Mikko Lehtonen signs with Leafs

[CarltonTheBear]

With that said as I posted that this tweet was written:

https://twitter.com/lukefoxjukebox/status/1257363952075407360

 

[Bender]

Woah this came out of nowhere. I remember reading that this guy was supposed to be pretty decent but never really looked closely because the Leafs weren't being linked to him.

A lefty though, weird.

Isn't it weird that these days we can be not even linked to a player that's being jostled over and we come out the winner? Pleasant surprise! I wonder if Dubas said hey, we're the richest team in the game and we can front load everything and protect the hell out of you, even during a pandemic such as this, no matter what happens.

 

[Bender]

Apparently Habs fans wanted this guy, so I'm good with this move

Do you think Montreal having the worst current COVID outbreak in Canada played a role?

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Apparently Habs fans wanted this guy, so I'm good with this move

Do you think Montreal having the worst current COVID outbreak in Canada played a role?

I think it's more likely that he just didn't want to play on a crappy team.

 

[herman]

https://twitter.com/reporterchris/status/1257361861768548361

When Lauri Marjamaki was coaching the Finnish national team, he always found Mikko Lehtonen to be a particularly keen student.

They would speak occasionally in Tampere about the defenceman?s growth and it wasn?t only the coach doing the talking. Lehtonen wanted to know what Marjamaki saw in the details of his game. He?d ask for development targets.

?He wants to all the time know,? Marjamaki recalled Monday. ?I think that it is one of the reasons why he is now so good because he is so motivated all the time and he needs so much feedback from the coaches and everyone.?

This (and the playstyle fit) probably is the reason why Lehtonen chose Dubas and the Leafs over other outfits. We're collecting hockey nerds.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

It appears RHDs don't exist anywhere on this planet.

I actually wonder how many Crazy Hockey Dads are giving their kids right-handed sticks when they first start to play for this reason.

On a whole, there's not many right handed players any more. Probably 2 or 3 to 1, Lefties to Righties on any team I've every coached. Out of 15 skaters this past season I had 2. Both forwards. The year before I had 3. All defence.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

Apparently Habs fans wanted this guy, so I'm good with this move

Do you think Montreal having the worst current COVID outbreak in Canada played a role?

I think it's more likely that he just didn't want to play on a crappy team.

I'm wondering if Lehtonen/his agent basically looked at the Leafs' talent pool on D, as well as overall organizational strengths, and determined he'd likely have the best shot to play meaningful larger market/higher profile NHL minutes above the 4th pairing.

 

[groundskeeper willie]

It appears RHDs don't exist anywhere on this planet.

I actually wonder how many Crazy Hockey Dads are giving their kids right-handed sticks when they first start to play for this reason.

On a whole, there's not many right handed players any more. Probably 2 or 3 to 1, Lefties to Righties on any team I've every coached. Out of 15 skaters this past season I had 2. Both forwards. The year before I had 3. All defence.

I've heard it said that the earlier a kid starts the more likely they are to be left handed. It has something to do with younger kids preferring their dominant hand at the top and older kids naturally putting it mid stick, and most people are right hand dominant.

The study was done to understand why traditionally Canada produces more lefties and the rest of the world always had more righties. That's changing now though, even in Canada kids are starting earlier than they used to. Most people I know started their kids at 3 years old. Mine started at 4 and even that seemed earlier than necessary. I started at 5 when I was little, but there's real pressure to get them going as soon as they can.

 

[Phileas Fogg]

It appears RHDs don't exist anywhere on this planet.

I actually wonder how many Crazy Hockey Dads are giving their kids right-handed sticks when they first start to play for this reason.

On a whole, there's not many right handed players any more. Probably 2 or 3 to 1, Lefties to Righties on any team I've every coached. Out of 15 skaters this past season I had 2. Both forwards. The year before I had 3. All defence.

I've heard it said that the earlier a kid starts the more likely they are to be left handed. It has something to do with younger kids preferring their dominant hand at the top and older kids naturally putting it mid stick, and most people are right hand dominant.

The study was done to understand why traditionally Canada produces more lefties and the rest of the world always had more righties. That's changing now though, even in Canada kids are starting earlier than they used to. Most people I know started their kids at 3 years old. Mine started at 4 and even that seemed earlier than necessary. I started at 5 when I was little, but there's real pressure to get them going as soon as they can.

https://www.purehockey.com/c/why-are-so-many-hockey-players-left-handed

Some interesting stats in there.

My admittedly old-timer theory is that when when my generation were kids, the majority of sticks were right handed, and basically, sticks were passed down and we learned to use whatever was available. On my old-timer team, I'd say 75% of us are right shots.

Kids now often seem to get new equipment to start the sport, or at least, have more choice in the matter.

 

[CarltonTheBear]

I'm wondering if Lehtonen/his agent basically looked at the Leafs' talent pool on D, as well as overall organizational strengths, and determined he'd likely have the best shot to play meaningful larger market/higher profile NHL minutes above the 4th pairing.

I'm not sure if that's true though. Right now on the Leafs he's probably 5th among LHD behind Rielly, Muzzin, Dermott, and Sandin. Obviously players can slide to the right or get traded to make room for him to move up, but as things stand at this very moment he's got a lot of competition ahead of him. Compare the Leafs LHD depth chart to Montreal or New Jersey's, the two teams that seemed to be the front runners for him. The Leafs blow what they currently have signed for next season out of the water.

 

[Kin]

He'll be the third Mikko Lehtonen in the NHL. There's also been a Mikko Lahtinen and Miikka Lehtonen.

 

[herman]

He'll be the third Mikko Lehtonen in the NHL. There's also been a Mikko Lahtinen and Miikka Lehtonen.

Kari Lehtonen?s kid is also Mikko but he?s much more smol

 

[herman]

https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/mikko-lehtonens-versatility-shake-maple-leafs-defence/

Although Kyle Dubas wouldn?t commit to a pairing or position for his latest European prize in 2020-21, the general manager underscored Lehtonen?s versatility as a bonus.

?I played in Sweden a whole season on the right side [with HV71 Jonkoping in 2018-19], so it?s not important to me. Doesn?t matter, right or left side, I?m OK with both. Actually, sometimes I like more right side,? Lehtonen said on a conference call Monday.

https://theathletic.com/1792789/2020/05/05/the-video-scouting-report-on-new-maple-leafs-defenceman-mikko-lehtonen/

Lehtonen played alongside three primary defence partners this season: righty Alex Grant and lefties David Sklenicka and Viktor Loov. What?s noteworthy about that is that with both Loov and Sklenicka, Lehtonen played the majority of his shifts on the left side. Though Lehtonen does have some experience on his off-side he can lean on if the Leafs ask, it?s definitely worth noting that he wasn?t asked to do that in the KHL, despite playing on a team that also had a predominantly left-handed defence. His ability to play his off-side could dictate his ability to win minutes with the Leafs.

Lehtonen can also kill penalties. It?s easy to look at his production, assume he was deployed in offensive situations and wonder whether he?ll be able to help out a power play that ranked 21st in the NHL this season. He?s not a big shot-blocker, but he can hold his own on the penalty kill.

I?ll be interested to see what he weighs in at with the Leafs because, despite the fact he?s only 6-foot, he looks heavy out there and he plays like it too. And that has helped him defensively in recent years.

[...]

The one quality of his game that stands out is his long-range, one-timer. This is something the Leafs have lacked in recent years. Though Morgan Rielly led all NHL defencemen in goals two years ago, he did it with a wrister. And though Tyson Barrie has long been one of the NHL?s more prolific scoring defencemen, he has done it more as a volume shooter than as a shot threat. Lehtonen?s game definitely resembles Barrie?s in the shot-volume category. He shoots a little too much and that was reflected in his 184 shots on goal (second among all KHL defencemen) this season.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

It appears RHDs don't exist anywhere on this planet.

I actually wonder how many Crazy Hockey Dads are giving their kids right-handed sticks when they first start to play for this reason.

On a whole, there's not many right handed players any more. Probably 2 or 3 to 1, Lefties to Righties on any team I've every coached. Out of 15 skaters this past season I had 2. Both forwards. The year before I had 3. All defence.

I've heard it said that the earlier a kid starts the more likely they are to be left handed. It has something to do with younger kids preferring their dominant hand at the top and older kids naturally putting it mid stick, and most people are right hand dominant.

The study was done to understand why traditionally Canada produces more lefties and the rest of the world always had more righties. That's changing now though, even in Canada kids are starting earlier than they used to. Most people I know started their kids at 3 years old. Mine started at 4 and even that seemed earlier than necessary. I started at 5 when I was little, but there's real pressure to get them going as soon as they can.

My daughter started skating at 3 and playing at 4. I gave her a straight stick at all times(road hockey, hitting a ball around the recroom, etc; ) She appeared to be leaning towards being right handed shot, but once we put her on the ice with a stick, she flipped to the left side.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

It appears RHDs don't exist anywhere on this planet.

I actually wonder how many Crazy Hockey Dads are giving their kids right-handed sticks when they first start to play for this reason.

On a whole, there's not many right handed players any more. Probably 2 or 3 to 1, Lefties to Righties on any team I've every coached. Out of 15 skaters this past season I had 2. Both forwards. The year before I had 3. All defence.

I've heard it said that the earlier a kid starts the more likely they are to be left handed. It has something to do with younger kids preferring their dominant hand at the top and older kids naturally putting it mid stick, and most people are right hand dominant.

The study was done to understand why traditionally Canada produces more lefties and the rest of the world always had more righties. That's changing now though, even in Canada kids are starting earlier than they used to. Most people I know started their kids at 3 years old. Mine started at 4 and even that seemed earlier than necessary. I started at 5 when I was little, but there's real pressure to get them going as soon as they can.

https://www.purehockey.com/c/why-are-so-many-hockey-players-left-handed

Some interesting stats in there.

My admittedly old-timer theory is that when when my generation were kids, the majority of sticks were right handed, and basically, sticks were passed down and we learned to use whatever was available. On my old-timer team, I'd say 75% of us are right shots.

Kids now often seem to get new equipment to start the sport, or at least, have more choice in the matter.

I'm not sure how true that is. I always recommend giving a kid a straight stick to start and letting them choose. You can tell almost immediately which side they prefer.
In baseball, I tried to get my daughter to hit from the right side of the plate....she went to the left. I also tried to get her to hit right in golf.....She would have none of it.

 

[Bender]

It appears RHDs don't exist anywhere on this planet.

I actually wonder how many Crazy Hockey Dads are giving their kids right-handed sticks when they first start to play for this reason.

On a whole, there's not many right handed players any more. Probably 2 or 3 to 1, Lefties to Righties on any team I've every coached. Out of 15 skaters this past season I had 2. Both forwards. The year before I had 3. All defence.

I've heard it said that the earlier a kid starts the more likely they are to be left handed. It has something to do with younger kids preferring their dominant hand at the top and older kids naturally putting it mid stick, and most people are right hand dominant.

The study was done to understand why traditionally Canada produces more lefties and the rest of the world always had more righties. That's changing now though, even in Canada kids are starting earlier than they used to. Most people I know started their kids at 3 years old. Mine started at 4 and even that seemed earlier than necessary. I started at 5 when I was little, but there's real pressure to get them going as soon as they can.

My daughter started skating at 3 and playing at 4. I gave her a straight stick at all times(road hockey, hitting a ball around the recroom, etc; ) She appeared to be leaning towards being right handed shot, but once we put her on the ice with a stick, she flipped to the left side.

I just felt being a right shot was natural but it really makes no sense since I catch left, I should be a left shot (especially if you wanted to be a goalie). Also strong hand should be on the butt end. Ah whatever!

 

[CarltonTheBear]

Athletic: "Lehtonen played alongside three primary defence partners this season: righty Alex Grant and lefties David Sklenicka and Viktor Loov"

Sportsnet: Lehtonen's "main defensive partner with Jokerit was Sami Lepisto"

Toronto media writing about players they didn't know existed 4 days ago is fun.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

It appears RHDs don't exist anywhere on this planet.

I actually wonder how many Crazy Hockey Dads are giving their kids right-handed sticks when they first start to play for this reason.

On a whole, there's not many right handed players any more. Probably 2 or 3 to 1, Lefties to Righties on any team I've every coached. Out of 15 skaters this past season I had 2. Both forwards. The year before I had 3. All defence.

I've heard it said that the earlier a kid starts the more likely they are to be left handed. It has something to do with younger kids preferring their dominant hand at the top and older kids naturally putting it mid stick, and most people are right hand dominant.

The study was done to understand why traditionally Canada produces more lefties and the rest of the world always had more righties. That's changing now though, even in Canada kids are starting earlier than they used to. Most people I know started their kids at 3 years old. Mine started at 4 and even that seemed earlier than necessary. I started at 5 when I was little, but there's real pressure to get them going as soon as they can.

My daughter started skating at 3 and playing at 4. I gave her a straight stick at all times(road hockey, hitting a ball around the recroom, etc; ) She appeared to be leaning towards being right handed shot, but once we put her on the ice with a stick, she flipped to the left side.

I just felt being a right shot was natural but it really makes no sense since I catch left, I should be a left shot (especially if you wanted to be a goalie). Also strong hand should be on the butt end. Ah whatever!

I was a goalie. I throw with my right/catch with my left. My right is my dominant hand and it's the hand I hold the stick with. I shoot left(right hand as control hand on stick).

I really have no theory as to why right handed players numbers are down. Perhaps so much more focus is being put on the flex of sticks when shooting.  :-\

 

[Highlander]

I just watched the Athletic tape review of Lehtonen, he is not flashy at all, the word I would use is "Steady", very collected with the puck and makes the short pass very well, although he can stretch it when he needs to.  Excellent puck carrier. I think he will settle things down out there.  Hope he can play the RHS, like to see him paired with Rielly.

 

[princedpw]

I just watched the Athletic tape review of Lehtonen, he is not flashy at all, the word I would use is "Steady", very collected with the puck and makes the short pass very well, although he can stretch it when he needs to.  Excellent puck carrier. I think he will settle things down out there.  Hope he can play the RHS, like to see him paired with Rielly.

I saw the clips too.  A bunch of point shots, skating the puck up through relatively open ice to the opposing blue line and dumping it in.  Is he as good as Zaitsev? Better? Worse? I have no idea. I don?t think his offense is going to be any better than Dermott?s though.  He won?t get PP time (or if he does, it?s unlikely to make the pp any better than the next guy) and he won?t score often on those point shots.

How good is his gap control? Can he make a pass when pressured by NHL forwards. Can he prevent passes to the slot? I wish I knew!  But he?s another chance at a decent 4-7 d which is a good thing to have at $950K.