Poehling: A big fan of Jesperi Kotkaniemi already

BROSSARD - It was just 12 short months ago that Ryan Poehling was in Jesperi Kotkaniemi's shoes - or skates, so to speak - after being selected 25th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft.

Now, the two young centermen are sitting side by side in the locker room at Development Camp and slowly getting to know one another.
Kotkaniemi, who was selected third overall one week ago in Dallas, hit the ice alongside Poehling and the rest of the forwards on-site for some skills work on Friday afternoon at the Bell Sports Complex.
It was the Finnish forward's first opportunity to sport Habs colors for a formal workout, and his American counterpart was seriously impressed.
"You can tell he's a special player," said Poehling, who is already a big fan of the 17-year-old Pori native. "Just the way he plays and how he acts off the ice, I think it shows a lot about his character and why he was drafted so high."

For his part, Kotkaniemi is feeling right at home in Montreal. This marks his second-ever visit to the area.
"It's a great city. I love it. I heard there are great fans, so I can't wait to meet them," said Kotkaniemi, who will celebrate his 18th birthday on July 6. "I'm just enjoying being here and I'll go back [to Finland] when I'm ready."
His goal in the coming days is simple and straightforward.
"I want to show what kind of player I am," affirmed Kotkaniemi, the third-ranked point-getter for Ässät during his rookie season in the Finnish Elite League in 2017-18 with 29 points (10g, 19a) in 57 games. "There are a lot of good players here, so I just want to learn things."

Poehling might not be a newcomer to camp like Kotkaniemi is, but he's still doing his fair share of learning, too.
"You're learning from the older guys who've been there and done that. I think the biggest thing is learning from the coaches. Frankie [Francis Bouillon] and Sebastien [Bordeleau], those are the skill guys who you can learn from all the time and take the little things that add up into the big picture for what makes a complete player," explained the 19-year-old Lakeville, MN native. "That's what I'm doing this week and I did that last year."
It definitely paid dividends for Poehling during his sophomore season at St. Cloud State University (SCSU), where he upped his production from 13 points (7g, 6a) in 2016-17 to 31 points (14g, 17a) in 2017-18.
Putting in the time in the weight room and maturing physically was a big help as well.
"I was playing my freshman year at 180 pounds, compared to last year when I was playing at 205 to 210," explained Poehling, who claimed a bronze medal for Team USA at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Hockey Championship in January. "I think that overall off-the-ice physicality that I created kind of helped me and got me in better positions to put the puck in the back of the net."

Like Kotkaniemi, Poehling isn't prepared to make the jump to the pros just yet. He still has some unfinished business at SCSU.
"I can't leave those guys, and with [senior defenseman] Jimmy Schuldt staying, we've got the main core group staying together," concluded Poehling. "I think we have a great shot at winning the title next year. I think that's the biggest thing for me, bringing St. Cloud it's first-ever national title."