2002 NHL Entry Draft

KARI LEHTONEN

ATLANTA • ROUND: 1 OVERALL: 2

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Previous Team: Helsinki Jokerit (SM-Liiga)

Pre-Draft Rankings

NHL Central Scouting: 1  Midterm Rank: 1

The Hockey News: 2    Red Line Report: 2

Vital Statistics

Position: G • Height: 6-3 • Weight: 189 • Catches: Left
Birthdate: Nov. 16, 1983 • Hometown: Helsinki, Finland

Pre-Draft Notes

Central Scouting Report: A tall goaltender with impressive quickness and excellent reflexes ... is strong on his skates and moves extremely well ... primarily a stand-up goaltender, but plays a very strong butterfly when needed ... a calm individual with a cool demeanor ... anticipates and reads the play very well with an excellent sense of timing ... a very confident goaltender ... a good competitor with a winning attitude ... considered to be the best draft-eligible European prospect, including skaters.

THN Draft Preview: Goalies are supposed to steal a game every now and then, but Kari Lehtonen took it to another level. Jokerit won the Finnish Elite League championship on the back of his goaltending. In 11 playoff games, Lehtonen had a 1.78 goals-against average and .940 save percentage. He allowed one goal in his last two playoff games, stopping 56 shots, and was the MVP of the playoffs. Lehtonen is a stand-up goalie who waits for the opponent to make the first move. He has a good glove hand and quick feet.

Red Line Report: Supremely talented and showed he's a money goalie at each of the last two World Juniors. Tall and covers a lot of net. Is very flexible, athletic, and acrobatic. Great reflexes and anticipation. Goes side-to-side and from down-to-up as fast as any netminding prospect since Roberto Luongo. Has terrific glove hand. Great temperament for a goalie with tons of poise and confidence. Excels under pressure; has icewater in his veins and is able to elevate his game when the outcome is one the line. Almost impossible to get any shot by him in third period of one-goal games. Very calm and mature kid who concentrates well and is able to find puck with traffic around the crease. Versatile modern goalie whose only weakness is stickhandling -- it's frequently an adventure when he handles the puck, and he makes some costly giveaways. Puts up great save percentage numbers wherever he plays. Very active in the crease and likes to challenge shooters. Played all season in Finnish SM-League and was electric in the playoffs.
Projection: Elite level No. 1 netminder. Style compares to Nikolai Khabibulin.

Pre-Draft Quotes

He has great hockey sense and plays very mature for his age and is one of the best goalie prospects I've seen in a long time. ... Finland has been producing good goalies over the last couple of years and he is the best so far. ... He moves well when he is down. He is very consistent and is personable outside the rink.

Anonymous Veteran European Scout, Hockey News Draft Preview

He's clearly the best at his position and is a future star.

-- Anonymous NHL Scout, Hockey News Draft Preview