By: Lucky Ngamwajasat
Ray Shero will have one heck of a decision to make when the Devils are officially on the clock at the 2019 NHL Draft.
Jack Hughes has been considered by most experts to be the prospective No. 1 pick overall, but Kaapo Kakko is making a strong case for himself with his play at the 2019 IIHF World Championship in Slovakia.
In his two games for Finland against Canada and Slovakia, Kakko has tallied five goals, including a hat trick against the hosts. The Finns, who have just one recognized NHL player on their roster, are relying on the young stud for nearly all of their offense.
The 18-year-old has more than delivered. His first goal, an outstanding breakaway tally against Team Canada and the Penguins’ Matt Murray on Friday, displayed his raw strength and silky skill.
Kakko added an empty-net marker to seal a 3-1 win for the Finns against a team loaded with NHL talent.
As impressive as his performance against the Canadians was, Kakko followed it up with an even more dynamic effort against the hosts on Saturday.
His first goal was a blast from the point.
Kaapo Kakko gets his third goal of the tournament, giving Finland the 2-1 lead here. What a blast from just inside the point. #IIHFWorlds #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/qSJwXchU6j
โ Steven Ellis (@StevenEllisTHN) May 11, 2019
His second goal was a sick backhand effort after stickhandling behind the net.
KAAPO KAKKO ARE YOU FOR REAL?! ๐ซ๐ฎ#IIHFWorlds pic.twitter.com/8BtbnQtcPR
โ TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 11, 2019
Kakko completed the hat trick in style with another empty-net tally, once again displaying his brute strength.
Kaapo Kakko’s even making empty-netters look good in the tournament. That’s a hat-trick and 5 goals through his first two games at the #IIHFWorlds! ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ฉ pic.twitter.com/bflO1cLS4H
โ TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 11, 2019
Needless to say, fans on social media were pretty awe-struck after seeing Kakko dominate.
3 frames that beautifully show the move Kaapo Kakko used to score his first ever goal at the #IIHFWorlds for @Leijonat. What a goal it was!!! #NYR #NJDevils #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/pdEP1y0ZGa
โ Stat Boy (@StatBoy_Steven) May 10, 2019
Kakko giving Darnell Nurse a lot of problems. pic.twitter.com/xQUUPelEf2
โ Alex Nunn (@aj_ranger) May 10, 2019
So the NJ Devils have some thinking to do with their first pick!
Kakko is ๐ณ for real. ๐ซ๐ฎ
โ Tony. (@DISGU15ED) May 11, 2019
Ray Shero has his work cut out for him. Jeff Gorton will make the easiest pick of his life. Simple as that.
โ Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) May 10, 2019
Has Kakko done enough to overtake Hughes, or will he be available for the Rangers to select him at No. 2?
We’ll find out on June 21.
