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Pope [Leo] · 05-31-2017, 12:55 AM

(This is my first post,apparently that's double payment? idk | 935 Words | Ready for Grading)

Compared to the rest of Oslo, the borough of Grorud leases itself to a quiet lifestyle. Being the smallest of all the districts that make up Norway’s capital, Grorud rarely makes a name for itself on the global scene. For most of it’s history, it’s been farm land, and mining territory. Its inhabitants are predominantly blue collar, hard working citizens, looking for a compromise between natural and urban settings. And with the upcoming SMJHL draft, North America may get a taste of this little piece of Oslo.
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With the soft nature of his home town, Finn Jakobsen quietly announced his intentions to join the SMJHL’s draft class. If that name means nothing to you, you’d be in agreement with most of the hockey world. Even in the small hockey community that Norway has, Jakobsen is overshadowed (perhaps deservedly so) by other Nordic draftees like Isak Ødegård (D) and Coren Volden (G). And though these players may go higher in the draft, Jakobsen’s interesting path to the major leagues may give him the tools to be a successful two-way/defensive forward. Like Grorud, the hard-working Finn Jakobsen lends himself well to a compromise; a compromise of both offense and defense. NRK Sports’ reporter Erik Hansen sat down with him.

Hansen: Finn, why don’t you start by introducing yourself and, maybe give us a rundown of your hockey experience so far.

Jakobsen: Sure. My name is Finn Jakobsen. I’m from Oslo, Norway. I started playing hockey when I was 10. When I started, I played defense. I started playing competitively when I 15. The next year my coach moved me to left wing, I’ve been playing that ever since.

Hansen: You started playing later than most, and have declared draft earlier than most do. How do you think you compare with the rest of the draft class, or even the draftees coming from Norway? Do you think your relatively short hockey stint will be taken into consideration?

Jakobsen: Well I hope the duration of my career so far won’t make a huge impact on my draft stock. Some people may say I don’t have enough experience; and they may be right about that. I just hope that my skills make up for that. Regarding starting late or announcing early, I think everyone has different lives and different experiences. I don’t think I’ll be at the top of the class, to be honest, even when compared to other Nords. Norway’s development program has really stepped it up recently. It’s showed recently with the silver our boys got in the IIHF (congrats to all of you by the way! Wink

. Every one of us has benefitted from that boost in development, which makes us all competitive with the rest of the world, but it also makes us competitive with each other. So, in all, I see myself mid pack.

Hansen: You touched on Norway’s improvement in it’s development program. Has that helped you with the transition from Defense to Offense?

Jakobsen: I’d say so. I think a big thing has been the support I’ve gotten from the staff. One of the things I’ve struggled with while becoming a forward was being confident in my plays. Going through a program that’s shaped by, and been shaped by for that matter, guys like Chester Cunningham, Adam Falk and Felix Herzog, has helped me refine my offensive game and helped build my esteem. I’ll always have that defense instinct, but the program has helped with the attacking part of my game.

Hansen: Speaking of refinement, a major sentiment towards you from some scouts out there is that you lack refinement in your offensive abilities. What do you have to say about that?

Jakobsen: I think if people are looking to me to be the guy lighting up the goal light every night, they must be crazy! In all seriousness, I understand where they’re coming from, but hopefully they can see that isn’t really my forte. Regardless, I’m giving 110% everyday to improve and hopefully some time soon I’ll have a well-rounded game.

Hansen: Last questions before we let you go, Finn. Is there any preference as to which team you’ll go to?

Jakobsen: I don’t have a preference. I’d be honored to be drafted to any team!

Hansen: Thanks for your time.
Jakobsen: My pleasure.

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Scouting Report:
From the interview, it seems clear that Finn Jakobsen knows his strengths and weaknesses. For a forward, he lends himself well to backchecking and the penalty kill, as his defensive instincts (DF:70) is comparable to some of the better defensemen draftees. With a 6’1”, 215 lbs frame, Finn isn’t afraid to throw his weight around (CK:50) . His decent skating (SK:66) allows him to be an effective outlet man to start the counterattack.

However, Offensive talent is lacking from this left winger’s game. Though he may be big, and have good defensive positioning, Finn lacks strength (ST:43, Weakness) which makes fighting in the corners tough. Though he is a workhorse, his endurance (EN:56) is nothing to write home about, while his attacking skills lay somewhere between typical D men and forwards, with mediocre puck handling (PH:55) and average offensive insights. Because of this, Finn looks for the pass (PA: 62) first rather than the shot (SC:52) .

Though he won’t go first in the draft, when all is said and done, Finn Jakobsen has the ability to play a decent support roll on offense, or could be used to help a struggling defense. As it stands Jakobsen would be a good middle to low draft pick, allowing GM’s and coaches to decide his roll in the team.

Muerto · 05-31-2017, 01:00 AM

***WannabeFinn*** · 05-31-2017, 01:00 AM

Finn from Norway

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Wasty · 05-31-2017, 01:09 AM

I like this guy. Welcome Norway

#40 Niclas Wastlund - W - VANCOUVER WHALERS Whalers

/ TORONTO NORTH STARS Stars

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