Petteri Nokelainen

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Petteri Nokelainen (born January 16, 1986 in Imatra, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward. He was drafted by the New York Islanders as their first-round pick, #16 overall, in the 2004 NHL Entry Draft. He used to play for SaiPa in his native Finland.

Nokelainen came to North America in 2005 to play for Islanders. After 12 games with the club (he scored a goal and an assist), Petteri suffered a severe knee injury. Many thought that this injury would sideline him for the rest of the year, but the knee healed without surgery and Nokelainen had returned to finish the rest of the season with the Islanders, but his knee still needed healing and he got the surgery done. Thus ending his play for this season.

1 Talent Analysis
2 Trivia
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Talent Analysis

Like fellow first-round picks Robert Nilsson and Sean Bergenheim, Nokelainen is projected to be an important part of the Islanders future. These core of young players (amongst other talented prospects like Ryan O'Marra, Jeff Tambellini, Denis Grebeshkov, Bruno Gervais, Chris Campoli, and others) should make the Islanders a fun team to watch.

Even though Petteri has only played a handful of games, Islanders fans have taken an immediate liking to him. His high energy game and willingness to hit everything that moves is a key factor for this.

Petteri's scouting report from tsn.ca :

Assets Is a sound two-way center with playmaking skills. Kills penalties effectively and owns a very projectable frame.

Flaws May be somewhat limited in the goal-scoring department at the NHL level. Needs to continue to hone his skills, because he's somewhat raw.

Career potential Two-way center.