Ikonen worth risk for Bulldogs

The Bulldogs have picked up another NHL prospect.

The only problem? It doesn’t look like he’s interested in coming to Hamilton.

Wednesday, the team selected Finnish centre Joni Ikonen 28th overall in the CHL import draft. The 18-year-old from Espoo, on the outskirts of Helsinki, was also drafted by the Montreal Canadiens last weekend in Chicago.

He’s a “dynamic” player with a “passion to play and a passion to win,” said Bulldogs president and general manager Steve Staios. “His skill level is off the charts.”

Yet, a news report and Ikonen’s agent suggest the five-foot-eleven, 183-pound forward will opt to play closer to home. A story in the Montreal Gazette Saturday, said the right-handed shot intends to remain in Europe next season, although he will take part in a Habs development camp in Brossard in July.

Jukka Tiilikainen, who represents Ikonen, backed that up in a tweet to The Spectator that said he is “not coming to the OHL.”

In spite of the chatter, Staios is optimistic, saying the risk of selecting a player of Ikonen’s calibre is worth the potential reward. “Things change,” he added. Staios also admitted his intention going into the import draft was to take the best available player — a new strategy for the team.

Other years, the Bulldogs tended to play it safe by choosing younger, undrafted skaters, including Marian Studenic, who were committed to coming to the OHL.

This time Staios said he’s willing to take a chance because he’s comfortable with his depth chart and roster even if Ikonen doesn’t show. But he hopes he does.

Ikonen, who scouts laud for his skating, creativity and puck-handling skills, notched 22 goals and 19 assists in 40 outings with Frolunda in the Swedish junior league last season. In April, he scored more than a point per game at the under-18 world championship where he was named one of top three players on the silver medalwinning Finnish squad.

He also has a good pedigree. His father, Juha Ikonen, played professionally in Finland and Sweden for nearly a decade, while his brother, Juuso Ikonen, plays for Brynas in the Swedish elite league.

The latter was also a member of the Finnish team that won gold at the World Juniors in 2014.