Eeli Tolvanen: Taking the KHL By Storm

In the weeks leading up to the draft it was pretty unclear who would be available when the Nashville Predators would be ready to pick at the end of the first round. With the depth of talent in the back half of the round, there was numerous ways it could've played out. I spent countless hours leading up to the draft trying to form reports on all of the prospects I believed would be around at the Predators pick, none of those names were Eeli Tolvanen.

I had watched Tolvanen in international tournaments previously, and believed with near certainty that he would be a surefire top-15 pick. He had arguably the best shot in the draft along with Owen Tippett, had great speed and skill, and had a ton of traits that you would want out of a top line sniper.

I watched the first round of the draft as the other franchises tried to improve their teams. None of these picks were the speedy sniper from Finland. After a completely unpredicted fall down the draft board, the Nashville Predators walked up to the podium and selected Eeli Tolvanen with the 30th pick. I was shocked. There was absolutely no reason a prospect of this caliber should have ever been available where the Predators selected.

There were questions being raised over where Tolvanen would play during the 2017-18 season. Boston College, where he was set to play, had just rejected him for academic reasons. His junior rights were owned by the Oshawa Generals of the OHL, he could go straight to the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL, or could find another team over in Europe. He ended up signing a two year contract with Jokerit Helsinki in the KHL, with a player's option for the second season.

Tolvanen quickly began turning heads in preseason action with Jokerit. True 18 year olds rarely flash playing against men in the KHL. But with each passing shift Tolvanen was showing everybody that he deserved to be there. He earned more minutes, he earned a bigger role, and on opening night of Jokerit’s regular season, Tolvanen was slotted on Jokerit’s second line and first power play unit. He exploded out the gate in his first professional game, earning a hat trick in a four point night, and currently rests at 3G-3A-6PTS through 3GP, holding his own with the KHL elite. The following is tendencies and traits that I have found while watching his first three professional games.

The first thing that jumps out when watching Tolvanen play is his shot. He's a pure sniper and has an elite-level release. Tolvanen shoots the puck from anywhere on the ice, and he uses a subtle delay in his release to freeze up the opposing goalie and get him off of their angle. His shot is accurate, it is strong, and does he ever love to use it. Over the three games I often noticed Tolvanen letting his shot go from areas players normally don't shoot from, catching the goalie off guard and forcing them into an uncomfortable save. This trait demands respect from goalies. They can't cheat off of Tolvanen because they know he can score from anywhere. This can pull a goalie away from his teammates, opening them up and making it easier for them to score. Which leads to my next point, his playmaking.

After Tolvanen’s fall in the draft, I wondered if it could've come from being considered a “one-dimensional shooter”. But after watching him I quickly found out that this couldn't be farther from the truth. While he is no means a playmaker in the mold of Ryan Johansen, nor will he ever need to be, but he can make all of the passes you want to see from him in the offensive zone. Tolvanen has great vision in the opposing team’s zone. He has great instincts and knows where his linemates will be to feed them the puck. His game will never revolve around being the playmaker, but having the ability to get the puck to his linemates keeps the opposing team honest and can increase the effectiveness of his shot. All of this can be seen in action while watching Tolvanen during Jokerit’s power plays.

Tolvanen has earned time on Jokerit’s top power play unit, and has appeared right at home. He is most often playing from the top of his off-wing circle, the same spot where Alex Ovechkin or Patrik Laine would. Tolvanen operates the power play calmly and with much more poise than most 18 year olds would playing alongside men that have as much as a decade more professional experience than he does. He moves the puck efficiently to teammates, always putting his passes in a good spots and rarely handcuffing anyone. This keeps everything moving swiftly in the unit and opens up shots for himself and his teammates. Tolvanen looks right at home on the power play, he appears very comfortable, and it really gives an opportunity for him to showcase his skills. However, his game isn't perfect yet by any means.

Tolvanen’s defensive game is far from polished. This, of course, is something that can be fixed with good coaching. Tolvanen shows an active interest in his own zone, and shows the hustle that is needed in one’s defensive game. The effort is certainly there, Tolvanen is a fantastic backchecker. He does a good job identifying which man is his while coming back, uses his speed to get to them, and uses an active stick to make them uncomfortable. This effort on his backchecks leads me to believe that he should become a much more well-rounded player in the defensive zone through coaching. All the effort and hustle is there, he just needs to learn how to read plays better, clog up passing lanes better, and not get lost as opposing players shift and roll in his zone. Tolvanen is also not afraid of contact. Although he is a smaller player, listed around 5’10” 180 lbs, he has a strong lower body and isn't afraid to fight for pucks along the boards. He isn't overly physical, he’ll never sniff out contact or create it, but he can hold his own physically when he needs to. As he develops as a player on his path to the NHL, he should become a more well rounded player and be more responsible in his own end. It will come with time and experience.

Now of course this has all been things I have observed over the course of Tolvanen’s first three career games. Being that he has had such a blazing start to the season, his numbers are bound to come back down to earth at some point. Even still, Tolvanen is right on track to have one of the greatest seasons by an 18 year old in KHL history. There’s going to be bumps and snags along the way, but there is so much offensive potential with him that it is impossible not to be excited for his future. Tolvanen is the best prospect that the Predators currently have, and watching him develop as this season goes on will be a delight to Preds fans, so let's all enjoy it.