Teuvo Teravainen to Blackhawks: Video Highlights, Scouting Report and Analysis

Position: RW

Height/Weight: 5'11", 165 lbs

Shoots: Left

DOB: 9/11/1994

Youth Team: Kojootit

Current Team: Jokerit (SM-liiga)

After joining SM-liiga this past season and playing at the highest level of Finnish hockey, forward Teuvo Teravainen received plenty of interest from NHL clubs. His continued development clearly intrigued many teams, and he will look to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jari Kurri, Teemu Selanne and other Finns who had great NHL careers.

Teravainen, who is just 18 years of age, put up 18 points in 40 games during the regular season as a member of Jokerit while playing against much older men who have been professionals for years, many of whom have played in the NHL. Even more impressively, Teravainen added six points in nine playoff games.

He isn't a particularly big player at 5'11" and 165 lbs, but Teravainen has all the skills to be an offensive dynamo at the NHL level. Teravainen is one of the fastest skaters in the draft, and although he will have to refine his ability to finish, he is very adept at passing and putting his teammates in a position to score.

With the NHL deviating back to the pre-lockout style of play, which favors bigger players, there is some concern regarding Teravainen and other smaller players' potential to succeed at the next level. Teravainen is still young, though, and can pack some weight onto his near-six-foot frame so that he is difficult to knock off the puck.

Teravainen may not have quite the skill level of forwards like Nail Yakupov, Mikhail Grigorenko or Alex Galchenyuk, but he has a solid all-around game and good offensive instincts that should allow him to become a quality NHL player. I wouldn't consider Teravainen a likely candidate to make the NHL this season, but with continued progress in SM-liiga, he should be ready in one or two years tops.