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Breaking down Oskari Laaksonen’s hot start with Kris Baker

by Chad DeDominicis - 0

Oskari Laaksonen is always going to be an interesting story for me. He’s the player that nobody could find in the NHL’s draft database when he was selected in the third round in 2017.

In the first two post-draft years he started to get the attention of people. He had a strong rookie season in Liiga playing for Ilves in his D+2 season (2018-19). Laaksonen also played a key role for Team Finland in their Gold Medal run during the 2019 U20 World Junior tournament.

After building momentum for two years, he took a step back last season. He wasn’t the same explosive player we saw at times playing in a pro league and struggled with turnovers. The Finnish defender also battled a lot of injuries and ended up registering just 12 points in 46 games.

Even though he had some regression in development, the Buffalo Sabres decided to give him a contract. His entry-level deal was actually the final piece of business done by Jason Botterill. He was fired the next day.

Due to COVID-19 and the delayed start to the 2020-21 season, he was loaned back to Liiga. However, it wasn’t back to his old team Ilves. He was loaned to the Lahden Pelicans.

Through 11 games, Laaksonen is back on track to being the player we saw in the 2018-19 season. He’s playing top pair minutes for the Pelicans and is back to creating offense from the blue line. He ranks fourth in scoring among all defensemen with nine points in 11 games. According to Liiga’s site, he has a 53.9% shot share at 5 on 5 in an offensively deployed role. He has a 59% offensive-zone start rate so far this season.

I wanted to get some more insight on his start to see if there is a legitimate improvement. Therefore, I reached out to Kris Baker for some insight on that player so far this year. He was kind of enough to take some time for a quick Q and A.

Q and A with Kris Baker

CD: What’s the biggest difference you see in his play from last year vs this year (besides being healthy)?

KB: Offensively, his shot velocity seems to have increased. He’s a pretty high-volume shooter, so you notice there is more behind it when he has the chance to unload. He is also getting more quality shot attempts.

Defensively, one thing you notice is that he is reaching less frequently and learning how to better apply stick pressure without taking a penalty. The stick penalties have been part of his game since being drafted, but he’s making progress. There are a few plays this year when his feet kept him in it when in the past he probably would’ve landed in the box.

It’s still early but I’m not seeing many careless errors, which in the past have presented some liability. It’s almost as if he understands the importance of this season and is taking it very seriously.

CD: Have you seen early improvement in areas of concern coming into this season? 

KB: With more strength and greater ability to use his body, he looks sturdier defending around the net. He still has work to do on building out his frame, but he looks more prepared to battle in the trenches. I’m not really seeing his game break down in the face of pressure, but I’m still looking to get a better handle on where his panic threshold is currently at. I have questioned that in the past.

He is starting to look more and more like the sum of his parts. That is probably the best way to describe the overall difference in this season’s limited snapshot. Still, work to do, but it’s coming together when before it was always “he has all these great parts”.

CD: How impactful was the move from Ilves to the Pelicans? 

KB: The move was all about playing time and the opportunity to develop. He’s getting the most ice of any skater and they’re currently playing to his strengths with 59% o-zone starts. The early results suggest he’s taking the opportunity and running with it.

He seems to have the trust at 5v5. He is running the power play at a high level (vision and passing are strengths) and as mentioned is generating a lot of shots. Last year, Ilves loaded him up with minutes early in the year and they saw a need to dial it back. This year, I don’t see it going in that direction.

CD: What do you think he still needs to work on to have a chance at success at the next level?

KB: Laaksonen is an exciting player to watch with the puck. He plays free and confident when it’s on his stick. He isn’t afraid to take the ice that’s given to him.

The next stages involve a continued focus on the other side of the two-way game. You want to see continued strength development and steady defensive decision-making so he can be relied on for a similar workload as a North American pro. The biggest key might be keeping healthy. With the primary focus on his core defensive responsibilities, I’ll be looking for him to continue ramping up his d-zone intensity.

He’s an engaged player, but I sometimes notice what I feel are brief lapses. No one is expecting a perfect player, but we’ll be looking for him to keep moving in the right direction like he has been with more consistency so he can eliminate some of the casual tendencies.

Thanks again to Kris for taking the time to chat. The Sabres do not have a lot of depth beyond the NHL on the right side of the blue. Outside of Borgen, Laaksonen is their biggest hope for a future right-shot NHL defender.

We’ll continue to monitor his game in Finland and I’ll be interested to see how he performs when he’s called back to North America for the AHL season.

Data via: Byron Bader and Liiga
Photo via: Rich Lam/Getty Images

 

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