-Niko Mikkola: So I finally got to him and I think people will be relieved to know that he looks good. I was blown away with his skating in particular. I know people like to throw around "he skates well for his size" to describe anyone over the height of 6'3", but Mikkola's skating was good enough for any size. I've never seen a defenseman of his stature keep on his angles as much as he does. He was effortlessly gliding around during the agility drills today. His turns were tight for his length and pushes were precise. I don't remember his skating looking so great last camp, so he must have worked hard on it. One aspect in particular caught my eye and that was how open his legs were. I know it's used to keep on the edges more, but for tall players, it would make falling forward and backward much more likely. However it didn't seem to bother him as he would glide out of the corners towards the goal with his legs being 45 degrees apart (exaggeration). His puck handling has a lot to be desired unfortunately. He has trouble taking firm passes on both his back and forehand. It takes him too long to get control of the puck, so defensive turnovers will happen quite frequently unless he improves there. Other than that, his shot isn't anything special, but he's a defensive player, so I won't harp on that too much. All in all, he seems on his way to becoming another Lindbohm for us, and that's all I could want from him.