues to recover from off-season surgery to his knee due to patella tendonitis.

December 1, 2006: Petteri Nokelainen recorded 3 assists in 9 games played for the Bridgeport Sound Tigers during the month of November. He recorded his first career AHL point on November 15, 2006 with an assist in a 3-2 shootout loss vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Nokelainen also recorded assists on back to back nights on Nov. 26th and on the game winning goal Nov. 29th in a 6-3 win vs. Norfolk. He still has yet to score a goal after 14 games played. Nokelainen sat out Bridgeport's first 4 games of November: 11/1 at Norfolk, 11/3 at Binghamton, 11/4 at Portland, and 11/5 vs. Hartford. He returned to the lineup on Nov. 10th at Philadelphia after sitting out 5 straight games to rest his knee.

November 1, 2006: Petteri Nokelainen made his AHL debut with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers on October 8, 2006 in a 5-3 win at the Binghamton Senators. He made some big hits and blocked some shots in the win. Nokelainen played in 5 of the Sound Tigers 7 games during the month of October. He has not yet registered a point. Nokelainen played in Bridgeport's first 4 games of the season and then was a healthy scratch October 21st at Hershey. He returned to action on October 22nd, but sat out on October 27th at Providence to "rest his knee." He returned to practice on October 30th. Nokelainen is returning from having surgery late last year for patella tendonitis. Because of his surgery, it is expected that Nokelainen will be sat out the odd game here and there to rest his knee. He seemingly has a long road ahead of him towards reaching the New York Islanders lineup again.

BRIDGEPORT — Dealing with Petteri Nokelainen every day, Bridgeport Sound Tigers trainer John Sullo knows the kind of player the team is just beginning to see.

When Nokelainen, 20, first came to Bridgeport in September, just five months after surgery to alleviate patellar tendonitis that wasn't going away, he was dying to work to get himself back in shape. Skate, time in the weight room: It didn't matter. He just wanted to go. "Everyone expects it's going to take a long time, but you want to go hard," Nokelainen said, "especially when you're young. It's not that easy."

Sullo, of course, wouldn't let him. As much as Nokelainen wanted to be back from Day 1, he had to ease himself back into the grind of pro hockey after missing most of last season, his first in North America. "I think he ran on adrenaline in training camp," Sullo said. "He tried to make the big club. He got here, and everything kind of settled in. He got into the grind every day and got a little sore."

In the past few weeks, flashes of Nokelainen's potential have shone through, the speed, the powerful hitting, the defensive responsibility coupled with offensive potential that made him a first-round draft pick in 2004. "His skating has come a long way. He's 90, 95 percent of the way there," coach Dan Marshall said. "His conditioning has improved tremendously. At his peak, Nokelainen will be an NHL player, as he was last year as a 19-year-old. An unlucky condition last year cut short that first season.

Nokelainen began feeling discomfort in his left knee in 2005 in training camp, he said. That discomfort progressed to pain, and by November, there were times he could barely even walk, let alone skate. The team shut him down. Culprits included the construction of his knee — the tendons and ligaments and muscles aligned in a way that led to pain — and the fact he was still growing as a teen-ager. Rest and rehabilitation didn't do the trick, so he had surgery in April. "I didn't know what was going on," Nokelainen said. "I rehabbed for five months, and then with the surgery, I lost the whole summer, too."

Doctors told him he probably wouldn't feel at full strength for about a year. The plan was to get him to Bridgeport, ease him into the daily grind and give him the odd day off. "I'd go to sit him out, and it would be like I popped his balloon," Sullo said. "But it's hard when you're coming off losing a year at 20 years old."

Then, in late October, Nokelainen pulled a groin; the same thing happened in the spring when he tried to come back.

"Any injury is bad," Sullo said, "but timing-wise, he was on the edge. He was sore some days, good others. He got two and a half weeks to just rest."

Nokelainen hasn't missed a game since, even working through the perennial AHL mental challenge of playing three games in three nights while continuing to rehab. "It's going to take, still, a couple of months to get into my best shape — of course, you can always get in better shape," Nokelainen said. Marshall's biggest hope is that Nokelainen won't be so hard on himself, more mentally than physically. He says Nokelainen can obsess over one mistake and let it carry over to future shifts. "(Tuesday) night, his line got on a roll. They were the best line on the ice," Marshall said. "Then I lose him for two or three shifts — 'I should have had that goal.' You learn from it but don't worry about it."

When that happens, Nokelainen has the tools to be an excellent player in both ends of the ice in this league. And you know he can't wait to get there. "It's fun to play again," Nokelainen said, "without pain."

The Nokelainen file

WHO — Petteri Nokelainen

AGE — 20

VITALS — 6-foot-1, 190 pounds

POSITION — Center

SHOOTS — Right

RESUME — Has a goal and five assists this season, coming back from surgery to alleviate patellar tendonitis. ... Played only 15 games last season for the New York Islanders in his North America debut. ... Strong junior career in native Finland made him a first-round draft pick in 2004. ... One of the Islanders' best all-around prospects.

Connpost.com 2006-07 Player Capsule

NAME — Petteri Nokelainen
NUMBER — 29
POSITION — Center
SHOOTS — Right
VITALS — 6-1, 190
BORN — Jan. 16, 1986, Imatra, Finland
LAST SEASON — N.Y. Islanders (15: 1-1-2)
RESUME — One of the Islanders' best all-around prospects, his rookie year was cut short by patella tendonitis last year. ... April surgery has him healthy now. ... World Junior linemates Lauri Korpikoski (Rangers) and Lauri Tukonen (Los Angeles) were both first-round draft picks in the same 2004 NHL Entry Draft when he was picked 16th.

Nokelainen begins comeback bid with Tigers
by Michael Fornabaio, connpost.com, Sept. 26, 2006

SHELTON — Would Petteri Nokelainen like to be where he was last year, skating for the New York Islanders, impressing fans and the organization with his tough and skilled play? Of course Nokelainen would, except for one thing.

Being here with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers will give him one great advantage: time.

Coming off a difficult injury that cost him all but 15 games of his rookie season, Nokelainen, 20, needs time to play his way back to game shape. "I can feel that I need ice time," said Nokelainen, who underwent surgery in April for patella tendinitis. "It's going to take a while."

Nokelainen, the 16th pick in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft, is scheduled to play tonight, when the Sound Tigers begin five preseason games in six nights. They play Hartford at the Danbury Ice Arena at 7:30. He could be joined on a line with Robert Nilsson and Frans Nielsen, who were also among 31 players who began the Sound Tigers' training camp Monday morning.

Because of the knee problems, Nokelainen didn't play between Nov. 3 and March 29 of last season. He then played only three more games before being shut down for the year. "Now, it's good," said Nokelainen, who probably would have skated in the playoffs for Bridgeport if not for the injury. "When it was bad, it was just like putting a knife in my knee. I couldn't even walk last year when it got bad, but right now it feels good."

If it feels good and if Nokelainen puts his game together quickly, opposing teams will have a dangerous, 6-foot-1, 191-pound player on their hands. "He's the kind of kid you want in your lineup every night," Sound Tigers coach Dan Marshall said after his first day of practice as a pro head coach. "He plays hard. He can be a power forward, he can play gritty, and he can play with the skill guys, too."

Marshall will give him all the time he can handle, beginning tonight. "I think his mind and his heart are there, and obviously his body has a little ways to go," Marshall said. Tonight's game and Wednesday's against Providence at URI will serve to evaluate the group, Marshall said.

2005-06 Update: May 1, 2006 Update: After returning to the Islanders lineup, Nokelainen was forced out once again by his knee injury. He played 3 games upon his return, last playing in the Islanders 4-1 loss to the Philadelphia Flyers on April 2nd. He had surgery to repair the patella tendonitis only days after the April 2nd game and the Islanders are hoping he can make a recovery in time for training camp in September. As mentioned in last months update, Nokelainen returned but his stride was a bit off. He has a promising career and hopefully this injury will be taken care of so he can put it behind him. Due to the knee injury, Nokelainen saw action in only 15 games for the Islanders in 2005-06 and he missed a total of 67 games.

April 1, 2006 Update: Petteri Nokelainen returned to the Islanders lineup on March 29th at the Nassau Coliseum against the New York Rangers after missing 59 games with patella tendonitis. Out since November 2nd, the Islanders tried to avoid surgery and rehab the injury. Still, Nokelainen does not look to be the same as he is possibly out of shape and at times not skating very well. In his first game back he did return with a bang on his first shift, crunching Darius Kasparaitis against the boards along with another Islander. He has played in the last two games.

March 1, 2006 Update: Petteri Nokelainen has missed the last 49 games for the Islanders with patella tendonitis. Recent news had Nokelainen returning and skating in practice, but coach Brad Shaw recently stated Nokelainen had a little setback. There still is hope Nokelainen will be able to return to practice and games before the season is over. But the longer it goes the more likely his season may be shut down. 

February 1, 2006 Update: Petteri Nokelainen has missed the last 43 games for the Islanders with what is being termed patella tendonitis. Not much is known right now about his future and whether he will need some type of surgery, which has many Islander fans worried about their 2004 first round draft pick. It's starting to look like he won't return in 2005-06 and the Islanders have not made an official statement concerning the matter. 

January 1, 2006 Update: Nokelainen still has not returned from the injured reserve and his patella tendonitis injury. He has missed a total of 25 games. Depending on how well he was playing with the Islanders, Nokelainen may have been released to play for Finland in the 2006 World Junior Championships. Finland went on to win the Bronze Medal and both of Nokelainen's old linemates Lauri Tukonen and Lauri Korpikoski played on the team.

December 1, 2005 Update: Nokelainen has not played for the Islanders since November 1, 2005 against the Boston Bruins. Following that game it was announced that he would be out of the lineup indefinitely with patella tendonitis in his right knee, an injury he may have received during a pile up behind the opposing net in a game on October 30, 2005 vs. the Buffalo Sabres. He was eventually placed on injured reserve which under the new CBA requires that he remains out for 10 games or 24 days.

Petteri Nokelainen recorded his first NHL goal and assist in a 5-3 win at Washington on October 13, 2005. He has impressed onlookers with his energy and willingness to give 110% each shift.

Islanders Reportedly Sign Petteri Nokelainen
August 19, 2005: One day after news came out from Sweden that the Islanders had signed 2003 fitst round pick Robert Nilsson, it is being reported by a well known source, jatkoaika.com, that the Islanders have agreed to a deal with 2004 first round selection C Petteri Nokelainen.

No doubt Nokelainen will surely be in camp in a few weeks and join Nilsson in their quests to make the New York Islanders lineup. Nokelainen, 19, joins the Islanders coming off his best season in the Finnish top league having scored 15 goals and 20 points in 52 games played. He has been one of Finlands leading young players in the last two World Junior Championships. Petteri left his team SaiPa Lappeenranta, where he played for the last 4 years, and was to play for the Espoo Blues in the Finnish Elite League in 2005-06. Obviously this changes those plans.

I will try to get more translated from the article on jatkoaika as soon as possible. The only thing I could make out on possible salary was $600,000. It's most likely the term of the contract will be the standard three year rookie deal.

August 20, 2005 Update: Thanks to Sasha Huttunen of EspooBlues.net, who informed me that the $600,000 is actually the transfer fee that the Islanders will be paying SaiPa, the team that Nokelainen has grown up with, to allow him to come over to North America and play in the NHL.

Isles like Nokelainen's potential
By John McGourty | NHL.com
March 16, 2005

Center Petteri Nokelainen, the club's first pick, 16th overall, in the 2004 Entry Draft is having a good season for SaiPa Lappeenranta in the top Finnish league. He's a 6-foot-1, 200-pound center who plays a tough two-way game. Nokelainen has good offensive skills. He tied for the scoring lead in the 2004 World Under-18 tournament and played very well in the 2005 World Juniors.

USA Today said he was the biggest surprise at the World Juniors, noting he has a "distinctly North American style and generally arrived at the net in ill humor. He's excellent at working along the boards and projects as a first-unit penalty killer. If there's a downside, he's not the fastest skater. On the upside, he has great determination."

"He had a good season last year, his first in the Finnish Elite League, while playing on a team that wasn't too strong," said Tony Feltrin, the Islanders' head amateur scout. "He competes hard every night and has good skills. He has a good overall picture of the game and likes to play physical. He can finish in tight places and he makes plays. He's versatile in that he can play in all situations and he can play all three forward positions. He's a center who plays very well on the right wing and can also play on his off-wing. His preference is center, but we don't mind seeing him learning on the wing. He's more than capable at either position. We wanted to draft an NHL player, that's the first goal. I have a preference where I want him to play, but we'll keep that to ourselves for awhile.

"We really like his willingness to go into traffic and make space for himself, whether he's in front of the net or along the boards."

From THN:

C Petteri Nokelainen
Born: January 16, 1986, Imatra, Finland
2003-04: SaiPa Lappeenranta
Central Scouting: No. 10 European skater
Here's a guy who has more or less the same skills as the top-rated Finn in the draft, No. 4 Lauri Tukonen, but doesn't use them as well. Petteri Nokelainen plays the defensive side of the game better than the Finns ranked ahead of him, but scouts want more production. The 11 points he had at the world under-18s were not a fluke, but he had great linemates. "He is a good penalty killer and a great team player," said a European scout. The feeling is Nokelainen is a second-line player who will surprise you some nights by showing you the skill and finesse of a first-liner." He competes, has great hands and is dependable and reliable," said an NHL executive. Nokelainen spent the season in Finland's top league and while he did not have great numbers, he established himself as a solid two-way citizen. What's unique is Nokelainen missed some league games because of school. It's usually the opposite case for most players. "He takes his studies seriously," said a scout.
The Hockey News says: Two-way forward. Ranked 25th

Central Scouting Bureau: Petteri Nokelainen

An agile skater with speed, intensity and balance....a complete all-round player....has good size, vision, skills and hockey sense....is strong on his skates....can pass and create scoring chances while under pressure....has good hands....has a quick dangerous wrist shot....can score and makes things happen around the net....a very good competitor....works hard in all three zones....effective forechecker....a strong player who plays a physical game....effective two-way forward....very useful in shorthand situations....a leader on the ice....one of the youngest players in the Finnish senior league this season--a regular SaiPa....started as a winger, ended up playing center on the first unit....member of Team Finland at 2004 World Junior Championships....a solid team player....a good student.

Isles Scouts: "This is a guy who brings it every shift, night-in, night-out," said Islanders' European scout Ryan Jankowski. "Nokelainen is a guy who is very aggressive and has some outstanding leadership qualities. Plus, he has offensive instincts as well when he's in position to score."

"The mandate for our scouts was to look for a player with exceptional character combined with skill," said GM Mike Milbury. "We got that in Nokelainen. He has great character and leadership potential."

Said Jankowski: "This is a player who'll put you through the boards if he gets the opportunity. He's a hound for the puck and wins most of his one on one battles. He has the potential to be a captain in this league one day. He's a heart and soul type of player. We were hoping as a staff that's we'd be able to get this player."

From Hockeysfuture:
Profile Contributed By: Pekka Lampinen

History

Nokelainen played for the junior teams of Ketterä until the age of fifteen, when he moved to play for the elite league organization, SaiPa, in the neighboring town. He has always been a regular for the junior national teams and played his first two professional games at the end of the 2002-03 season, scoring his first goal in the latter. SaiPa struggled mightily in Nokelainen's draft year. His linemates changed constantly in the second and third lines, but he remained, going back to juniors only on occasion to help the team. He also made the WJC team, where a notable defensive role was unique to a Finnish forward of his age.

Future

Nokelainen has played a smart defensive game against professionals since day one, so he may be ready for such a role sooner than expected. Other than that possibility, he seems to follow a development curve typical of Nordic players.

Redline Report: 1/22/04
Following the WJC's

Our choice for biggest gainer on the charts is Petteri Nokelainen, the big Finnish winger who played a distinctly North American style and generally arrived at the net in ill humour. We knew we had him too low on our list going in, but we never suspected he'd be the most impressive of all the Scandinavian draft-eligibles in the tourney. There's no way we can keep him out of our first round, so he enters at #27.

Rising - Played a strong two-way game for the Finns in Helsinki and showed lots of offensive potential and jam. Made a huge jump up into the first round.

General: Played on the high-octane Finnish Under-18 line with the ‘Lauries’ (Korpikoski and Tukonen) and served as a physical energy forward with surprising offensive gumption.

TSN.ca:

Lowdown: His statistics in the Finnish Senior League were unimpressive, but he was among the youngest players in the circuit. His commitment to defense distinguished him, particularly for someone his age. He also saw a lot of time killing penalties. Good skater is hard to knock off balance. Has a lot of skills, although some question his desire to use them. Adroit passer also is good around the net with a dangerous wrist shot. Playing on a line with fellow prospects Lauri Tukonen and Lauri Korpikoski, he averaged nearly two points a game at the World Under-18 Championships. Ranked 10th among European prospects by NHL Central Scouting.

TSN SCOUTING NOTE: Nokelainen represented Finland this year at the 2004 World Junior Hockey Championship and at the Five Nations Under-18 Tournament. He also shared the scoring title at the 2004 World Under-18 Championship with five goals and six assists.

From Forecaster.ca:

Scouting Report: Centered the best scoring line at the 2004 World under-18 tournament in Minsk (along with fellow 2004 draftees Lauri Tukonen and Lauri Korpikoski), and produced 11 points in six games. Saw limited playing time at the 2004 WJC, but did appear in 40 games with SaiPa Lappeenranta of the Finnish SM-Liiga in 2003-04. Possesses a good frame for the pivot position but must add more bulk to his 6-1 frame. Like many of his countrymen, he plays a sound two-way game and generally limits mistakes. Is not as flashy as either Tukonen or Korpikoski but should still enjoy a lengthy NHL career because of his all-around ability.

Impact: The Islanders were expected to take a major reach in Round 1, but instead go the safer route with the selection of Nokelainen. The big Finn should be an NHLer fairly soon, and may one day play on the Isles' checking line alongside countryman Sean Bergenheim. The only question with regards to the selection of Nokelainen is: Does he have enough offensive upside?