Matias Sointu

History

Sointu saw his stock plummet during his draft year, from 27th among European skaters at the mid-term ranking. to a final ranking of 42nd.

2007-08: Sointu picked up where he left off last season, playing right wing for Ilves Tampere U18 (FIN). He skated in 10 games for the club, registering 14 points (8g+6a), before being moved up to the senior squad, where he would finish out the season. In the remaining 41 games, he netted 21 goals and had 19 assists, adding another three goals and a helper in five postseason games.

2008-09: Sointu played seven games in the Finnish U20 league for Ilves, scoring two points. He was selected by the OHL's Ottawa 67's in first round (48th overall) of the 2009 CHL Import Draft.

2009-10: Sointu split his first season in North America between Ottawa and Sudbury in the OHL and played for Finland in the 2010 U20 World Junior Championship. In 51 regular season OHL games between the two clubs he scored 8 goals with 21 assists and was -3 with 24 PMs. He skated in 4 playoff games for Sudbury and was -3 with 3 assists. At the junior tournament, Sointu scored 1 goal with 2 assists and was -2 with 6 PMs in four games for fifth-place Finland.

2010-11: Sointu returned to Finland to play for Ilves Tampere; making his SM-Liiga debut as a 20-year-old. He scored 7 goals with 13 assists and had 16 PMs with a -7 plus/minus as Ilves finished tenth in the 14-team league.

 

Talent Analysis

A forward with soft hands and natural goal scoring ability, Sointu has a slight frame. Sointu has good hockey vision to go along with his soft hands and, if he can overcome his size, could be an impact offensive player.

 

Future

Because of his slight build there are many questions as to whether his body can handle the rigors of North American hockey. He does have soft hands, however, and goal-scoring ability which should land him a job somewhere.