In the fifth round of the 2013 NHL Draft, the Nashville Predators stocked up on the wing and on defense, taking winger Saku Maenalanen at the 125th overall pick, and defenseman Teemu Kivihalme at #140. Maenalanen is a 6’3″ 176 lb. forward with room to fill out physically, while Kivihalme is much smaller, at 5’11” and 158 pounds.
Check out the quick trigger by Maenalanen while playing for Finland at an Under-20 tournament:
Kivihalme sounds like a project with potential:
NSH takes Kivilhalme. HS D who skates at a high level and can make quality offensive plays. All-around game will take time.
— Corey Pronman (@coreypronman) July 1, 2013
While his parents are from Finland, he’s a born & raised Minnesota boy who still has some Euro flair to his game, as described by Chris Dilks at Western College Hockey Blog:
He’s an incredibly smooth, graceful skater, that moves laterally very well, with decent top end speed. The other asset that made him a bit of a darling with NHL Central Scouting this year is that he plays the type of European-style puck-possession game that is becoming more and more popular in the NHL. And while he’s still prone to the occasional mental mistakes of youth, he generally seems to have a pretty good sense and understanding of the game, and sees the ice well.
For another profile on Kivihalme, check out Buzzing the Net. And hey, he’s a Hunger Games fan, so he should be prepared to compete for a job at training camp: