Player's Profile
Picture Courtesy of www.blues.fi
- Name: Mikko Lehtonen
- Position: RW
- Shoots: Right
- Height: 6-4
- Weight: 205 lbs
- Birthdate: 1987-04-01
- Eligible for Draft: 2005
- Drafted:
- Hometown: Espoo, Finland
- Acquired: 83rd overall, 2005 NHL Entry Draft by Boston
- Playing In: Europe
Mikko Lehtonen
Prospect Grade: 6.5 C (About Prospect Grades)
Profile Contributed By: Pekka Lampinen
History
Scouts needed just one look at the 6'4 winger moving swiftly around the ice while performing difficult tricks with the puck to draw several circles around Lehtonen's name in their notebooks. He has displayed his talent in many international tournament in the years before his draft. The results have been varying all the way down to benchings, but he delivered at the first milestone in the U18 World Championships. In the meantime with his club team Espoo Blues, stardom is still ahead for Lehtonen in Jr A, although he did get his pro debut out of the way before the draft.
2005-06: Lehtonen split the season between the Finland Junior-A level and the elite league for the Espoo Blues. He put up respectable numbers at the junior level, collecting a total of seven points (3 goals, 4 assists) in 15 games, but he failed to make a significant impact at the elite level. In 25 games with the SM-Liga, Lehtonen scored four goals and had no assists. Lehtonen also represented Finland in the WJC, finishing with an assist and two penalty minutes in seven games.
2006-07: Lehtonen played steady hockey most of the season. His season was interrupted by the WJC and later by a shoulder injury, but he played in 39 games and scored 15 points. The gifted puckhandler tallied most of them on the power play, as his even-strength ice time fluctuated a lot. As the lines were shuffled, Lehtonen at times found himself on the fourth line even though he was consistently worthy of a spot on a scoring line. Nonetheless, Lehtonen developed greatly from the previous season and is now ready for AHL hockey.
With another year of development and a more solid fall season behind him, Lehtonen was ready to assume a whole different role than that of a fourth liner last year in the WJC tournament. He was pegged to play with the top center Lindgren from the start, and the arrangement was a success. Supported by a playmaker, Lehtonen was set to play the role of a finisher but also to feed the puck back to his linemates. He was unstoppable when crashing the net: The 6'4 winger is speedy, agile and adept at covering and handling the puck. Once he got the puck to his upper hand side in full speed along the boards, hardly anyone could stop him from curving to the net and even making the final move right in front of the goaltender.
Lehtonen was signed to an entry level contract in May of 2007
Janine Pilkington contributed to this section.
Talent Analysis
Lehtonen is big, fast and skilled. Unfortunately he is mostly just that. He has been spotted on ice as a dangerous sniper, brilliant passer and a disciplined checker. Based on a sample of games, one would say that he is far less perfect than that. Lehtonen is still trying to put it all together, neither quite conforming to offensive tactics nor playing two-way hockey more than one way at a time. He is making steady progress, though - and he should, as he is known to work hard in practice. Following Lehtonen's development to his final form will be intriguing to say the least.
Future
Lanky by nature, Lehtonen still looks a lot like a junior player. He won't be seen in the NHL until at least near the end of the decade, but he has made steady progress and his stock appears to be on the rise. Lehtonen will play the 2007-08 season with Espoo.
Stats
| SEASON | TEAM | GP | G | A | PTS | +/- | PIM |
| 2005 | Team Finland (WJC U18) | 6 | 2 | 3 | 5 | +1 | 2 |
| 2005-06 | Team Finland (U20/Mestis) | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2005-06 | Espoo Blues (Jr. A SM-Sarja/FNL) | 15 | 3 | 4 | 7 | -3 | 12 |
| 2005-06 | Espoo Blues (SM-Liiga/FNL) | 25 | 4 | 0 | 4 | -2 | 0 |
| 2006 | Team Finland (WJC) | 7 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| 2006-07 | Espoo Blues (SM-Liiga/FNL) | 39 | 6 | 9 | 15 | -2 | 24 |
| 2007 | Espoo Blues (SM-Liiga/FNL) | 9 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 4 |
| 2006-07 | Team Finland (U20 Mestis) | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | +1 | 0 |
| 2007 | Team Finland (WJC) | 6 | 4 | 6 | 10 | +1 | 0 |
Profile Last Updated: April, 5th 2008
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