FLAMES DEFENCE PROSPECT JONI JURMO OFFERS INTRIGUING BLEND OF SIZE, SKATING ABILITY
Calgary Flames defence prospect Joni Jurmo is running through the star-studded roster for the summer skates he attends in Helsinki.
He starts with Dallas Stars smoothie Miro Heiskanen, a name that frequently pops up in the Norris Trophy conversation.
There’s San Jose Sharks forward Mikael Granlund, one of the few active Finns with 500-plus points on his NHL resume.
There’s Anton Lundell, a dependable centre who helped power the Florida Panthers to a Stanley Cup parade.
“And Juuse Saros was in net,” said Jurmo, referring to the Nashville Predators stalwart. “So I got a little scoring test too, how it is trying to score on a really good NHL goalie.”
Could Jurmo eventually be just another established NHLer at those summertime sessions?
That’s what the Flames are hoping for. The brass at the Saddledome have been adamant this towering blue-liner — one of five pieces acquired from the Vancouver Canucks in the Elias Lindholm trade — wasn’t simply a throw-in.
Jurmo, 22, packs plenty of intrigue.
He is an imposing presence at 6-foot-5 and 205 pounds and doesn’t hesitate to throw that weight around, but what you notice more than anything is his skating ability. How often do you describe a dude this size as graceful? In Jurmo’s case, it’s an accurate assessment.
“If you combine speed, size and strength and reach, I think it’s a really good combo for a defenceman in the NHL and AHL too,” he said. “That’s a really good base to build on.”
Sure is.
Jurmo, a left-handed shot, is currently representing the Flames at the Young Stars Classic in Penticton, B.C. During Friday’s 4-3 overtime loss to the Winnipeg Jets, he was paired with first-round pick Zayne Parekh.
“My skating is my big asset as a player, so I’ll be definitely using that,” Jurmo said as he prepared for the annual prospect tournament in B.C.’s Okanagan Valley. “I think my puck play and breaking out is pretty good and my defensive game is solid. I think I’m a good two-way defenceman, so that’s what I want to bring to the table.”
While Jurmo will soon be classed as a rookie rearguard in the AHL, this third-round pick from 2020 has already played parts of four seasons in the professional ranks, logging 168 appearances in Finland’s Liiga.
He split last winter between Ilves and KooKoo, totalling five points — one goal and four assists — in 46 games. His top skating speed in 2023-24 was measured at a 36.18 km/h. (To put that in perspective, NHL Edge clocked Oliver Kylington last season at a high of 36.11 km/h, and mobility has always been considered one of his greatest gifts.)
Jurmo inked an entry-level contract with the Flames in late March and hustled to Calgary for a glimpse of what he is now getting himself into.
“It was a really good thing that I spent the end of the season here — from March to May — with the Wranglers,” he said. “It was a really good experience because I hadn’t played hockey yet in North America. I didn’t play a game, but I kind of got the hang of it, how the life is outside of the rink and everything, got to know the guys …
“Now that I’m here, I’m not here to look. I’m here to take a spot on the team and put my foot between the door.”
The Flames have loaded up, via both the draft and trades, on blossoming blue-liners. There is going to be a lot of competition for future jobs on the back-end — and a tricky numbers game for the Wranglers coaches this fall.
Jurmo isn’t going to challenge Parekh, Hunter Brzustewicz, Etienne Morin or Jeremie Poirier to be operating as power-play quarterback on opening night at the now-under-construction Scotia Place, and he shouldn’t necessarily be lumped with the shutdown specialists such as Artem Grushnikov, Yan Kuznetsov and Ilya Solovyov.
But perhaps he can carve out a role as a guy who can lean on opponents, skate his way out of trouble and occasionally jump into the offensive rush. (The Flames’ development staff will be stressing the importance of making the right reads and picking the right moments. During his stint in the Canucks’ system, decision-making seemed to be the biggest concern.)
Thanks to those summer skates in Helsinki, Jurmo has an understanding of the skill — and consistency — required to reach the highest level.
“It was a good environment to train and push me forward as a hockey player,” he said. “I was confident going in with those guys, and I was really excited. I’ve been skating with them for many years but before I started skating with them, I thought they were, like, the next people to God. But when you get on the ice with them, they’re just basic guys who just take care of the details. Obviously, there’s some guys there that their skill-set is way better than mine, but I felt like I could keep up with them pretty good.”
2024-09-14T20:41:47Z dg43tfdfdgfd