Vaakanainen Adjusting to New Surroundings

BOSTON- Urho Vaakanainen has had plenty of adjusting to do over the last month.
The smooth-skating blueliner has spent the entirety of his career playing in his native Finland - highlighted by a 41-game stint with JYP in the Finnish Elite League last season. But the comfort of playing in his home country will only last so long, as the Bruins plucked Vaakanainen with the 18th overall pick in last month's NHL Draft.

Adapting to the North American culture, both on and off the ice, will be of the utmost importance as Vaakanainen begins his journey towards the National Hockey League. Knowing that, the defenseman made sure to get an early start on acclimating to his new surroundings. During the two weeks between the Draft and the start of Development Camp, Vaakanainen voyaged to Minnesota to stay at the home of Bruins Player Development Coordinator Jamie Langenbrunner.
"It was great to be there. I'm thankful for Jamie's family, I really enjoyed my time there," Vaakanainen said during last week's Bruins Development Camp. "They have a great place there. A lot of stuff you can do there, ride the jet skis and stuff like that. It was fun. I loved to be there. I really liked his family."
It was the first step in immersing himself into the Bruins philosophy, while also avoiding the grueling travel back and forth to Europe.
"I think he was ready to get away from me," Langenbrunner quipped. "I think he's a very open kid that mingled very well into my family and stuff. He's a very good kid, very polite kid that was a great houseguest. It was good to get to know him on that level because…sometimes, with that language barrier, short meetings can be difficult. But, getting to spend a little more time with him, got to learn about the personality a little bit."

Over the course of Development Camp, Langenbrunner - who had seen Vaakanainen play just once, during the 2017 World Juniors - also had the chance to get a better look at the defenseman's game.
"He's a smooth skater. He sees the ice well, he's got good size, and he can make plays," said Langenbrunner. "I think as the confidence grows, numbers will grow just if you're making the right plays over and over again."
Langenbrunner said the graceful nature of Vaakanainen's skating reminds him and Bruins assistant general manager Scott Bradley of Hall of Famer Scott Niedermayer, who was teammates with Langenbrunner on the New Jersey Devils 2003 Stanley Cup squad.
"Fluid, where you're almost floating on the ice," said Langenbrunner. "You're not exerting effort to get to the same place where it's just - it's effortless where you think a guy like that can play 50 minutes in a game and not get tired, which I believe Niedermayer probably could of.
"That's obviously high praise with a guy that is effortless and can skate around the rink…that's something that I don't believe you can really teach. Some guys have that and some guys, it's a little more work."
High praise, indeed, for an 18-year-old.
But there is still plenty of progress to be made, particularly in Vaakanainen's offensive game. While the 6-foot, 185-pound left shot can certainly lug the puck with his legs, it has not always translated into gaudy numbers on the scoresheet.
Last season, Vaakanainen collected two goals and four assists in 41 games for JYP, while adding another three assists in 14 postseason games. Langenbrunner, however, believes the numbers will come with time.
"You're talking about a 17-year-old kid that played in the Finnish Elite League," said Langenbrunner. "So, for him to put up huge offensive numbers, I think would be pretty tough. I think now, going into his second year there, a little more confident. Obviously, you hear more growth. You'll see maybe a little more of an uptick there."
Vaakanainen, who will play in Finland again next season, tried to gather as much as he could from the four-day camp, most importantly what it's like to be a member of the Boston Bruins organization.
"As the camp goes, you feel more welcome and more relaxed," said Vaakanainen. "The camp was great. I had so much fun here. Tried to learn some new things, get to know all the guys. I really liked the people here in Boston and the Bruins organization. I really enjoyed my time here."
The 2017 Boston Bruins Development Camp was presented by AT&T.