With two picks early in the second round in the 2018 NHL Draft, the Montreal Canadiens looked set to add some intriguing prospects. The second of the two picks was spent on a Finnish winger with tremendous speed: Jesse Ylönen.
Expectations on Ylönen were high, but realistic, when he entered the season with the Lahti Pelicans in Liiga. Having spent the season before in Mestis (Finland’s second division), Ylönen was used to playing against men, and so the transition to the top league was expected to be smooth.
In his second game of the season Ylönen scored twice, and expectations rose exponentially with each goal.