Petteri Nurmi

August 2022 – Petteri Nurmi, selected by the Habs in the seventh round in 2022, is a mobile defenseman who closes his gaps quickly and aggressively despite the lack of explosiveness in his stride, which is mainly due to his mediocre knee bend. His in-zone defensive play is aggressive but not very calculated. He pressures at the wrong moments, fairly often, and struggles to adapt if his opponent rolls around the pressure he applies. Offensively, Nurmi likes to activate off the rush and he has a decent shot to use when he gets the puck as the trailer. Apart from this, his offensive toolkit is limited. He is an average passer but misses the not-so-obvious high-danger passing opportunities. As he played the full season in a pro league (Liiga), there are worse bets the Habs could have made in round seven, but the upside is limited. Sebastian High