Upon being drafted into the SMJHL in the third round at thirty-third overall and his arrival in Vancouver, Valtterri Kauppinen has very high goals set for himself. Playing in the Liiga has gotten him used to playing pro hockey, but the SMJHL is an even higher point than that. He's not playing with washed up old coots and lesser prospects anymore, he's playing with the best of the younguns. Kauppinen has already clearly had an impact on the Whalers roster, scoring quite a bit in his first few games. Although he didn't do that well in his first few SMJHL games, it seems he's getting used to the higher tempo of play in North America. Currently, he's set a 20 points, 15 goals scored objective for himself. Whalers fans seem to be clamoring over Kauppinen, calling him an absolute steal in the third round. Watching him grow and improve himself over the years and before his entry into the SHL is definitely going to be interesting.

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