Claimed:Rookie Profile: Niklas Kurri [Final 8/8]

[nikkurri17 109]

Niklas Kurri - Center - #17




Player Info


Name: Niklas Kurri

Age: 18

Height: 6'2

Weight: 202 lbs

Born: Helsinki, Finland

Position: Center

Shoots: Right

Team: Unrestricted Free Agent


Player Bio


Niklas Kurri had a decent rookie season in the Victory Hockey League, playing for the Western Conference's Seattle Bears. Kurri is a native of Helsinki, Finland and is the nephew of former NHL star, Hall Of Famer Jari Kurri. Niklas won the Season 41 Yzerman Award as the VHLM's top 2-way forward. Niklas Kurri scored 16 goals for the Bears in his rookie season and added 20 assists. Kurri showed a tendency to fire the puck on net, recording over 200 shots on goal. Kurri was also a physical presence for Seattle, finishing the season with over 150 hits.


Strengths


Skating - One are that Kurri has focused on developing into a key component of his game is his skating ability. Niklas is a strong skater with good size and a powerful skating stride. Kurri is strong on the puck and uses his powerful stride down low in the corners to work the cycle and create scoring opportunity's for himself and his teammates. Kurri does not posses elite level speed but accelerates quickly and uses his powerful stride to catch unsuspecting defenders off guard.

Defense - Defensive play has always been a key component to Kurri's game. Niklas was a dominant player for during his VHLM career, which he spent primarily with the Saskatoon Wild. Kurri's strong two-way play culminated with the center winning the Yzerman trophy. Nik finished his rookie season as a plus/minus -18. Kurri got off to a very rough start in this department but turned things around in the 2nd half of the season, despite Seattle's season going downhill. Kurri prides himself on being reliable in all three zones and looks to be a solid penalty killer in the future. Seattle did not play Kurri in many defensive situations.

Physicality - Kurri is a very physical player and uses this to his advantage. Kurri's physicality is one area of his game that transitioned very well to the VHL. Kurri loves to take the body and seems to hit everything that moves when he is on his game. When retrieving loose pucks in the corner, opposing defenders need to be aware of where Kurri is on the ice. Kurri finished his rookie season in Seattle with 158 hits. Kurri is improving his overall strength and should continue to become a physical force for whatever team he ends up with.


Weaknesses


Passing - Niklas looks to shoot first and at times can overlook open teammates and fire low percentage shots. Kurri also is prone to forcing passes to teammates who are not in a advantages position which in turn results in turnovers. As Kurri continues to work on his puck handling skills and gains experience in the league, this is an area of his game that could definitely improve.

Face-Offs - Face-offs are a area that Kurri was impressive in at the VHLM level. Kurri's technique was not adequate for the VHL and the rookie center won just 46% of his draws. Kurri needs to get stronger if he is going to win face-offs on a consistent basis at the professional level.

Consistency - The biggest issue that has prevented significant progress during Kurri's career is his dedication off the ice, to improving his game on the ice. At times Kurri looks like a future superstar, other times it seems like he's not doing anything to try to become a better player. Kurri will go through stretches where he is among the very best players on his team, other games he'll look like he's floating around the ice, with when he's going to get back to the bench being his biggest concern. Perhaps a change of scenery and a new training regimen will bring some consistency to the streaky Finn's game.
 
 
Summary


 
Niklas Kurri is an intriguing young forward who could still develop into a top notch 2-way forward at the VHL level. While it doesn't appear he will reach the level of greatness as his famous uncle, Kurri could still have a very successful professional career.

Edited April 25, 2015 by nikkurri17

[DollarAndADream 3,356]

Overview: 2/2 - Great article for a good developing free agent player. It will be interesting to see where you end up and how you do there.

 

Pros & Cons: 3/3 - Great! Everything is solid here.

 

Grammar: 2/2 - Only a few things

 

"One are that" - area

"opportunity's" - opportunities

"dominant player for during his VHLM career" - dominant player during his VHLM career

"are not in a advantages position" - advantageous

 

Presentation: 1/1 - Looks good.

 

Overall: 8/8

[CoachReilly 688]

Claimed