Tappara Head Coach on New LA Kings Prospect Kasper Simontaival
- Updated: October 8, 2020
(Photo credit: Saana Hakala)
Like the rest of the NHL clubs, Wednesday was a busy day for the Los Angeles Kings as Rounds 2 to 7 of the Draft took place. The Kings were definitely productive, though, drafting nine players as well as acquiring a former first-rounder. Of those nine picks, however, three of them are from Finland. The silver-and-black’s first of these three was right winger Kasper Simontaival.
Taken in the third round (66th overall), Simontaival joins the Kings organization with plenty of intrigue.
As much as he brings to the table, though, injuries have played a role in Simontaival’s game in recent years. Some would suggest that selecting the Finnish winger is risky as a result, although it could also be suggested that the Kings got a steal given that Simontaival should have been drafted higher had it not been for said injuries. Nevertheless, the 18-year-old has plenty of upside.
Having just begun his third season with Tappara Tampere of the Finnish Elite League, Simontaival’s development has been, injuries aside, so far, so good.
I had a chance to speak with Tappara head coach Jussi Tapola about the youngster’s game overall from his strengths to what needs improvement.
Diminutive But Determined
It may also be suggested by some that Simontaival’s diminutive 5-foot-9 stature is a liability.
Not quite.
While he may not be the biggest player on the ice, the assets in the youngster’s game far supersede what he lacks.
“Kasper is an offensive-sided player,” Tapola said. “His strengths are good: vision, passing and scoring. Even though he is small, he is still strong in battles. Kasper helps us to create offensive zone time and scoring chances and goals, of course.”
For Simontaival, though, a lack of size does not equal any feelings of intimidation from the youngster. In fact, he’s quite fearless.
“Kasper is also a good net-front player and ready to take hits there,” Tapola added.
The Quest to Stay Healthy
Photo credit: Liiga.fi
As mentioned, injuries played a role in Simontaival’s game in recent years. This past season, however, the 18-year-old was able to remain healthy.
“He has had a couple of bad injuries which slowed his development,” Tapola began. “Last season, he was healthy and he could practice the full season.”
Additionally, while the global pandemic has been problematic for some, Tapola admits that the layoff had actually benefited Simontaival.
“This COVID-19 time has been good for his physical development,” admits the Tappara head coach. “He has been healthy and practicing hard.”
Still, Tapola knows what needs to be done for his young right-winger to stay healthy.
“To avoid injuries, he has to continue life as a professional athlete, taking care of recovery, stretching, nutrition and sleep,” a matter-of-fact Tapola added. “In our system, he will practice hard and with quality.”
A Promising Toolkit
As part of his offensive upside, Simontaival is a great playmaker who possesses a strong wrist shot. There is more than needs to be done as far as offensive weaponry go but the youngster’s coach is confident that these goals will be met sooner rather than later.
“Kasper is doing extra work with his shot and puck skills,” Tapola noted. “He needs to improve his one-timer and decision-making. That is the work we are doing with him on a daily basis.”
Off the Ice
Tapola was quick to give Simontaival plenty of praise as far as how coachable he is as a player. In the same breath, the Tappara bench boss was very honest in what he wants to see from the right winger moving forward.
“He needs to learn how to prepare himself for every practice. I mean, mental preparation,” Tapola stressed. “Kasper is still a young boy. He is coachable. I have enjoyed coaching him a lot. Last season, a lot of individual coaching and this season as head coach. He will be a great player for the Kings organization!”
It may be some time before we see Kasper Simontaival competing for a roster spot in Los Angeles, but that is not a reason to feel less excited.
Playing parts of the previous two seasons in the Finnish Elite League, Simontaival is still getting his feet wet as far as playing against men goes but the right winger is nonetheless has a promising future, and the Kings, in turn, just added to theirs.
He may be smaller and he may have had some injuries along the way but the Simontaival’s determination to get better has not wavered in the least.
Wednesday was a very good day for the Los Angeles Kings. The organization now has several more reasons to be optimistic for their already-bright future.
It should go without saying that Kasper Simontaival is one of these reasons.
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