2011 Draft Profile: Joel Armia

One of the lesser-discussed prospects heading into this draft has been 6'3, 190lb Finnish winger Joel Armia. Playing for Assat of the SM-Liiga (FNL), he's put up 18-11-29 as a rookie - and is literally a human highlight reel. He's got a combination of size, grit, and hands that you don't usually see from European players - and looks like one of the players the Oilers should look to target if they try to move up in the upcoming 2011 draft. Check out this selection of goals and other plays he's made this season:



He has ridiculous hands for someone his size - and a wicked shot as well. Most of his goals this season have been of the highlight-reel variety - but he shows a willingness to go to tough areas to gain the puck and make and finish plays. Although he possesses the hands of a finesse player, I think his NHL prospects is that of a hybrid skill/power forward - along the lines of a quicker Johan Franzen.

This season, he finished 5th in team scoring, and 2nd in goal-scoring - but the numbers don't do justice to Armia's true draft potential. Last year, 5'8, 165lb Mikael Granlund scored at a point/game pace in the FNL and went in the top-10. Armia is nowhere near that pace, but his combination of size, soft hands, and ridiculous sniping ability make him one of the more potent goal-scorers to come out of Europe in a while. Earlier, he was ranked as the 2nd best European player in the 2011 draft after Adam Larsson, and many were projecting him to go in the top 10 - however he's fallen in rankings due to a being somewhat of a no-show at the WJHC (played only one game, putting up 1A). As it is, he looks bound to go in the 12-20 range at this point.


At only 190lb, he has about 15-20lb more to gain before he becomes the power forward that he can become. It's hard to find comparisons for him - as it's rare to have such a large player with such great skills. The primary factor preventing him from becoming an Alexander Semin-like player is his lack of footspeed - he's an average skater at this point. His long stride allows him to effectively move in straight lines, but his overall mobility is average by NHL standards.

Regardless, the skill-set this man possesses is ridiculous, and he has potential to be the top goalscorer coming out of the first round. As far as the Oilers go - this is the ideal RW for their top-6 heading forward - a big bodied power forward with the offensive savvy to gel with the likes of Hall, Paajarvi, and Eberle.