Finnish goalie Laurikainen a good Plan B for Oilers
Former WHL goalie signs deal after strong year in his homeland
With Finnish goalie Eetu Laurikainen signed to a twoyear deal Tuesday, he officially becomes an Edmonton Oilers prospect while holdovers Tyler Bunz and Frans Tuohimaa have tumbled into the suspect category.
Laurikainen, 22, who played two strong years for former Oilers centre Mark Lamb’s Swift Current Broncos in the Western Hockey League before going back to his homeland to play for Espoo in the Finnish Elite League last season, figures to start next season in Norfolk, Va., with Edmonton’s new ECHL affiliate.
He’s got some upside after a very strong season (.933 save percentage in 37 games) in his first kick at the can in the top Finnish league.
Laurikainen is a likable guy who did a funny Stagg Chili promo on the Broncos’ website last season, wearing his goalie gloves and playfully going, “hmmm, good.”
Now the question is how good is Laurikainen on the ice. The only niggling concern is he’s just six feet in an era of big-box goaltenders. The average NHL netminder is six-foot-two and then there are skyscrapers like Ben Bishop at six-foot-eight.
But he’s a good Plan B for the Oilers, who were one of four finalists trying to sign Boston University free agent Matt O’Connor, only to have him opt for the Ottawa Senators.
Teams seldom go wrong giving a Finnish goalie a look, although the Oilers haven’t been as lucky. They drafted Samu Perhonen in the third round in 2011 and he didn’t pan out, and Tuohimaa, picked later that same draft, had a spotty year in the ECHL.
Laurikainen fills a hole in a very shallow organizational cupboard for goalies for the Oilers. Oklahoma City Barons’ Laurent Brossoit is the only high-end prospect who may be an NHLer in a short time. Brossoit played against Laurikainen in the WHL when he was with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Bunz, the Oilers’ fifthround pick in 2010, and Tuohimaa, a seventh-round selection in 2011, both have expiring contracts and may not be re-signed.
The St. Albert youngster Bunz has played only 76 pro games since 2012, in part because of injuries, but he also spent a good amount of time as a backup in Oklahoma City. He’s got talent, for sure, but hasn’t progressed. He did get 20 minutes of work in one NHL game at Los Angeles this year, but could very well be looking for another NHL team this summer.
It’s the same story with Tuohimaa, 23, who played 33 games on the ECHL Bakersfield club this year with an .876 save percentage.
The Oilers also have Ty Rimmer, a battler who played 25 games in Bakersfield and had his own off-ice fight with testicular cancer last season. His contract is up, too.
They also drafted two goalies last summer — U of Michigan’s Zach Nagelvoort and Val d’Or Foreurs junior backup Keven Bouchard. Nagelvoort, 21, played in 22 games for Red Berenson’s Wolverines with a 2.63 goalsagainst average and .906 save percentage. Bouchard, 19, struggled in 36 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with a 3.85 GAA and .872 save percentage.
The Oilers will be taking another goalie in June’s entry draft. They are high on MacKenzie Blackwood, who plays for the OHL’s Barrie Colts. He’s the No. 1-rated goaltender. ON THE BENCH: The American Hockey League’s board of governors approved a new divisional realignment for 2015-16 with the Oilers’ farm team at Bakersfield, Calif., in a division with Ontario, Calif., (Los Angeles Kings), San Diego (Anaheim Ducks), San Jose (San Jose Sharks), Stockton (Calgary Flames), San Antonio (Colorado Avalanche) and Texas (Dallas Stars). The Oilers farmhands will play a 68-game schedule.