VHLM Spotlight: Kasper Saarinen

[der meister 3,238]

I thought it might be interesting to pick a random VHLM league leader and do a mini deep dive into them, so today we're starting with the league's leader in body checks, Kasper Saarinen. Managed by user @Gage2, Saarinen is a 6'3" Finn weighing 220 pounds and playing for the Saskatoon Wild. Drafted 18th overall, he looks like he's largely going to be a welfare / practice facility player as he only has 76 TPA. His most developed skills are Poke Checking and Defensive Coverage, which makes sense for a player of this style. In 18 games with the Wild he, perhaps surprisingly, has a goal and 8 assists. Aside from the unexpected offensive contributions, he's racked up 65 hits, 22 blocked shots, and 30 minutes in the sin bin, which makes him number 2 in the league in that category.

 

While his career has barely gotten started, his update log doesn't instill a lot of confidence for a future outside of the VHLM. Still, with his production at both ends of the ice, a full career as a VHLM journeyman could lead to a lot of success. As a side note, after writing up this week's media spot article which talks about the shortcomings of the Mississauga Hounds blueline, a player like this could be a welcome addition, whether this season or further down the line to shore up the back end.