Ville Pokka breaks out of the mold proximity Chicago for Swedish defender, but he is going to quickly become your favorite Finn this side Stormtrooper FN-2187. 22-year-old is coming off a very good AHL season it was recently described as a "warrior-like mentality," an official of the Blackhawks Jersey and won a seat in the team Finland at the World Hockey Championship.
It will never be the fastest or the flashiest player on the ice, but ice hockey Pokka received the IQ, work ethic and defense potential to fit into the top four in defense in the NHL soon. We'll see if he can crack a deep team of Chicago in 2016-17, to get this opportunity.
Breaking
Perhaps the most remarkable part of Pokka its rating and that he is the first member of the TOP-25 Blackhawk and 25, which will be acquired by trade. Any other perspective on this before Pokka was either drafted or signed as undrafted free agent. That's what happens when you win-now team, which usually trades of young talent for veterans, and not vice versa.
Pokka was purchased two years ago as part of trade Leddy, who joined the glorious time when the Hawks were stacked so they could trade Leddy and still amazing. The other two parts of this trade did not materialize, though, so Pokka Hawks really only hope to get some real benefits from the solution of one of the best young defenders in the league.
The good news is that Pokka has developed steadily in a very good prospect defenseman. Last season with the Rockford IceHogs, he was arguably the best player as the team leader in assists, shots on goal and minutes. Marc Bernard, director of hockey administration Hawks and GM minor league affiliation, crumbled in a conversation about Pokka in a recent interview with the team's website.
"It did not look enough. When a player is able to play in every game, it shows that they have a warrior-type mentality. They play through all the little injuries and disease. It's hard to go 76 games and not be struck up or not feel better, and Ville brings it every night. it has a great work ethic, is another player who has played very well in the world Cup [against Finland], and he's going on the world hockey championship, so it should be very good state of mind when it comes to Chicago for training camp and trying to make the team. he was great for us. he led all defenders of our power play, so it was a big piece of our offense last year and is a very consistent player. "
Pokka may not look like a warrior, considering that he usually got gleeful child smile on his face in most of his paintings, but there was a steady praise for his hockey IQ and intangible assets around the world hockey. When ESPN Corey Pronman takes Pokka number 77 on its top 120 list, he noted that the Finn "is not the biggest or the fastest player, but his great two-way hockey sense of making it a legitimate prospect. It effectively moves the puck, he did not hurt his team, and it is capable of defensive ".
To be fair, it sounds like a player that Joel Quenneville has the potential to love. Not only that, it seems, makes coach meaner than the defender who makes mistakes in their end, and sometimes struggled to clear the area. If Pokka got a good head on your shoulders and can make the smart play system in Chicago, he might be able to quickly acclimate themselves, even if it is not quite the athlete that, say, Trevor Daley was.
Last season in the AHL, Pokka has recorded 10 goals and 45 points in 76 games. He also had two assists in 10 games with Finland at the World Cup in Russia, where he won a silver medal to add to the gold medal he won at the World Junior Championships in 2014. This month, it will look to add to his collection equipment ice hockey world championship in Toronto.
Between success in the AHL, and on the international circuit and praise from those both inside and outside the organization, progress Pokka, it seems to be going well. He may not have the highest growth potential, but he should be ready for the NHL shot in the near future, and it will be interesting to see what he can do.
What's next in 2016-17
Pokka will be prepared for the role by many NHL teams, but in Chicago, he will fight for playing time on a deep roster. FIFA World Cup and training camp to give him any chance to really impress the coaching staff. Hawks already have their top four set with Duncan Keith, Hjalmarsson, Brent Seabrook and Brian Campbell, but that leaves Pokka compete with Michal Kempny, Trevor van Riemsdyk, Rozsival, Erik Gustafsson, Viktor Svedberg and fellow top prospect Forsling Gustav for the last three places in the registry.
Although there is a good chance that he is one of the top three players on the list, it will not be surprising if Pokka again in Rockford to start this season. Nevertheless, close to Pokka NHL ready, so that even if there is no direct discovery, it must be adjacent to the front line as a result of injury or some other problem.
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