St. Louis Blues Niko Mikkola Now A World Champion
By Todd Panula
The St. Louis Blues keep racking up championships away from their main organization. This time a defensive prospect won a gold medal.
Members of the St. Louis Blues organization have a history of winning championships with other teams, but over the years we got used to it being former players winning a Stanley Cup with other organizations. Now, guys who are part of the organization, but yet to make the main roster, are winning championships before they ever officially don a blue note.
Niko Mikkola joins this growing roster of guys learning to win before they become a member of St. Louis officially. Mikkola and Finland defeated Canada at the 2019 IIHF World Championships by a final of 3-1.
This was not your typical guy winning and not helping out either. Plenty of Blues have gone to the World Championships and not really performed.
Mikkola was a steady performer and actually named one of the country’s top three players at this tournament. He finished the World Championships with two goals and five points in 10 games.
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While that may not sound like lofty numbers, it is when put in perspective. In 70 games with the San Antonio Rampage of the AHL, Mikkola had two goals and nine points. Not a bad turnaround for points per game average there.
Success in an international tournament like this does not automatically mean anything for a pro career. Some guys just thrive on the wider ice or in an environment where there is less physicality.
Nevertheless, it goes to show that Mikkola is a prospect to keep an eye on. He was not doing this against just guys his own age, like some prospects do at the Junior World Championships.
Mikkola was going up against NHL players, mixed in with AHL and international guys too, but a lot of pro players. This is probably just as good a barometer of his potential as his first pro season with San Antonio.
It also shows why the Blues are somewhat high on him too. Mikkola had a very good preseason camp and games before the 2018-19 season began.
He was not a serious threat to make the final roster, but he lasted into the last round or two of cuts. The Blues kept him on the team for a lot longer than many would have suspected.
Some might wonder if that was more due to Mike Yeo than anything. I suspect the organization as a whole is quite intrigued by this young player.
He has to put on a lot more weight to truly be built for the professional game, but he’s got some good intangibles. He is already 6’4 and has shown he can put up some numbers here and there without sacrificing a defensive game.
It is far too early to compare him to anyone fully. However, if you put a gun to my head, I would say he is a decent mix of Joel Edmundson and Colton Parayko.
He does not have quite the skating or offensive ability of Parayko, but he is not afraid to shoot even if he does not possess that blistering shot. He is not quite as adept at being physical or the potential to be a shut down defender the way Edmundson can when he’s on, but Mikkola is not bad with footwork or position.
If nothing else, like several prospects coming through the pipeline, Mikkola is learning how to win. This is his second gold medal with Finland, having won the World Junior Championship back in 2016.
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He might never be a sought-after free agent, but I think this guy has a future with the Blues as a good second or third pairing defenseman. He is definitely one to keep an eye on as contracts start running out for some of the older guys.