The Edmonton Oilers used their second pick in the 2024 NHL Draft at 64th overall to select finish goaltender Eemil Vinni.
Who is Eemil Vinni?
| Position | Catches | Height | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goaltender | Left | 6’3″ | 187 lbs |
Vinni is a lanky netminder who was drafted in his first year of eligibility. Depending on the database, he is listed at either 6’2″ or 6’3″, but presents a large frame on the ice. The 18-year-old spent last season with JoKP of the Mestis league, which is Finland’s tier two pro league after playing his Draft-1 season with HIFK’s junior team. It is currently anticipated that Vinni will make the jump to the HIFK in the Tier 1 Liiga for his Draft+1 season in 2024–25.
The video on Vinni
Vinni’s strengths
For just a big body, Eemil Vinni is a very good skater. He’s able to efficiently get around the crease and get to position early. This is particularly key for Vinni’s game, as tactically he likes to be aggressive, forcing the shooter to beat him with good shots. According to Elite Prospect’s tracking, he was only beat through the body twice on 219 shots, meaning that he was not giving up anything easily. This ability was somewhat unique among the top goalies available, making him perhaps the highest upside puck stopper in the class.
The mobility in the young Finn’s game is particularly present in his post play, allowing him to transition on low to high plays with ease along with handling net drives. This asset to his game is particularly notable for a European goalie, as the extra ice allows goalies to be more passive and play more situations on their feet. What can happen when these prospects transition to North America is the smaller surface and quicker pace don’t allow them to be as patient, and they get caught in awkward situations around the post.
Vinni’s areas of improvement
Since Dustin Schwartz has been hired by the Oilers’, they have drafted very similar archetypes of goalies. They typically have large frames, read the play at a high level and can skate well enough to get by. Vinni might have the highest upside of those netminders on draft day due to his dynamic ability to make saves on tough chances.
However, one factor that a lot of these goalies have is that their areas to improve include tracking on shot reactions. Vinni does this well for the most part, but when the play gets dangerous and he feels under pressure, he starts to reach, particularly with his pads. This can lead to some rebounds, in addition to sometimes getting beat to the posts.
Vinni’s skating ability in and out of the posts is one of the biggest assets of his game. One area that he will need to improve through his development will be his overreliance on that ability when things go south. Elite Prospects had Yaroslav Askarov as a comparable, and similar to Askarov earlier in his career, Vinni will have to reign in his skating ability. The edge work is great to have, but using it more efficiently will be key to being a quality NHL goaltender.
Another small thing that was noticeable in the video is that Vinni’s puck handling needs work. There are not as many opportunities to play the puck in the European game with an emphasis on controlled entries, but he will need to work on it to facilitate puck retrievals once he starts playing within OEG.
Next steps for Vinni
Vinni is expected to join the Liiga’s HIFK for the 2024–25 season. The other goalies currently slated to be on the roster are last year’s starter Roope Taponen (14–9–13, .906 SV%, 2.20 GAA) and Rastislav Elias, who will likely start with JoKP next year.
An offseason of strength and conditioning should help, but the Oilers should be looking for Vinni to earn more playing time in Finland. There are a lot of raw skills there, but at some point, Vinni will need to post a save percentage over .900 as he progresses as a prospect.
I’d expect Vinni to play his D+1 and D+2 in Finland before making his way to North America and joining the Bakersfield Condors. Spending a second-round pick on Vinni will likely cast doubt on the likelihoods of Samuel Jonsson and Nathaniel Day earning entry-level contracts.
Additionally, Vinni did not play any games at last year’s World Junior tournament but did post a .942 SV% in five games at the 5 Nation Tournament in the spring, as is currently projected to be the team Finland starter at this year’s tournament.
Vinni’s projection with the Oilers
Vinni has one of the highest upsides among Oilers’ prospects period, nevermind just goalies. The lanky Finn likely presents the highest potential for a goalie the Oilers have had in their system since Laurent Brossoit or Devan Dubnyk, as current starter Stuart Skinner was generally regarded as a high-floor low-ceiling prospect.
The difference between a clear-cut starter, tandem goalie, and back-up mostly has to do with the ability to handle workload, which is an unanswered question at this point, but Vinni certainly profiles as an NHL calibre goaltender that can work into the Oilers’ battery as Stuart Skinner continues to establish himself as as a starter with two years remaining on his contract, and as Olivier Rodrigue tries to break into the NHL as the top goaltender in Bakersfield.
