The Calgary Flames prospect showcase continues.
It’s been well over a month since the Calgary Flames traded away Elias Lindholm to the Vancouver Canucks. The return for the Swede? Andrei Kuzmenko, a first-round pick, Hunter Brzustewicz, and Joni Jurmo.
The latter two names may be unfamiliar, and that is why TWC has this prospect showcase series.
With that being said this article will cover Joni Jurmo, the Finnish blueliner selected 82nd overall by the Canucks in 2020, who is now part of the Flames’ newest crop of defencemen prospects.
Jurmo’s performance this season
How has Jurmo performed this year at home in the Finnish Liiga? Well, it is complicated. Starting the 2023–24 season with the Tampereen-based Ilves hockey club, the 6’5″ Finn was losing traction with minimal ice time and minimal on-ice production. After a January 4 trade to Koo-Koo, he started to refind his hockey footing after a less-than-ideal start to the season. Averaging 12:47 per game on the 12th place Koo Koo, Jurmo is still very much a raw project player, which was his case when he was drafted in 2020. The Calgary Flames acquiring his rights is a sign that they might just be the organization to help him develop to play North American hockey.
| Team | GP | G | A | P |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ilves | 28 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Koo Koo | 18 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
What type of player is Jurmo?
The Espoo product is a puck-moving defenceman who can shine in transition with excellent skating. He has the willingness to jump into plays and plays physically when he can. Think of the hockey version of Star Wars character Han Solo—speedy, daring, and a touch of a mean streak.
Transitional speed for days
One of the elements of Jurmo’s game that can catch anyone’s eye is just how fast he can skate for a defender who is 6’5″ and 209 pounds. He has decent posture, a great stride, and top-end acceleration all of which serve as the baseline for his game.
His skating shines in transitional play as the 2020 third-rounder often jumps up in end-to-end rushes, and with his combination of speed, size, reach, and changes to skating pace, he can be incredibly effective at creating zone entries for his team.
As a matter of fact, the Finn produces most of his offensive play contributions on the rush, and not in-zone. One of his draft day critiques was on his puck handling, and passing, which are both still not ideal but have shown slight improvement since.
A mean customer
One area he excels in-zone is his physicality. Jurmo is not scared to throw the body around and display a bit of a nasty streak in his slot, the World Junior silver medalist definitely makes opposing forwards pay their due to enter high-value real estate.
Jurmo’s limitations
In both zones, some of Jurmo’s limitations are more obvious. He falls short in senses and hockey IQ. Jurmo likes to jump up in plays lots, but often doesn’t have great risk assessment resulting in below-average gap control, positioning and play anticipation. In-zone, the defender is not the most innovative and has below-average offensive vision and creativity. Defensively he has a less-than-stellar active stick often resulting in higher than desired chance quality. As a result, there is a moderate chance the Finn will simply get walked by more experienced opponents.
What’s next for Jurmo
Ideally first things first, Jurmo would need to win the confidence of his head coach and build up both minutes and stability in-zone in the Liiga, before any jump to North America can be made. The Flames have announced March 24th, that Jurmo has signed an ELC with the Calgary Flames organization. Now it remains to be seen what development pathway they send him down, be it another year in Finland or straight to the AHL.
What other prospects would you like to see in this series? Let us know in the comments below.
