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Canucks sign pint-sized powerhouse Petrus Palmu to entry-level contract

The Canucks’ 2017 draft stands in stark contrast to the one from the year before. Just one pick from the 2016 draft has been signed, Olli Juolevi, while the Canucks have decided to forego signing Jakob Stukel, Cole Candella, and Brett Mckenzie.
Petrus Palmu skates in warm-up for TPS in the Finnish Liiga.

The Canucks’ 2017 draft stands in stark contrast to the one from the year before. Just one pick from the 2016 draft has been signed, Olli Juolevi, while the Canucks have decided to forego signing Jakob Stukel, Cole Candella, and Brett Mckenzie.

The first three picks from the Canucks’ 2017 draft had already been signed: Elias Pettersson, Kole Lind, and Jonah Gadjovich. On Monday, the Canucks added to that number by signing sixth round pick Petrus Palmu to a three-year, entry-level contract.

Palmu is coming off a stellar season in the Finnish Liiga, where he won the Rookie of the Year award after leading all first-year players in scoring and multiple other categories. He had 17 goals and 36 points in 59 games.

Using Ian Tulloch’s method of NHL Equivalency, Palmu’s 0.61 points per game in the Liiga comes out to 0.37 points per game in the NHL, approximately 30 points in a full 82-game season.

It’s more likely that Palmu will start next season in the AHL with the Utica Comets. Palmu is a promising prospect, but his smaller size will be difficult to overcome. Palmu is listed at 169 cms tall on the Liiga website, which is 5’6.5”. While the NHL is moving towards speed and skill over size and Palmu boasts a powerful build and is strong on his skates, players his height are still rare in the NHL.

Even the shortest players to play a full season in the NHL last year, Alex Debrincat and David Desharnais, are taller than Palmu.

Palmu isn’t unfamiliar with being told he’s too small, of course, and with his powerful build, he has the potential to overcome his height. He takes inspiration from Martin St. Louis, and, while Palmu will never reach 1000 points, his speed, skill, and determination could still help him carve out a respectable NHL career.
 


His Liiga highlight reel illustrates that speed and skill, as he shows an ability to beat defenders and finish plays in multiple different ways, particularly with the wicked release on his shot. He has superb hands, great patience and poise around the net, and great strength on his stick to fight off his checks. He also has the vision and passing ability to make plays for his teammates.

One of the qualities that might benefit him the most in the NHL is his elusiveness. You can see how he evades checks and darts quickly through the smallest openings, a good sign that he’lll be able to handle the larger size of his opponents and smaller ice surface in North America.

You can also see that he doesn’t play on the perimeter, but heads straight for the front of the net at every opportunity. He tends to play in the slot or as a netfront presence on the power play, unusual for someone his height, but he has the core strength to hold off defencemen down low and protect the puck effectively. Whether he’ll be able to do the same at the NHL level is another question, however.

Palmu was a gamble worth taking in the sixth round in 2017 and his entry-level contract shows that the Canucks still believe it’s worth doubling-down on his chances of making the NHL.