Calle Janrkok (Credit: Brynas IF)
You can tell Hakan Andersson doesn’t want to answer the question when asked who’s a better prospect — Calle Jarnkrok or Teemu Pulkkinen.
But when the Detroit Red Wings director of European scouting is pressed to pick between two players who have taken nothing but positive strides this season, it’s Jarnkrok — by a hair — for now.
“Jarnkrok, for better work ethic,” Andersson said. “Pulkkinen has a lot of talent. He has a great shot that he doesn’t use enough, he’s got good sense, he’s a good passer — just like Jarnkrok — but Jarnkrok really gives it everything he has, every shift, which is something that obviously can be taught, but it’s really nice when a player has it from the beginning.”
That’s what the Red Wings look for perhaps more than anything else in prospects, and it’s the kind of thing that helps a player develop beyond the expectations of the masses. Look no further than Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg for Exhibits A and B.
The 5-foot-11, 165-pound center led all junior-aged Swedish Elite League players in scoring this season, collecting 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 49 games with Brynas. He also had two goals and three assists in six games at the IIHF world junior championship in December and January.
Andersson said Jarnkrok wore down a little bit late in the season due to his lack of strength and the high number of games played, but otherwise raved about 19-year-old’s upside as a potential top-six forward.
“I think he proved during the world juniors, he’s going to be a very good player,” Andersson said. “He’s got all the other stuff, like the hockey sense, the hands, and very good work ethic.”
In the playoffs, Jarnkrok had three goals in three games before separating his shoulder. It’s a big off-season setback for Jarnkrok, who “can’t do anything for three months,” according to Andersson. He’ll now spend the summer on rehab instead of advancement.
As for Pulkkinen, all he did was average nearly a point per game in the Finnish SM-Liiga as a 19-year-old, producing 18 goals and 36 assists for 54 points in 55 games for Jokerit Helsinki. The 5-foot-11, 183-pound right-winger even broke Teemu Selanne’s 20-year-old single-season record for rookie assists.
“He had a hell of a year,” Andersson said.
NOTES: Right-winger Trevor Parkes (Montreal, QMJHL) saw his strong playoff run come to an end last week when his team was upset by underdog Lewiston. Parkes, a Patrick Eaves type, finished with six goals and three assists in 10 games … Parkes’s teammate, Louis-Marc Aubry, had five goals and an assist in 10 playoff games. He’s a very underrated prospect … Mitchell Callahan (Kelowna, WHL) is also done for the season. He had five goals and four assists in 10 playoff games … Left-winger Dick Axelsson (Farjestad, Swedish Elite League) won his second championship in three years and finished tied for seventh in league scoring with four goals and six assists in 14 post-season games.
Following is this week’s statistical report.
SKATERS: REGULAR-SEASON REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nestrasil, Andrej | P.E.I. | QMJHL | 58 | 19 | 51 | 70 | 40 | +13 | 160 |
| Fournier, Gleason | Rimouski | QMJHL | 57 | 12 | 32 | 44 | 58 | -4 | 106 |
| Aubry, Louis-Marc | Montreal | QMJHL | 35 | 13 | 12 | 25 | 26 | +8 | 98 |
| Parkes, Trevor | Montreal | QMJHL | 60 | 33 | 29 | 62 | 32 | +26 | 210 |
| Ferraro, Landon | Everett | WHL | 41 | 10 | 17 | 27 | 51 | -1 | – |
| Callahan, Mitchell | Kelowna | WHL | 62 | 23 | 31 | 54 | 87 | +4 | – |
| Macek, Brooks | Tri-City | WHL | 63 | 13 | 28 | 41 | 36 | -13 | – |
| Stolyarov, Gennady | Dynamo Msk | KHL | 20 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 23 | -8 | 32 |
| Pulkkinen, Teemu | Jokerit | FIN | 55 | 18 | 36 | 54 | 32 | +23 | – |
| Almqvist, Adam | HV-71 | SEL | 52 | 0 | 16 | 16 | 32 | +20 | 62 |
| Jarnkrok, Calle | Brynas | SEL | 49 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 4 | -3 | 77 |
| Axelsson, Dick | Farjestad | SEL | 47 | 15 | 15 | 30 | 126 | +4 | 90 |
| Axelsson, Anton | Timra | SEL | 28 | 5 | 8 | 13 | 4 | -2 | 25 |
| Samuelsson, Jesper | Vita Hasten | SWE-3 | 31 | 10 | 23 | 33 | 41 | +25 | 99 |
| Smith, Brendan | Grand Rapids | AHL | 63 | 12 | 20 | 32 | 124 | +7 | 114 |
| Mursak, Jan | Grand Rapids | AHL | 54 | 13 | 22 | 35 | 35 | +17 | 129 |
| Tatar, Tomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | 70 | 24 | 33 | 57 | 45 | +14 | 163 |
| Pare, Francis | Grand Rapids | AHL | 80 | 24 | 30 | 54 | 49 | -18 | 225 |
| Ehrhardt, Travis | Grand Rapids | AHL | 52 | 4 | 11 | 15 | 36 | 0 | 56 |
| Pyett, Logan | Grand Rapids | AHL | 74 | 9 | 13 | 22 | 38 | -8 | 144 |
| Andersson, Joakim | Grand Rapids | AHL | 79 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 30 | 0 | 107 |
| Emmerton, Cory | Grand Rapids | AHL | 65 | 12 | 26 | 38 | 26 | -1 | 127 |
| Coetzee, Willie | Grand Rapids | AHL | 25 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 8 | -7 | 42 |
| Kolosov, Sergei | Grand Rapids | AHL | 56 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 48 | -19 | 51 |
| Lashoff, Brian | Grand Rapids | AHL | 37 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 25 | -5 | 27 |
| Owens, Jordan | Grand Rapids | AHL | 60 | 6 | 14 | 20 | 101 | -12 | 95 |
| Filppula, Ilari | Grand Rapids | AHL | 76 | 20 | 44 | 64 | 24 | 0 | 133 |
| Raedeke, Brent | Grand Rapids | AHL | 67 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 17 | -3 | 74 |
| Piche, Sebastien | Grand Rapids | AHL | 11 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 13 | -4 | 15 |
| Nyquist, Gustav | Grand Rapids | AHL | 8 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 2 | +1 | 14 |
| Piche, Sebastien | Toledo | ECHL | 48 | 12 | 21 | 33 | 52 | -4 | 169 |
| Coetzee, Willie | Toledo | ECHL | 36 | 9 | 11 | 20 | 4 | -2 | 129 |
| Rufenach, Bryan | Toledo | ECHL | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | +8 | 11 |
| Lashoff, Brian | Toledo | ECHL | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | -1 | 10 |
| Nyquist, Gustav | Maine | NCAA | 36 | 18 | 33 | 51 | 20 | 0 | 140 |
| Nicastro, Max | Boston U. | NCAA | 38 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 59 | -9 | 44 |
| Oslund, Nick | St. Cloud St. | NCAA | 30 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 10 | -2 | 50 |
| Jensen, Nick | St. Cloud St. | NCAA | 38 | 5 | 18 | 23 | 18 | -5 | 58 |
| Sheahan, Riley | Notre Dame | NCAA | 40 | 5 | 17 | 22 | 28 | -6 | 103 |
| Rufenach, Bryan | Clarkson | NCAA | 33 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 14 | -1 | 94 |
| Cayer, Julien | Clarkson | NCAA | 25 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 22 | +3 | 28 |
| Marshall, Ben | Omaha | USHL | 56 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 34 | +20 | 142 |
SKATERS: PLAYOFF REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | G | A | P | PIM | +/- | SOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Axelsson, Dick | Farjestad | SEL | 14 | 4 | 6 | 10 | 24 | +2 | 30 |
| Jarnkrok, Calle | Brynas | SEL | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 7 |
| Almqvist, Adam | HV-71 | SEL | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | -2 | 3 |
| Nestrasil, Andrej | P.E.I. | QMJHL | 6 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | +3 | 18 |
| Fournier, Gleason | Rimouski | QMJHL | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 12 | -1 | 10 |
| Aubry, Louis-Marc | Montreal | QMJHL | 10 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 2 | -3 | 35 |
| Parkes, Trevor | Montreal | QMJHL | 10 | 6 | 3 | 9 | 12 | +1 | 50 |
| Callahan, Mitchell | Kelowna | WHL | 10 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 17 | +2 | – |
| Ferraro, Landon | Everett | WHL | 4 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 13 | -2 | – |
| Pulkkinen, Teemu | Jokerit | FIN | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | – |
GOALIES: REGULAR-SEASON REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | W | L | T | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mrazek, Petr | Ottawa | OHL | 52 | 33 | 15 | 3 | 2 | 2.84 | .920 |
| Larsson, Daniel | HV-71 | SEL | 46 | – | – | – | 2 | 2.51 | .917 |
| McCollum, Thomas | Grand Rapids | AHL | 22 | 6 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 3.33 | .879 |
| Pearce, Jordan | Toledo | ECHL | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 4.13 | .883 |
| Pearce, Jordan | Grand Rapids | AHL | 44 | 20 | 15 | 5 | 1 | 2.89 | .908 |
| McCollum, Thomas | Toledo | ECHL | 23 | 11 | 9 | 2 | 3 | 2.76 | .909 |
GOALIES: PLAYOFF REPORT
| NAME | TEAM | LEAGUE | GP | W | L | SO | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Larsson, Daniel | HV-71 | SEL | 2 | – | – | 0 | 2.58 | .894 |
| Mrazek, Petr | Ottawa | OHL | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 6.96 | .852 |
Personally, I like both Jarnkrok and Pulkkinen as future Wings….Jarnkrok looks to be the all-round type player and sure hope Pulkkinen can be the sniper he appears to be….both looked very good in Buffalo at world juniors…think both Parkes and Callahan will surprise Wing fans in 2-3 yrs as how good they can play….love Callahan’s compete level…
I feel as if the wings should just trade their first rounder for later picks in the draft – seems they can’t hit in the first but are amazing at plucking talent later in the draft, extremely udnerrated group of prospects here
Add Tatar and Nyquist and you are starting to see the next group of dominate Wings emerge. They will get about 5 years with Zetterberg/Datsuk and then take over. This Red Wing organization has to be one of the best in all of sports at staying at or near the top in its respective sport. I remember the dark years, the Ned Harkness years, where the Wings were lucky to win 20 games a year. Go Wings.
I like Nyquist, Pulkkinen, Tatar, Jarnkrok, Parkes, Callahan, and Aubry. It sounds like a very nice good young core of players coming up. Would like to see more goaltending, defense, and grit added in this years draft. Mrazek is the only goaltending prospect that looks decent and defensively the team needs more high end prospects. In the first round they should draft the best player available regardless of position then from there draft needs. They need a puck moving d-man, a physical d-man, and a shot blocking stay at d-man. Also add another goaltending prospect, and draft more gritty role players with styles similar to Darrin McCarthy, Kirk Maltby, and Joey Kocur. Dougie Hamilton and/or Ryan Strome would be perfect for this organization but they will be long gone by the time Detroit drafts.
The one guy that I find very baffling is Ferraro. He was so good as a 17-18 year old that it is hard to imagine that he has flopped the last two years. Luckily the Wings aren’t lacking in potential top end skill with Jarnkrok, Tatar, Nyquist, Pulkinnen and Smith.
I agree that what is missing might be a few more big physical, grinders in the McCarty/Lapointe mold (well Lapointe was ‘wide’ bodied), but Callahan, Murzak, Emmerton, Aubry and Joakim Andersson are all decent skilled, hard working guys that might be dependable 3rd – 4th line staples for years to come.
Yeah, but when we got McCarty(46th overall), Lapointe (10th overall) and others, we were drafting much higher (and already had Yzermans and Fedorovs on the team). We are barely getting by in the rough-house department; Helm truning into a wrecking ball, Ericsson dropping the gloves occasionally… we really do need more of the Callahan type.
I don’t disagree that we need to draft more puck-moving defensemen, as you can never have enough… However, the team is in a good position there. With Lidstrom retiring, Kronwall will get more PP and first line minutes… No one is Lidstrom, but he’ll do well. With Kindl and Smith coming up through the ranks, I’m not one bit worried.
I also agree with you that say Tatar, Nyquist, Pulkkinen, Jarnkrok, and hopefully Ferraro are the next wave. I wouldn’t be surprised to see Ilari Filppula get an entry level contract next year and Emmerton clear waivers.
I think you certainly will see us draft some goaltending and another top-end defenseman… we’ll have to see. I don’t ever see the Wings going goalie crazy in a draft though as solid goaltending is not that expensiv in the free agent market and they’ve never built teams around goaltending.
Jarnkrok and Pulkkinen absolutely dominated at last years Juniors. Im excited to see these two compete at that AHL Level as Tatar, Nyquist, Emmerton, and Mursak contend for an NHL roster spot. Detroit is the best at developing prospects to the point when they can make the big club and contribute right away! Holland and his team are geniouses.
One guy I would love to see the Wings draft in the 2011 NHL Entry Draft is C Alexander Khokhlachev from the OHL (Windsor Spitfires). It has been 10 years since the Wings last scouted a Russian star. Khokhlachev is a future stud and would fit in quite well in Motown. IF he’s still available when the Wings pick, I say jump!
Forget about Ferraro ever making the Wings…..this guy is the biggest bust since (fill in the blank)….he talks a much better game than he plays…will end up in Toledo next year for sure…