FC Rank 284
All Rankings
Nikolai
Hakala

A massive physical specimen down the middle of the ice, Hakala has a unique combination of size and passing ability that allow him to be effective in multiple ways. Although his skating is underwhelming he can take the puck to the dirty areas by using his body to box out opponents while keeping his head…

Date of Birth
July 11, 2003
Position
Center
Height
6'6"
Draft Year
2021
Place of Birth
Hong Kong, SAR  
Shoots
Left
Weight
218 lbs
Draft Result
UNDRAFTED
DATE PLAYER NAME LEAGUE AUTHOR
Jan 26/21 Hakala Nikolai 21629 – TPS U20 vs. Ilves U20 JR A SM-liiga by Josh Bell View Report

Career Stats

Season Team League GP G A TP PPG +/- PIM
2022-2023 Ilves U20 u20-sm-sarja 31 10 19 29 0.94 0 52
2021-2022 Ilves liiga 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
2021-2022 Ilves U20 u20-sm-sarja 11 9 6 15 1.36 8 6
2021-2022 JYP liiga 1 0 0 0 0 0 0
2020-2021 Ilves U20 u20-sm-sarja 36 10 14 24 0.67 -11 28
2019-2020 Ilves U18 u18-sm-sarja 42 24 21 45 1.07 53
2019-2020 Ilves U20 u20-sm-sarja 1 1 0 1 1 1 0
July 23, 2021
FCHockey releases 2021 NHL Draft Guide
July 7, 2021
FCHockey releases Final ranking for 2021 NHL Draft

A massive physical specimen down the middle of the ice, Hakala has a unique combination of size and passing ability that allow him to be effective in multiple ways. Although his skating is underwhelming he can take the puck to the dirty areas by using his body to box out opponents while keeping his head up to examine his options. Other than his size and playmaking tendencies there’s a lot to be desired of a player with his physical gifts. Hakala doesn’t have the best shot, struggles to get power behind it and may struggle to challenge goalies at higher levels, but does have a nice release and accuracy when he is able to get it off. With his skating being a cause of concern, he may struggle to maintain and keep up with the faster paces of play, his size can only make up for so much of his skating deficiencies. Teams may look at his physical traits alone and think he could be worth taking later in the draft because they’ll want to see if they can tap into his game and unlock something. It’s not everyday you see a player of his size, and if he can develop his offensive abilities over the next few seasons he has an outside shot at the NHL.

– FCHockey’s 2021 NHL Draft Guide