An explosive skater who exhibits excellent control of the puck in traffic, Rasmus Kupari's elite offensive talent was subject to the learning curve this past season as he transitioned to Finland's top men's league after building an impressive junior resume as a dominant offensive player.
The slick and elusive Kupari began the year with seven points (2+5) in four games for Finland against his peer group at the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. From there, he began his pro career with just one point, a goal, in his first 10 games competing against men.
It's common for a young player of his age and skill level to take some time to figure out what he can and cannot get away with at the pro level, and the 2017-18 season with Karpat saw Kupari learn that sometimes making the simple play is the correct way to help his team succeed. In 39 games as a 17-year-old centerman, Kupari finished with a modest six goals and 14 points while averaging just over 12 minutes of work.
Despite the lack of eye-popping numbers, Kupari, who added a pair of goals and one assist in four games at the World Under-18 Championship in April, did produce some very good stretches of hockey and rarely looked overwhelmed for a Karpat club that finished atop the league's regular season standings.
To illustrate his growth, he ended the year with six points in his final 10 games while gradually earning an increased workload over the final two months of the season. He was defensively sound, began emerging from the walls with quick acceleration, and was starting to split seams on his way to the net.
Scouts believe that his dynamic offensive skill set will again come to life in a much larger role once he packs some muscle on is frame. With strength comes confidence, so the expectation is that Kupari engages the dirty areas and enjoys a significant statistical boost in his numbers next season in the final year of his Liiga contract.
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For more on all the youngsters in the Sabres pipeline, check out Kris Baker's website, SabresProspects.com. You can also follow him on Twitter (@SabresProspects).
