Kasper Kankkunen | Junior Review

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Zinger! Podcast

 Prospect Junior Review

 

 Kasper Kankkunen

 6'0" 200lbs, 18yrs RD

 

We've been watching this kid since his first year in high school and boy let me tell you he is a treat to have on the blue line, he can shoot from anywhere in the offensive zone, grinds hard for the puck and doesn't take his foot off the pedal until the final buzzer

 

Yeah Jeff, Kasper Kankkunen is no joke and shouldn't be slept on because of his last minute decision to join the VHLM draft, I like the way he involves his teammates and gets the puck flying around like a pinball, definitely going to be treat for any team needing a hot shot on the point

 

Well let's get to it and start from the beginning, remember the size of Kasper whenever he walked into the arena for the first time?

 

Yeah I do Jeff and Kankkunen doesn't want us to bring it up but that kid weighed a whopping 125 pounds and nobody expected him to make the team..

 

A good meal and steady routine will do it and that's exactly what he did, corn, pancakes and spaghetti on rotation for this young man, thanks to his mother

 

That's exactly right Jeff, mother May should be happy she can put down the spatula now

 

Alright Grade 9, 34 games played of a possible 54 but no points.. What happened?

 

Jeff the best way to find out a problem in somebodies game is to following their head movements, if you look closely at this clip Kasper was in the clouds most of his shifts early on, with some help from his teammates we started to see a more motivated player later in games whenever he was exhausted, not the condition you want to be when the game's on the line

 

Moving on... We see a more active player in Grade 10 as his numbers become relevant, 54 games played, 10 goals scored and 15 assists obtained. Still not a lot of punch in his game yet but with help from senior teammates Kankkunen started to follow plays better and his attention to detail was starting to develop. "If he can continue to maintain healthy eating habits, consistent routines and show up to practice more often I can see Kasper being our main option down the road." Says his coach

 

Let me tell you Jeff, showing up late to practice doesn't do a thing!

 

You're nuts! Practice makes perfect and scouts knew that was going to be one of his downfalls, as long as he can put the puck in the net I'm sure any team would be happy to have his skills

Jeff I'm hungry can we take a break

 

Okay next up is Grade 11, the breakout. It was hot and the summer was long but this year we see a totally changed man, new equipment (except for his stick), 50 pounds of body weight gained and tons of opportunities for ice-time on a depleted roster that contained junior players

 

That's right Jeff and his teammates were scared to come near him on the ice, giving him tons of confidence for the beginning of the year, when all was said and done and the dust settled his high school team won the championship and Kasper racked up 108 points in 54 games, 39 goals + 69 assists

 

He broke several records too, most points, goals and assists as a defender and that's not just for his high school.. the whole league!

 

Not to mention he broke the record for most game winning goals in a season with 28, Jeff. Kid knows how to score at the right times

 

Lastly we need to talk about Grade 12, when the scouts started calling. It didn't take long, Kankkunen had calls from scouts all over the place after his amazing season but things would take a turn for the worse when Kasper goes down with a leg injury

 

My heart broke Jeff, here's a clip of that scary hit in the corner. Thank god he was able to walk off the ice and eventually make a full return right before the playoffs

 

Yeah and that dangerous hit should have been reviewed but thankfully memories fade quickly as we see Kankkunen win back-to-back championships in only 15 games played, in that time he was able to light the red light 10 times and get 20 assists

 

Jeff, do you think the scouts will start calling soon?

 

Well since the injury many new names have popped up and a few scouts still keep in contact with the youngster, time will tell and it's too early to say but I believe Kasper Kankkunen will be an impact player in the VHLM, mark my words

 

That's all we have for you today, thanks for tuning in, I'm your host and this is Jeff. See you next time!

 

          

 

Edited July 14, 2020 by Z16