Saku Kotkakoivu Scouting Report

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Saku Kotkakoivu

Height: 6'3"

Weight: 215 lbs

Birthplace:

Position: C

 

Saku Kotkakoivu, born in Finland, burst onto the scene in Season 78 when he signed a contract in the VHLM with the Mississauga Hounds. In that short 18 game stint at the end of the season, Saku managed to put up 6 goals and 10 assists, for 16 points in 18 games as a newcomer. He was a -9, so he definitely had to work on his defensive game, but Mississauga that season wasn't quite the contender yet that they would become in Season 79.

 

In Season 79, Saku Kotkakoivu was put into the VHLM Dispersal Draft and drafted to the Mexico City Kings. Saku had a very respectable season, putting up 39 goals and 40 assists, for 79 points in a full 72 game season. He even put up 65 hits, and only had 20 PIM on the season. 9 of those 39 goals were also on the power play. The Kings finished 48-17-7 and were one of the top teams in the VHLM. In the playoffs in S79, the Mexico City Kings swept the Philadelphia Reapers in the first round, and went on to face the top seeded Mississauga Hounds. That round was a scary one for Mexico City, where they lost the first 2 games, and wound up down 3-1 in the series. They battled back with 2 huge games, but ultimately lost out in Game 7 by a score of 5-4. Saku Kotkakoivu had 10 points in 11 playoff games.

 

Pros:

Shooting: Saku possesses a deadly wrist shot, which shows in his goal scoring stats. His release is very quick and some would compare it to Elias Pettersson in the NHL. It's always difficult for goalies to figure out which way the shot is going. He has been mainly working on his shooting since he came out of the cloning lab, being a mixture of Saku Koivu and Jesperi Kotkaniemi.

 

Skating: Saku has always been a very smooth skater, with strong strides and can outpace his opponents on the ice. It's not hard to spot him when he's on the ice, because comparing his turning and acceleration can almost compare to Connor McDavid. Going the 200ft of the ice, Saku on a good day could beat any other VHLM player last season with his skating abilities.

 

Concentration: Kotkakoivu is always game for hockey. If you give him a goal, he will do 110% to reach that goal, and you cannot steer him away from it. If other players try to get in his face, or annoy him on the ice, he won't have any of it. Saku gets back at agitators by scoring goals, and won't fight back physically.

 

Cons:

Physicality: As stated in the last pro, Saku at the moment is not a strong player. He won't be out there hitting guys off the puck, and he could be prone to losing it that way as well. Mind you, there is room for improvement there, but he currently shies away from the physical side of the game.

 

Passing: Currently, Saku has had some arguments with his coaches in the VHLM. He loves to shoot the puck a little too much, but that becomes apparent when you watch his passing abilities. He is a horrible passer, so most of his assists will come from him shooting a puck and his opponent scoring on the rebound.

 

While he has some negatives to his game, there is a lot of room here to improve. Saku has made it known that he will eliminate all of his cons, and turn them into pros. We look forward to the upcoming VHL Draft to see where he lands.