Top 25 Under 25 Rankings, the series that makes you wish you were under 25 again. The list includes all players born after January 1st, 1996. Five staff writers (Beggsy, Westy, CanucksAbbyFan2, Trevor Connors, Markus Meyer) and one former staff writer (Daniel Gee, Elite Prospects) cast votes for the project.
Position: Defence
Size: 6-4, 198 pounds
2019-20 Junior A SM-Liiga season stats: 5-23-28 in 43 games
2020/21 team: JYP (Liiga)
Highest ranking: No. 12 (Daniel)
Lowest ranking: No. 34 (Trevor)
For the first time in seven drafts, Jim Benning lacked both a first and second-round selection.
That made third-round pick Joni Jurmo the Canucks de facto first selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The selection was largely applauded as most scouts had Joni Jurmo pegged as a second-round quality talent.
Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images
Welcome to the Top 25 Under 25 Rankings, the series that makes you wish you were under 25 once again. The list includes all players born after January 1st, 1996. Five staff writers (Beggsy, Westy, CanucksAbbyFan2, Trevor Connors, Markus Meyer) and one former staff writer (Daniel Gee, Elite Prospects) cast votes for the project.
Position: Defence
Size: 5-11, 172 pounds
2019-20 Liiga (Finland) season stats: 0-3-3 in 32 games
2020-21 team: Tappara (Liiga)
Lowest ranking: No. 30 (Westy)
Toni Utunen has been defined as a prospect who is “reliable.” However, has he plateaued in his development?
That’s the question for Utunen as he enters his third season following the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. The career arc for the fifth-round pick looked mighty promising following some stellar play in U-20 competition. However, Utunen has spent a good chunk of time as the seventh, (or sometimes even eighth) defenceman on Tappara’s depth chart, which has