Finnish winger Kristian Vesalainen began this season at the top of many draft boards. In October, ISS Hockey ranked Vesalainen the sixth-best prospect in the 2017 Draft class, but the 17-year-old fell to 19th in their final ranking. This was largely because the teenager struggled professionally in the Swedish Hockey League and Liiga in Finland, where he managed just seven points in 35 games.
Vesalainen’s size (6-foot-4, 209 lbs) masked the fact that he was still just a teenager playing in a league against men, which is a tough adjustment for any player. But the tools that scouts fell in love with are still there, and were on full display at the under-18 World Junior Championships when Vesalainen scored 13 points in 7 games.