The players are listed in five categories: bullseyes, hits, role fillers, misses and flops. Mika Noronen and Josef Boumedienne haven't played for their teams yet, so they could not be evaluated at this point.
Bullseyes
Ville Nieminen, Tappara. 14, 8+7=15, +1, 10PIM
"Nemo" was the first NHL-player who agreed to a contract with a Finnish club and has been full of enthusiasm ever since. For the first few games Nieminen had a little trouble adjusting, but after that he played his heart out until he suffered a broken wrist which sidelined him for quite some time.
Before his injury Nieminen rose up to the level of being the hottest player in SM-liiga and gave a face to the fighting spirit of Tappara. Many expected Nieminen to be the man to fire the other guys and the crowd up, but no one expected such effect in the scoresheet. Many thought Tappara's good phase was that good only because of Nieminen's effect. The play and presence of Nieminen has the same feel in it as Theoren Fleury's visit ten years ago: not just points, but big heart and spectacular stunts to keep the crowd interested.
Pasi Nurminen, Pelicans. 16, 48 GA, 557 saves, .921%
Nurminen came to his hometown team to play for free and was fantastic. Because of the Finnish tax system, he got to play just 16 games before moving to Malmö (Sweden) as a tax refugee. He kept the Pelicans alive almost all by himself and saved several points for the team. His save percentage of .921 is excellent for a goalie playing in such weak team as the Pelicans.
Krystofer Kolanos, Blues. 5, 3+6=9, 20PIM
If Ryan Malone's attitude in Blues was a problem, there's certainly nothing to complain about in Kolanos' attitude. He was placed in same line with the other North Americans of the team and has played together with Landon Wilson and at the same time has woken up Donald MacLean. Kolanos has notched at least a point in every game he's played. Kolanos was originally under a try-out deal, but his performances earned him an early extension until the end of the season, or the lockout, whichever comes first.
Jason Williams, Ässät. 8, 5+7=12, -1, 6PIM
Ässät wanted to fill their one available import player spot with an NHL-player and with extra funding from sponsors they found a man from Detroit.
Williams started in Ässät as a first-line winger, but since then he's been moved to the center. Ässät has suffered injuries to a few of their key players and Williams' role has grown bigger. As a good two-way player he fits nicely in Mika Toivola's Ässät, although his defensive activity could still be better. Despite his good puckhandling skills Williams can't actually dominate the game, but the results have been excellent. In eight games he's scored five times, of which four(!) have been game winners. Williams has made a name for himself as a penalty shoot specialist - he's managed to score on each of his four attempts, every time with a different move. He has taken his place as a new favourite of the Pori crowd.
Janne Niinimaa, Kärpät. 7, 2+6=8, +10, 8PIM
After the World Cup scandal he showed his skills to every hockey loving Finn. The soul of Kärpät power play, even though he played just seven games. The leader of the defence, who's got a lot to give for the younger defensemen. Huge points for a defenseman. Will he return in January?
Adam Hall, KalPa (Mestis, Tier II). 10, 8+5=13, +6, 14PIM
Hall wound up in Kuopio through referrance by Kimmo Timonen, who also owns a part of the team.
Predators' third-liner was immediately placed as the first-line center in KalPa's lineup. He impressed straight away, as "Aatami" notched 2+1 in his debut. Next few games went adjusting to the team's and the league's style of play. Hall has improved his game every step of the way and is playing with duo Sami Kaartinen and Tomi Mustonen, the line is starting to form as a deadly weapon. Hall has scored 13 points in 10 games, although his role in an offensive line is a little more defensive than Kaartinen's or Mustonen's. Hall stays in Kuopio until the end of lockout.
Hits
Dwayne Roloson, Lukko. 7, 18 GA, 201 saves, .918%
Lukko acquired Roloson to fill in for the first choice netminder Petri Vehanen, who went down for two months with a knee injury. Roloson hasn't been able to lift the team to a winning streak, but he hasn't conceded any soft goals either. His puckhandling is one of the best ever seen in SM-liiga. In his first games his long absence from real action showed a bit, but he has improved his game after getting a few games under his belt.
Esa Pirnes, Lukko. 12, 2+7=9, +1, 2PIM
Pirnes was a trusted player for coach Jukka Rautakorpi when he played for Tappara. He chose a familiar coach to work with and agreed to a contract before the season. At the beginning of the season Pirnes was excellent, centering Slovak Martin Bartek and sniper Pasi Saarela, but knee injury sidelined Pirnes for over a month. Since then his absence has shown a bit, but he will probably be in sharp shape again after the two-week break.
Patrik Stefan, Ilves. 4, 0+3=3, +1, no penalties
Stefan arrived to Ilves mainly because of coach Vaclav Sykora's wish, who since then has packed his bags and returned to the Czech Republic. Stefan is big, a faceoff specialist, a good two-way forward and has a soft touch. What else could you ask? Still a little out of shape. In the first few games Stefan brought confidence to the mental side, but after few good games he's fallen to the same slump with the other guys in the team. All in all, a good performer and also scores points.
Michael Nylander, Kärpät. 4+9=13, +6, 14PIM
Loves the wide European rink. Media stacked him with enormous pressure - way out of proportions. Even though "Micke" is still a little out of shape, he's one of the most powerful stars in SM-liiga. His contract expires on 15th December and nobody knows if he'll continue in Oulu.
Tyler Bouck, TPS. 6, 0+2=2, -1, 12PIM
Bouck was brought to Turku as a fill in for winger Marco Tuokko. Bouck's points are still pending, but his goalie screening skills and hits have given another dimension to TPS' game. He's gotten praise from the coaching staff for his morale and is a definite upgrade over his predecessor Rob Valicevic.
Marek Zidlicky, HIFK. 17, 3+9=12, -1, 10PIM
Only huge expectations prevent Zidlicky from being a bullseye. At his best Zidlicky is dazzling and in an off-night invisible, but still liked as a person. He's expected to improve as the season rolls on, but so far Zidlicky has definately been a hit. Still has some aces in his sleeve
Jarkko Ruutu, HIFK. 18, 6+5=11, +3, 83PIM
Ruutu has played the kind of game he is known for and has been in the newspapers for sometimes being good, sometimes a bad boy. Ruutu is definately the kind of player that SM-liiga needs. He is a real team player, who always plays with full steam. Hasn't yet been a bullseye, but in his own game a true professional, who has also been credited in the Finnish National Team. Ruutu was named the assistant captain of the Finnish team for the Karjala Cup.
Jani Rita, HPK. 20, 7+6=13, +4, 6PIM
The man from Edmonton has been solid. In the 20 games that he's played, he has struck seven goals and assisted in six. Plays in the same line with Janne Laakkonen and Josh Holden. Rita has a determined style of playing, but his scoring percent could be a little better.
Riku Hahl, HPK. 18, 3+3=6, +3, 6PIM
Homegrown centerman started the season in the fourth line, but since then has moved to right wing to play in the same line with leagues top scorer Jukka Voutilainen in the HPK's front line. No one expects anything from Hahl in the offensive end and so far he's filled the expectations by playing great defensive game. Hahl has developed a lot since leaving HPK a few seasons ago. Very active and aggressive. He was also chosen for the Finnish National Team for the Karjala Cup, but cancelled his participation due to a mild shoulder injury.
Filled his role
Duvie Westcott, JYP. 13, 1+2=3, -2, 18PIM
Westcott started out little disappointingly and the people were already about to send him back where he came from. The adjustment took a surprisingly long time, but the few games prior to the break, he was one of the teams best players. He did quite a lot of mistakes early on and even his attitude was a little off, but at this point Westcott plays a good defensive game night in, night out and is an upgrade defensively and offensively.
Brian Campbell, Jokerit. 8, 1+4=5, +6, no penalties
The Buffalo Sabres' defenceman came to Jokerit by surprise. After struggling a bit in the beginning, the well skating and puckhandling defenseman has found his place in the team and keeps improving game by game. Campbell is still a bit of a questionmark when it comes to physical battles in the own end. His contract expires in the Christmas break, but at least the coaching staff have been satisfied with Campbell's effort.
Tomi Pettinen, Lukko. 19, 2+7=9, -2, 35PIM
A bit different case than most of the lock-out players. Pettinen agreed to a contract with Lukko early in the summer, but then used the NHL-clause in his contract with Lukko and agreed to a one-way contract with New York Islanders. Has played a lot alongside 38-year-old veteran Erik Hämäläinen. Secure stay-at-home defender, who's gotten a lot of responsibility playing power play in the blueline and also used in the front of the net on the power play. He isn't as physical in his own end as expected, but with the puck he's enjoyed a far bigger role than expected.
Lasse Pirjetä, HIFK. 14, 3+4=7, +3, 12PIM
Pirjetä came to fill Tommi Santala's big but empty boots. Pirjetä has had some responsibilities on the power play as well, as he's been the playmaker of IFK's second power play unit. Pirjetä has the potential and professionalism to be an improvement to the roster and will definately improve his game as the season advances.
Misses
Ryan Malone, Blues. 9, 2+1=3, -2, 36PIM
Scored in his debut, but that was the end of the honeymoon. Malone took lots of stupid penalties and later on critized the Finnish refereeing. Returned home with a "groin injury", which leaves room for speculation. His attitude wasn't on the level that playing in a professional league like SM-liiga requires.
Flops
There were no players categorized as flops.
Huge success rate
As a summary one could say that the percent of positive performances is enormous. Six bullseyes, seven hits and below these categories just four players. No team has been completely off with their acquisitions. From the SM-liiga standpoint it is intriquing that the lockout seems to continue for a while. It's realistic to speculate that the NHL season isn't beginning at all, and many think that it is likely to be cancelled. This would mean even more high profile players for the league and if the success rate continues as high as it has been, there's going to be some classy entertainment headed SM-liiga's way.
The story has been compiled of several sources in Jatkoaika's editor network. The writer has only done the translation work.
