Simulation Hockey League

Jakub stopping a shot with his glove.

Position: G
Born: 01-20-1994
Shoots: Right
Jersey Number: 29
Height (ft.): 6'4"
Weight (lbs.): 217 lbs
Birthplace: Tampere, Finland

Player Attributes:

Banked TP: 164
SK = Skating: 95
EN = Endurance: 95
DU = Durability: 50
SZ = Size: 95
AG = Agility: 95
RB = Rebound Control: 99
SC = Style Control: 95
HS = Hand Speed: 99
RT = Reaction Time: 99
PH = Puck Handling: 95
PS = Penalty Shot: 50

Jakub Aittokallio is the active starting goaltender for the Edmonton Blizzard in the SHL and has remained one of the very best goaltenders in the entire league for a very long period of time. He spent a mere fifteen games with the Detroit Falcons in S12 of the NWJHL. He then played the majority of his career in juniors with the St. Louis Scarecrows, for the S13 season of the NWJHL (now the SMJHL). Once that was completed, he entered the S13 SHL draft, where he was selected by the Blizzard with the eight overall selection and has remained in between the two pipes since. Jakub has simply been a staple for what a goaltender should be in the SHL, and we are honored to write our first every goalie scouting report on someone like him. The position may sometimes get overlooked, considering position players often take the most valuable player awards and get less slack from scouts. However, make no mistake about it, a SHL team needs a great goalie in order to win in this league. This scouting report will analyze Jakub’s strengths, weaknesses, and what type of goaltender he currently is in the SHL.

Strengths:

Skating: Jakub is an incredibly fast skater between the pipes which helps him succeed in numerous ways. He can get to one end of the net to another instantly, making second chance opportunities a lot more difficult to score than one might commonly expect. Furthermore, should Jakub be required to leave the net in order to chase a puck, he can get to it very fast, and then return back in between the pipes quickly, so he will never be scored on for a mistake like that. Honestly, he can keep up in a skating race with above average position players if he wanted, he has that much natural skating ability and strength as a goaltender. It is often marvelous to look at it and it is perhaps something that is not commonly seen with many goaltenders in the league, which is just one way that Jakub is a special talent.

Endurance: Goalies are expected to always have great endurance capabilities because they are the only players on the ice that are expected to remain on the ice for all sixty minutes of a game. Jakub takes it to another level though, as even when he is facing many shots for the entirety of the game, he still has enough endurance to stop most and not get tired from doing so. He never gives up during a game, even if all hope seems lost; he will still prevent as many shots as he possibly can on the ice. It is simply a testament to his character and a skill that makes any team in the SHL to want to have them as their goaltender. This is something both gained from a physical standpoint, because Jakub does attend the gym on a consistent basis, in order to remain strong, but also from a pure naturally gifted standpoint, because such endurance can sometimes be attested to strong bone growth, which many assume Jakub possesses. Because of this, Jakub is simply a special talent from this and it is amazing to admire.

Size: Jakub has great size for a goaltender, standing at six feet and four inches, while also weighing two-hundred and seventeen pounds, so just from a pure physical standpoint, Jakub has great size. However, his strength in this capacity goes beyond that, Jakub knows how to use his size incredibly well, which is what ultimately makes this skill a strength of his. He knows where to place his body anywhere in the net, in order to stop a puck not with his hands, but rather allowing it deflect off any part of his massive frame. That in conjunction with his natural physical stature is what ultimately makes his size a strength of his game, and why Jakub knows how to use his body properly as much as any goaltender in the entire league.

Agility: Agility is a specific skill for a goaltender, in the sense that it requires them to be able to instantly get up from any position they may be on the ice and to swiftly regain their normal stance in net. For instance, if someone took a really good shot at Jakub and he managed to stop it, but had to do so in an awkward position, Jakub has to find a way to regain his normal stance fast, because a rebound or a second opportunity by the opposition can become an easy goal if he does not. Jakub is able to recover to his normal stance as quick as anyone in the league and in conjunction with his skating, it is simply amazing to see how fast with his legs and body he can be at times in between the pipes.

Rebound Control: One of the three best skills Jakub possesses as a goaltender on the ice, his rebound control with the pucks is simply amazing to witness at times. Once he stops a puck, even if it is incredibly to the right or left of the net, he simply always finds a way to be able to prevent a second opportunity or rebound chance by the opposing team. It is due to his rare combination of size, skating, and agility in the net that makes this occur, and only a few goaltenders in the entire SHL can match his ability to control rebounds, which is simply what makes Jakub a rare talent and why he has been such a successful goaltender for the Edmonton Blizzard for this long. He will most likely be great at this skill, even during his final seasons before retirement as a player.

Style Control: Another impressive strength for Jakub is the ability to control his style of player and making sure it never gets too out of hand at any given moment during a game. This is important because if someone is going to be a butterfly type goaltender, they simply cannot switch to a more aggressive and physical based set of skills. What sets Jakub apart from other goaltenders is his combination to be both physically gifted and have finesse in net, which is why his style control will never get out of hand, as he can easily switch into one or another with relative ease. This skill can sometimes be overlooked, but it is incredibly important for a goaltender, especially if they cannot switch styles as easily as Jakub can for physical reasons.

Hand Speed: The second of the three best skills as a goaltender for Jakub, is most certainly his amazing and elite hand speed. Watching his hands move and prevent shots on a nightly basis is simply marvelous to witness as he is so quick with his hands, that they can sometimes be a non-visible. He is able to stop goals from entering his net at times that would seem impossible because his hands have the natural physical ability to be as flexible as any hands I have seen as a goaltender have. Some players are simply meant to be goaltenders because they have specific traits that help them succeed, and Jakub’s hand speed is one of those skills and signs that made him born to be a great goaltender.

Reaction Time: The third and final of Jakub’s three best skills as a goaltender on the ice is his incredibly reaction time to the puck being shot at him. Someone can shoot the puck either near or far and at the fastest of speed possible, but Jakub will always find a way to simply be able to react it to it quickly. This skill has been developed over time and with the amount of knowledge he has gained as a goaltender in the league. Whenever a puck is shot, he simply knows where it is going to go and where he needs to place his glove or body to prevent the puck from entering the net. Only goaltenders that have been in the league for such a long amount of time ever develop this skill to the degree of success Jakub has.

Puck Handling: The final strength Jakub has a player is his ability to simply be able to control the puck masterfully with his goalie stick. If he has to pass the puck to one of his teammates, he can do so almost as good as an above average position player on the ice, and it is therefore not shocking if he gets an assist or two on the season. It also allows him to make some very good saves with his stick and be able to maneuver the puck wherever he desires, because he can control that puck so well in the first place. It is another skill that can sometimes get overlooked by scouts, as most goalies do their work with their gloves and that is where they make most of their money, but being able to control the puck well with your stick separates the good goalies from the great ones.

Leadership: Jakub has been a great goaltender and member of the league for some time now. In fact, he is a special advisor to the entire league as a whole, so he certainly must be respected by those that have had the chance to listen to him or seen him play. Whenever he speaks in the locker room, people listen and he is often the one leading the players only meeting when they are required during certain times of the season. He brings true value to the idea of leadership and it is a big reason why the Blizzard have remained a great team for a long amount of time. Make no mistake about it, leadership can often make the difference of a team entering a slump at times or not, and it is with Jakub’s leadership that often prevents these slumps from not occurring. In fact, as I write this, the Blizzard have a two to one series lead in the S23 Challenge Cup Finals, and a great reason for that is the combination of great play and leadership Jakub has constantly given to the Blizzard franchise.

Good, but Can Use Some Work:

Improve the Save Percentage: Jakub faced one-thousand, one-hundred and nine shots during the regular season which ranked seventh in the league, so he faced fewer shots than the average goaltender in the league. What makes this weird is that one would expect his save percentage would be incredibly high, especially considering all the talent he possesses as a goaltender. However, his save percentage only ranked eighth in the entire league, with a percentage of .902%. It most likely is not all his fault but I believe that with someone as talented and seasoned as Jakub, he should be ranking in the top five or so in save percentage. Perhaps it was simply a fluke statistic for the season, but while he ranked decently with his save percentage, more should be asked and expected of him without a shadow of a doubt.

Weakness:

Age: The one weakness all older players will never beat, as father time ultimately beats all eventually. Jakub has been playing goaltender for the Edmonton Blizzard for around ten seasons now, which means he is going to be facing an uphill with regression soon. By no means is this going to force him to retire in a few seasons, he most likely has several more seasons of elite level of play as a goalie for the Blizzard, but it is only going to get more difficult for him each season that now passes by. He possesses great worth ethic though, so his regression most likely will be slower and less devastating compared to other older players, but make no mistake about it, his age will catch up with him eventually like it does will everyone. The question is how much control he can take over it.

Overall Analysis:

Jakub Aittokallio is simply class as a goaltender, as he has been doing so for ten seasons now, and being one of the very best to do it in his time span. He is an incredibly fast skater for a goaltender, he possesses great endurance so he hardly gets tired stopping pucks, he possesses great natural size as a goalie while also knowing how to use his body well, he maintains great agility inside the two pipes, he is one of the very best at stopping rebounding pucks as well as second chances shots by the opposition, he has the ability to control his style well being able to be a butterfly or more aggressive based goalie anytime he pleases, he has amazingly fast hands to prevent pucks from entering the net, he has great reaction time in knowing where the puck is going to be through his many years of service as a goaltender, and he has rare great control of the puck with his stick. More can be expected of him from his save percentage, especially with the few amounts of shots he faced during the regular season. Moreover, he is starting to get up there in age, being a goalie for the Blizzard for ten seasons now, so regression will ultimately catch up to him at some point.

Game of Thrones Comparison: Jeor Mormont



You were placed in charge of defending the wall for many years as the Lord Commander of the nights watch. You are rather old but well respected among all your peers have done a fantastic job in accomplishing the task handed to you. Jakub is responsible for defending the net of the Blizzard, has done so for many seasons now, has done so with great success, and is certainly well respected by his teammates and his fellow goaltenders in the league.


Word Count: 2,313

Top five goaltender of all-time and best goaltender in the league.

=D>

Quote:Originally posted by Kel@May 31 2015, 11:30 AM
Top five goaltender of all-time and best goaltender in the league.

=D>

It would certainly appear that way!