Kotkaniemi skates with Canadiens for first time at development camp

BROSSARD, Quebec -- Jesperi Kotkaniemi is still riding the high of having been selected by the Montreal Canadiens with the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NHL Draft.
The 6-foot-2, 182-pound center skated at Canadiens development camp Friday one week after the draft in Dallas.

"It's been busy," said Kotkaniemi, who turns 18 July 6. "My friends are so excited in Finland. So it's lots of social media things and that kind of things."
Impressed with the Canadiens' suburban practice facility, Kotkaniemi said that he previously visited Montreal as part of a Finland national team camp two years ago.
"It's a great city," Kotkaniemi said. "I love that. I heard there is crazy fans so I can't wait to meet them."
Canadiens director of player development Rob Ramage is impressed with how Kotkaniemi carries himself.
"You know, I don't find that he's in awe of anything," Ramage said. "But that means that he's come from a hockey background, and he's been playing in the men's league there too. But he's still young. You look at him and you can tell. There's growth still to be had with him."
In selecting Kotkaniemi, the Canadiens targeted a need at center.
"I'm a big guy, I like to battle hard," Kotkaniemi said. "So that's my thing. I read the game well, that's also good in the defensive zone."

Kotkaniemi mentioned two centers from Finland. He said he hoped to meet former Canadiens captain Saku Koivu this summer, and said he modeled his game after Aleksander Barkov of the Florida Panthers.
"I watch him a lot," Kotkaniemi said of Barkov. "He's a great player and he's very calm when he's on the ice, so I like to watch that."
Kotkaniemi had 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 57 games with Assat in Liiga, Finland's top professional league. He helped Finland win the IIHF World Junior U18 Championship, scoring nine points (three goals, six assists) in seven games.
"I think when I'm playing center I can use more [of] my talents," Kotkaniemi said. "I'm a playmaker so I have more space there and I see the game better."
Jesse Ylonen, who was selected by Montreal in the second round (No. 35) Saturday, is familiar with his countryman's abilities.
"I played against him when we were younger, but at the U18 two years ago we played together for the first time and I got to know him," Ylonen said. "I think vision is his biggest asset. I think he also has a really good shot and he's a good goal scorer as well."