Kraken select Forward Jani Nyman 49th overall

Ron decided to hit the ground running in his 2nd round tour of wonder, as the Kraken have a small goals boy, and now a HUGE GOALS BOY.

Jani Nyman comes to us from Finland’s minor league system; Mestis, where he played for the team KOOVEE and by all accounts, had a solid year for a 17 year old in a men’s league: Getting 35 points in 34 games, and leading KOOVEE in points in a rough year for them, though he helped them survive relegation. (Finnish ice hockey works like soccer, fwiw)

He’s a huge body who loves to cause havoc in front of the net, and has a lovely shot that has been the bane of a lot of Finnish goaltenders over the past year or so. Scouting reports seem to indicate that coaxing a little more speed out of him seems to be the development goal, as while he is quick on his feet, it’s up in the air whether or not he has truly game-changing speed waiting around in there somewhere.

Here’s a highlight reel for you (he’s the one wearing the gold helmet, as is tradition in Finland for leading scorers.)

Let’s all welcome Jani to the Seattle Kraken! Welcome to the deep!