We've already talked about a handful of Blue Jackets draft prospects, and it seems like Columbus put together a solid group of players despite the buzz surrounding the franchise.
One member of that group is a player who is a rare case of a draft-eligible prospect who has professional hockey experience dropping into the sixth round.
Anttoni Uronen is who I am referring to, and he is yet another player who fits the theme of the Blue Jackets draft as his pro experience combined with a gritty playstyle allows him to have a pretty high floor.
He is a mature player who knows his role
Uronen played 14 games in Finland's U20 league before being called up to HIFK in Finland's top pro league, Liiga, where he played 27 games. For those not familiar with Finnish hockey, the level of competition is generally comparable to that of the AHL.
Uronen scored two goals and eight assists in those games, bringing some solid offense despite the focus of his game being hustle, energy, and even some physicality. He just turned 18 about a week ago, so being able to keep up with grown men as a 17-year-old is a good sign.
He also represented Finland at the national level, serving as an alternate captain at the U18 worlds, scoring two points in five games.
Anttoni isn't much of a play driver himself, but he excels at keeping the play alive, moving the puck and making simple but smart passes to let his teammates take control of the play, which is where he got most of his assists.
He is a very active player, which does lead to takeaways, but sometimes he can be overactive to the point of leaving his assignment in the defensive zone, which can be an issue against aggressive offenses, and would be an issue on the penalty kill.
While I wouldn't say Uronen is a particularly large player, he definitely isn't small at 6'1, 200 pounds. He brings physicality not necessarily by landing hits, but rather by using his frame to protect the puck offensively or dig into puck battles along the boards.
He also takes hits from opponents extremely well, very rarely losing his balance or being taken out of the play for long. He's a decent straight-line skater but doesn't have great agility or finesse.
Generally, I'm pleasantly surprised with how well Uronen fit in at the top level, as his compete level and the physicality I've mentioned a few times really makes up for a relative lack of experience and lesser technical skills.
Overall, he is a player who thrives in the transition game but isn't decisive enough to be particularly impactful when the game slows down at either end of the ice.
Because of this and not a whole lot of offensive upside from this admittedly small sample size, it's hard to see Uronen becoming anything more than a bottom-six player in the NHL if his development in Finland goes well.
But this is clearly a role that he has experience in and seems to enjoy, as he kept this style of play even when he moved up in the lineup, even featuring in the top six a couple times over the course of the season.
It's not the most exciting pick of the draft, but finding a player with this type of experience early in his career all the way back in the sixth round can definitely be seen as a positive, especially when his production seemed to be pretty consistent.
It will be interesting to see how much time, if any, he spends in his club's junior program before returning to the professional level. If he can continue to improve his offensive game, he should have a pretty decent chance to join the Blue Jackets organization within a few years.
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