Born: 2001-11-29
Team: El Paso Rhinos (NAHL)
Position: Goalie
Catches: Left
Height / Weight: 6-3 / 205
2020 NHL DRAFT PREVIEW
Lassi Lehti is one of the lesser known names introduced in this article. I watched many of his games with St. Andrew’s College last season and I had to wonder, “Why isn’t this guy more highly touted?”. Lehti possesses great size but does not rely on it too much. His quickness has stood out in my viewings. He moves quickly across the crease and post to post. He has a great glove and his reactions are sharp, even on high danger shots from point black range. He will challenge shooters at the top of the crease to cut down angles. He covers the lower parts of the net effectively and seals his posts. Good rebound control. He looks comfortable when playing the puck outside the crease as well. Lehti is a classic late bloomer who is only going to get better in the coming years. This upcoming season, he will play for Aberdeen Wings in the NAHL. Draft projection: 6th or 7th round
REPORT: MACPHERSON TOURNAMENT (JANUARY 31 – FEBRUARY 2, 2020)
Lehti played in three games for St. Andrew’s College in the MacPherson Tournament. He was excellent in the round robin game against Shattuck-St. Mary’s School. He made some really good saves in key moments and stopped all three penalty shot attempts in a 3-2 shootout win. His quickness was one thing that stood out in these games. He moved quickly post to post and covered lower parts of the net effectively. He displayed very quick reactions on multiple high danger shots from the slot. He had a quick glove as well. He challenged shooters on the top of the crease and did not give much room to shoot at. When he had to play the puck behind the net, he was calm and made the right decisions. He controlled rebounds well on low shots, using his pads to direct pucks out of danger. Lehti has a lot of potential and I would consider him a possible sleeper pick in the 2020 NHL Draft. He has been flying under the radar but I think he would be a worthwhile investment for a team late in the draft.