The most important thing to understand here is that Aleksander Barkov is playing in the Finnish Elite League because he is not old enough to play in the NHL. Barkov is only 17-years-old and will be draft eligible for this Summer’s NHL Draft and he is going to go early because as you can see, he is very skilled. Barkov has excelled playing for Tappara in the highest league in Finland, and is currently 9th in the league in scoring with 41 points in 45 games.
On Saturday, Barkov displayed his skill as he undressed the Lahti Pelicans goalie with this move. A backhander is dangerous for a goaltender because it is more difficult for them to determine where it’s going to go. You’ll notice how the goalie freezes as he starts skating backwards and then throws out a feeble poke check attempt as Barkov casually avoids him and then shelfs it. This kid is going to be very good and a menace in shootouts once he gets to the NHL.
