The Toronto Maple Leafs selected Finnnish Right Winger Veeti Miettinen with the 168th overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft.
Miettinen played with Kiekko-Espoo U20 “A” in the Jr. A SM-Liiga last season and is committed to St. Cloud State University of the NCAA for this season. Mietten had 42 goals, 31 assists in 52 games in 2019-20, and made the Jr A SM-Liiga all star team.
The Elite Prospects Draft Guide has this to say about our newest draft pick.
Miettinen has a quality release that helps generate an effective and effortless wrist shot. He’s a real power play threat from the half-wall. Miettinen can find players in the seam and in the slot. He has good edges, and he flashes very good speed. He can change his speed and surprise defenders with quick bursts, with good four-step acceleration
The Hockey Writers write this:
Although he may be small in stature, Miettinen makes up for it with his speed and skill. Capable of outskating defenders, he uses his speed to gain time and space for his teammates. Using his great vision, he is able to find teammates in the slot and set them up for great scoring chances.
What really sets Miettinen apart from others though is his scoring ability. He has the unique ability to find open space and he makes the opponents pay. He is not afraid to go to the net to find the loose puck and is rewarded for his efforts more often than not. He also has a lethal shot. When given time and space, Miettinen is able to get his shot off in a hurry and makes his opponents pay more often than not.
In a look at deep draft picks from Europe, Brigstew found these stats about Miettinen:
- Set the all-time league record for goals in a season with 42 in 52 games.
- Led the league in points with 73.
- Was basically his team’s entire offense, with the 2nd best teammate having exactly half as many goals (21 vs 42) and only two-thirds the points (49 to 73).
- Finished tied for 4th on Finland’s Hlinka team with 3 points in 4 games, tied for second in goals with 2./
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Full Stats for Miettinen can be found here:
