With the NHL prospect world being dominated by Finns of late, it comes as no surprise that the Anaheim Ducks would draft Finnish two-way forward Julius Nattinen.
Heading into his 2015 draft year, then 18-year-old Nattinen was ranked as one of Finland's top draft-eligible players and was slotted to go somewhere in the second round, where he was eventually selected 59th overall by Anaheim.
What made Nattinen spark the interest of Anaheim's scouts the most? His two-way ability with high offensive plus. Anaheim is a team who takes pride and much interest in players who can play well on both sides of the puck, so it was no surprise they took a player like Nattinen. Let's dive deeper into what he brings to the table.
At 6'2" 197, Nattinen brings some decent size down the middle. He plays a quiet game and is not the type of guy who will leave opposing defenders bending and breaking all over the ice. What seems to be raved about the most in Nattinen are his passing ability and his creativity in the offensive zone. Watching video of him, you will notice that he reads the plays very well and is quick to adjust on the fly. He is able to thread the needle when he wants, a perfect "heads-up" type of player that suits the style of what Anaheim looks for in its players. While his bigger frame causes him to not be the most explosive skater, Nattinen does posses a very long and smooth stride to his skating and has good top speed. He has a full arsenal of shots and a noticeably strong slap shot that can be extremely deadly if he can get himself into the proper space to use it.
He takes his defensive responsibility very seriously, and he utilizes his long reach and big frame. He favors his stick in defensive situations, which is where that reach of his comes in. He has the ability to win puck battles along the boards when he wants to use his body. One thing I did notice is that he is excellent at utilizing his long stick to block passing lanes. He shows strength in all three zones and is able to help out his defenders.
Areas where Nattinen needs to improve are his acceleration and the use of his frame. While the acceleration will come with work, Nattinen needs to utilize his size along the boards and protecting the puck. He is good at protecting it in other ways, but if he wants to be a good player in the NHL he needs to get more comfortable with using his body. He has the size and frame, now he just needs to find his way with it.
I want to throw in some video clips of Nattinen to highlight his passing ability. These highlights are from his 2015-2016 season with the OHL's Barrie Colts.
You'll notice that Nattinen is able to hold onto the puck and wait that extra second for a passing lane to open up. This is shown really well in the 5th clip of the video where Nattinen receives a pass just above the goal line and waits for a passing lane to his teammate crashing towards the net, before delivering a beautiful pass resulting in a goal.
In his first season with Barrie, Nattinen finished with an incredible +32, 22 goals and 49 assists (71 pts) in 52 games. Playing for Finland in the last World Junior Championships, he finished the tournament posting 1 goal and 2 assists in 7 games.
So where do I stand on Nattinen? I think he can be a solid mid-6 player on a team like Anaheim. His ceiling is not elite, but he can be a reliable two-way centerman who could easily switch over to the wing if need-be. He is a two-way center with great vision and playmaking ability while still possessing a good arsenal of shots. Nattinen is going to make a fine NHL player. A player like Nattinen who works hard and has a team-first mentality is going to succeed in today's NHL. He is a guy that will get the job done and do what he needs to do on the ice. Not flashy, won't blow you away, just good and clean hockey play and hockey sense.
