Observations:   

September 2017- The hard shooting winger had an alright season in 2016-17. Pakarinen suited up for 14 games and recorded four points. For the 2017-18 season, the Finnish winger is expected to be a depth forward. He will be relied on to play on the penalty kill and is expected to throw his body around when he does get playing time. Spencer Pomoty

September 2015 – Pakarinen was sent down to Bakersfield from Oilers camp on September 30th. After missing the end of the NHL season last winter, Pakarinen came into camp still not 100% and the hindrance may have cost him a fourth line gig. He appeared in 17 games with the Oilers last year and should hold his own in the AHL this season. He had 17 goals, 38 points in 49 games played with Oklahoima City. Tyler Thomson

February 2015 – With another Oilers injury (Taylor Hall), Pakarinen has found himself on the Oilers' top two lines. After impressing the Oilers staff enough to warrant the call-up, they would be hard pressed to keep him off the roster going forward. Getting second-unit power play time, Pakarinen picked up his first power play point on February 10 against the Islanders and has now amassed 26 hits in nine games. It is clear Pakarinen is an energetic presence on the ice and his willingness to play the boards and crash the net will most definitely result in some more goals coming his way. Tyler Thomson 

February 2015 – In his first professional season in North America, Pakarinen is making waves in the Oiler's farm system. The utility winger has amassed 28 points in 39 games with the Barons and is now being recalled for the second time this season. In five games with the big club in November (the Oil's worst stretch of the season), Pakarinen had one goal and was a plus-one with nine shots on goal. With the current injury to Tyler Pitlick it appears Pakirinen could remain on the roster for the reminder of the season with some more strong play. Tyler Thomson

October 2014 – Pakarinen is an energetic player who possesses strong skating skills and a nice frame. He has a good, sharp wrist shot and shows no fear of crashing the net. He is a consistent physical presence but tends to be trigger happy with the puck, often shooting quickly before reading a better option. A hard worker and versatile winger, Iiro honed his craft with KalPa’s junior team in Finland. As an 18-year-old in 2009-10 he cracked the professional KalPa squad in the SM-Liiga, finishing his rookie season with three goals and eight points in 38 games. Representing his home country at two World Junior Championships he has also amassed two goals and five points in 12 games while playing in a defensive role. He was often relied upon for his excellent two-way play.  

In 2011 he was drafted by the Florida Panthers (184^th) but did not sign and opted to continue playing with KalPa in the Liiga. In May of 2012 he signed a two year contract with HIFK (of Helsinki) as a free agent. In his most recent season he compiled an impressive 20 goals (nine power play goals) and 30 points in 60 games. His goal total was good for second on the team. Iiro managed three goals in Finland`s silver medal showing at the 2014 World Cup while providing an effective checking presence in the bottom six. In June of 2014 the Edmonton Oilers signed him to a two-year entry level contract

He went to camp with the Oilers in September of 2014 battling for a depth winger position. In a pre-season game against Chicago, which resulted in a 5-0 loss, Iiro was described as one of the lone bright spots for his “feisty corner play, nasty edge, and responsible defensive game” ( http://blogs.edmontonjournal. com/2014/09/29/shift-by-shift-edmonton-oilers-winger-iiro-pakarinen-vs-the-blackhawks/). Despite his vigor and effort he was sent down to Oklahama City where he will likely compete for a top six spot in the AHL. Pakarinen’s fantasy value would materialize this year if the Oilers ran into injury problems and they needed a depth winger. His low cap hit (812 thousand) makes him a good candidate to be recalled if he continues to impress in Oklahama City. Tyler Thomson

Fantasy Outlook: C

The scoring upside remains to be seen at the NHL level but in league`s with hits and shots, Pakarinen could provide some excellent dark horse value.

Footage:

Scoring a shootout goal against Switzerland (2:56)

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Game Winning Goal against Canada    

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