Draft pundits sure like to accentuate superlatives when it comes to describing a premier prospect, so dont be surprised if you see the same words used over and over again to detail the near-flawle s Matt Hennessy Jersey game of 2019 draft stud Kaapo Kakko. A powerful Finnish winger with a natural goal scorers touch, Kakkos consistent dominance has made him a legitimate threat to overtake American center Jack Hughes for first overall at this years NHL Entry Draft.Kakko deserves to be the top pick an idea that hassteadily become perceptible since the midway point of this draft season. But why has the narrative changed? What has Kakko done to challenge for thetop spot that Hughes has been earmarked for?A good starting point would be head-to-head competition, specifically their performances at international events. Kakko and Hughes have faced off in title games at two high-profile prospect tournaments, with the lastbeing at the 2019 World Junior Championship. The Finn scored the gold medal-winning goal late in the third against the Americans, and although neither prospect dominated the tournament from a statistical standpoint, the sheer magnitude of Kakkos unforgettable goal opened a lot of eyes. From that point forward, it would be a two-horse race for first overall. : There it is -- Kaapo Kakko pots what turns into the golden goal as Finland beats Team USA 3-2 to win WJC gold. What a tournament.Congrats to Finland. They really were the beast team. Steve Kournianos (@TheDraftAnalyst) But it wasnt as if Kakko was some sort of obscure prospect, to begin with. At the end of his 2017-18 season, Kakko certainly was viewed as a blue-chip prospect with unlimited potential for excelling at the highest level. After leading TPS Turkus junior squad in scoring with 55 points in 38 games good for fifth in Finlands premier U20 league he was impre sive at the 2018 IIHF U18 World Championship, posting 10 points in seven games and leadingSuomi pastHughes' Team Jalen Mayfield Jersey USA for gold. Although Hughes topped all participants in scoring to strengthen his then-deserved standing as 2019s consensus top draft choice, the physical and mental maturity displayed by Kakko instantly identified him as one of only a handful of prospects that might be able to not only slow down the Hughes hype train but po sibly challenge him for draft-day superiority.Since the 2019World Junior Championship, however, the demands for Kakko being recognized as the better player let alone being close to equal to Hughes have grown more raucous, and for good reason.NHL mock draft 2019: Devils hit jackpot with Jack Hughes; lottery prizes aplenty after No. 1People began to take notice of how Kakkos physical traits played a critical role in the way he dominated opponents. The manner in which he incorporatedfine se and elite puck skills into a fearle s approach was rare for a teenager, especially one you would cla sify as a power forward. The thing is, ask 12 scouts for their definition of a power forward, and you probably get 12 different answers. From Matthew Tkachuks abrasivene s and rule-bending to the fear-inducing sight of Alex Ovechkin flying down the right wing, NHL rosters are dotted with forwards, mostly wingers, whose combination of strength and skill provide their respective coaches with the kind of dimension that can change the momentum of a game instantly. Kakko is more of a thinking man's power forward; one ble sed with acute hockey sense, hiselite footwork can be as violent as it is graceful sharp, loud pivots and ankle-breaking cutbacks along the boards are simply a precursor to a spin move into an open lane. Rather than flying an elbow into an opponents grill or delivering a crunching open-ice hit, the 18-year-old uses his puck handling as the preferred tool for intimidation Warrick Dunn Jersey . His ability to control the puck within tight spaces while using his big frame for protection lures opponents into a positional no-man's land, one where he can explode past them if they play him too tight or exploit time and space if they back off. Either way, knocking Kakko off the puck is something that just doesnt happen all that often.What a pa s from Kaapo Kakko to Harri Pesonen. Alex Nunn (@aj_ranger) It is in these areas puckhandling, strength and balance where Kakko has a distinct advantage over the 165-pound Hughes. His on-ice behavior looks anything but rugged or dirty, but the power and strength he displays on the puck have had a profound effect on the way he was defended by hisadult-aged opponents this year in Finlands elite Liiga. If you want proof, look no further than the 22 goals Kakko scored in 45 games a single-season record for under-18 players, previously held by current Florida Panthers star Aleksander Barkov during his draft year of 2012-13. Kakko also tallied four times in five playoff gamesfor a combined total of 26 goals in 50 contests a goal-scoring clip (0.52 per game) significantly higher than that of Patrik Laine, the Winnipeg Kyle Pitts T Shirts Jets sniper who went second overall in 2016 after potting 27 goals in 64 combined games for Tampere.Consistency, an oft-used term in coaching parlance, is another area where Kakko has proven his worth. His ability to provide the same effort from shift to shift was indeed a major factor in securing a top-six role for TPS. Kakko also led all TPS forwards by averaging 18:10 of ice time per game, which was the most by a draft-eligible teenager since the league began tracking time on ice in 2014. In fact, he played nearly two full minutes more per game than Colorado star Mikko Rantanen did for TPS during his draft season of 2014-15.PlayerDraftedTeamGPTOIKaapo Kakko2019TPS Turku4518:10Patrik Laine2016Tappara4617:16Mikko Rantanen2015TPS Turku5616:14Jesperi Kotkaniemi2018A sat5715:35Je se Puljujarvi2016Karpat5015:04Sebastian Aho2015Karpat3012:17The fact that Kakko was leaned on more than any of Finlands recent top prospects shouldnt be surprising when you consider the ridiculous scoring clip he enjoyed since returning from the World Junior Championship. Counting his final 25 games, which includes five playoff contests, Kakko went more than one game without recording a single point only once, and in the proce s tallied 14 goals in his final 17 matches. Not only did he make a name for himself as a regular contributor, but he also established himself as one Atlanta Falcons Hats of the leagues most dangerous scorers and right about the time he was turning 18 in February.The beauty of Kakkos impre sive stats is that there is nothing misleading about them. He didnt rack up a bunch of secondary a sists and empty-nettersnor was his production limited to the power play. Fifteen of his 22 goals were scored at even strength, and his seven game-winners tied for second in the league. Good luck trying to cherry pick a red flag or two out of one of the most succe sful rookie seasons in Liiga history