Tampa Bay Lightning director of amateur scouting Al Murray had this to say about Barkov’s arsenal of skills when asked back in 2013:
“He’s a combination of a goal-scorer and a playmaker. He played the past two years in the Finnish Elite League and this past year was very impressive. He was top 10 in scoring in the men’s league as a 17-year-old.”
In just two seasons with Tappara’s senior team, Aleksander Barkov saw 85 games of action, scoring 28 goals and assisting on another 36 goals.