Getting to Know: Cormier and Jurmo

The tentative dates for the 2020 NHL Entry Draft have been set for Oct. 9-10.
The draft, originally set for June 26-27 in Montreal, will be done in a virtual environment.

The Detroit Red Wings have three second-round picks -- their own, the Edmonton Oilers' pick (acquired in the trade that sent Andreas Athanasiou to Edmonton) and the Washington Capitals' pick (acquired in the trade that sent Nick Jensen to Washington).
For the next several weeks, DetroitRedWings.com will take a look at some of the players, one North American and one international each week, who are likely to be available.
This week we will focus on two defensemen who are expected to be around in the second and third rounds, starting with Lukas Cormier of the QMJHL's Charlottetown Islanders.
In 44 games this past season, Cormier had six goals, 30 assists and 28 penalty minutes.
Tweet from @claremcmanuss: Watching some highlights of LHD Lukas Cormier. Great goal here as he jumps up on the play. Not to mention the smart little drop pass by Gaetan Jobin. #2020NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/sal2phxaMD
NHL Central Scouting placed Cormier 32nd among North American skaters in its final rankings, released April 8.
TSN's experts, were of a similar mind when ranking Cormier, with Craig Button listing him 54th overall and Bob McKenzie ranking him 49th.
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler was a little higher on the 5-foot-10, 180-pound blueliner, placing him 25th overall in his final rankings.
"Cormier was drafted into the QMJHL as a top prospect (fourth overall in 2018), he has played like that top prospect ever since, and yet I'm weirdly confident that he's going to be available well into the second round because he's perceived as small," Wheeler said. "If he were two inches taller, there's no question he's a first-round pick. Cormier's an excellent handler in transition and across the offensive zone blue line, where he rotates and pivots his way into lanes. He doesn't shy away from playing a physical style, despite being on the smaller side.
"He was a go-to option for the Islanders as a rookie, which earned him a spot on the QMJHL's all-rookie team. And he followed that up with consistency to his game as a sophomore that many of the other top D in this class lack. He's also a standout defender in his own zone, as well as off the rush and has shown he can drive results on a mediocre team at both ends. After missing six weeks with a lower-body injury that sidelined him from the middle of October until early December, Cormier came back and looked like one of the best defensemen in the QMJHL the rest of the way."

The Athletic's Corey Pronman was more aligned with the TSN experts, ranked Cormier 40th on his 2020 NHL Draft Board.
"Cormier has been a productive minute eater for Charlottetown for the past two seasons," Pronman said. "Despite his numbers, including elite shot generation numbers, Cormier isn't a player I would characterize as flashy offensively. He certainly has some offense in him, but his game is more about his feet and brain than skill. He's a very good skater who can transport pucks up the ice. His feet allow him to break up a lot of rushes and cause turnovers up the ice. Cormier makes a lot of creative exits and plays inside the offensive zone due to how well he sees the ice. Even though he's not the biggest defender, in the Q he showed he can play tough minutes and kill penalties. Some scouts question whether he can be that type of player in the NHL at his size."

Dobber Hockey said, "The 5-10 defender loves to shoot the puck. His rate of 3.95 per game in 2019-20 was third amongst all QMJHL defenders. His ability to get the puck through traffic with both his wrist shot and one-timer make him a valuable power-play weapon. However, he lacks much in the way of creativity when handling the puck or dishing it. His passes come via the shot. His skating is fine, as is his defensive acumen. It's just difficult to imagine he'll become a top-unit option and thus his ceiling will be limited."

While Red Line Report also believes that Cormier is generally better than his rankings, it listed him 69th overall, saying, "Underrated blue-liner whose game is more than the sum of his parts. He's neither big nor exceptionally fast, but is agile and slippery on his pivots to dart into open ice. His biggest strengths are top-notch hockey sense and mobility. Modern-day defenseman is excellent in transition and as a PP distributor. Makes the correct decisions both with and without the puck in all three zones. Has shown very good poise directing the PP, sliding in all directions to open up passing and shooting lanes. His shot needs more velocity and power, and must do better job getting it through traffic, too. Very much undersized, and relies on smarts, anticipation and compete level to defend -- won't win many 1-on-1 battles. Must add strength and acceleration to make it. Doesn't have enough straight-away speed to pull away from pursuers."
Over in Europe, Joni Jurmo is anything but undersized but had similar numbers to Cormier in his league.
The 6-foot-4, 190-pound Finnish defenseman played for Jokerit Jr and had five goals, 23 assists and 28 penalty minutes in 43 games.

NHL Central Scouting had Jurmo ranked 20th among international skaters.
TSN's Button ranked Jurmo 78th while McKenzie had him 60th overall.
The Athletic's Wheeler was in the middle of those two, listing Jurmo 64th.

The Athletic's Pronman was also in between, ranking Jurmo 72nd overall.
"Jurmo is one of the more polarizing prospects in this year's draft," Pronman said. "There are moments and games where he looks like a top-end player. He's 6-foot-4 and a true high-end skater. When he's on, he shows skill and offensive creativity, making plays all over the ice. He's one of the best puck rushers in the draft and shows no fear to go end to end -- something he does a lot of during games. I've seen flashes of great vision from him, I've also seen times where it seems like he gets tunnel vision and just wants to do it all himself, so I debated between a 55 and a 60 on his hockey sense.
"He's also not great defensively, with iffy gaps and stick play, which isn't ideal given he doesn't put up big numbers. He can rub some scouts the wrong way with his approach to the game and coaches don't lean on him, but inDobber Hockey concurred with Pronman that Jurmo's defensive game needs significant improvement, saying, "Jurmo is a big 6-4, 190-pound puck-rushing defenseman with wheels and the ability to handle the puck at high speed. He's guilty of tunnel-vision and forcing plays that aren't available, but if he works on those issues, he has the required tools to develop into an NHL puck-rusher, as well. He's not the most talented player in an offensive zone, which limits his upside, but he does have some skill. His defensive game needs a lot of work. Jurmo is expected to play at the men's level in 2020-21, either in Liiga or Mestis, depending on how well he performs."

In an interview with Dobber Prospects' Jokke Nevalainen, Jurmo spoke about his style of play.
"A big, puck-moving defenseman who skates really well and can make good breakout passes and carry the puck up the ice," Jurmo said. "I may not be the craftiest player in the offensive zone but I'm pretty good there. In the defensive zone, I'm not completely terrible but pretty okay there as well. But I need to do a lot of work to improve in that area."
The Red Line Report also had Jurmo in that same range, listing him 74th in its 2020 Draft Guide: "Huge blue-liner is still raw and unpolished with some rough edges, but the risk element in his game is far less pronounced than it was early in the season, and the tools are there for him to become a high end talent. Lanky d-man is a late bloomer who wasn't even on the radar at the start of the season, but has developed better than any of the other 8-10 Finnish blue-liners who will be drafted. With a cannon shot, good mobility, and some offensive skills, the upside is intriguing. Uses quick feet, good puckhandling skills, and agility to sidestep checkers and skate the puck out of danger. It's rare to see a 17-year-old of his size move up ice with such speed. Still has ways to go before he's that reliable workhorse who is the first choice for coaches in critical situations. Needs to get stronger and more aware defensively."

Jurmo signed a three-year deal with JYP in Liiga, Finland's top league, and hopes to play at the top level or in Mestis, the second highest league, if he does not earn a roster spot on the Liiga team.