It was nearly impossible to write up a solid report due to the chippy and lop-sided game between Anaheim and Columbus earlier tonight, but below are just a few of my scouting notes on Iiro Tarkki. The 26-year-old Finnish native made his NHL debut tonight when Jonas Hiller tweaked his groin at 18:59 of the first period.

It was an unceremonious debut for Tarkki in terms of being thrown into a bizarre game, but it was ultimately a successful one. He would go on to earn the official victory for the Ducks since he was in goal when Anaheim scored the game-winning (5th) goal on Curtis Sanford.

I usually don’t publish notes on a prospect unless they face at least 20 shots over the course of a full game, as I feel it is important to evaluate as much movement as possible. Tarkki only stopped six of nine shots in this game, and it wasn’t what I would consider an impressive debut.

But as unlikely as it is for me to post some notes on him, I guess you can consider this an exception.

—[ SCOUTING NOTES ON IIRO TARKKI ]—

– It is important to read these notes with the understanding that Tarkki was probably dealing with considerable nerves due to being suddenly thrown into the game. Remember, he was just recalled earlier in the day, and I’m not sure if he even had a morning skate. So this was by no means a comfortable situation for him to deal with, both physically and mentally.

– You will also hear plenty about the adjustments Tarkki must make to his game in terms of getting comfortable on the smaller ice surface. These adjustments are not easy, and every goalie takes a different amount of time to fully adjust to the point where they feel comfortable and start to improve their game. I would say that Tarkki is still fairly early in that process, as he’s only been playing pro hockey in North America since September.

– Very “low and tight” hand placement was exposed right off the bat when he was beat glove-side high on an accurate shot by Derek Brassard. Tarkki appeared to lose his net a little bit, and although he challenged nicely, he had no chance on the shot due to his ineffective hand placement.

– Tarkki doesn’t appear to have a high level of natural flexibility, but again, please keep in mind this was his NHL debut and he was probably dealing with a fair amount of nerves.

– Tarkki has an active presence in the net. Some of this was revealed through animated body language and mannerisms like bringing his hands together numerous times, bobbing up and down with his chest when the puck was in the zone, and shuffling his feet by actually picking his skates up off the ice just slightly. He likes to make micro-adjustments, and has a “loud” appearance in the net, similar to what you see in a goalie like Pekka Rinne.

– Tarkki likes to come out and play the puck as often as possible, which signified to me that he has fairly active feet. This coincides with his active hands and active body language, so I got the sense that he’s a fairly energetic goaltender, and will draw adjectives that tie him into that energetic presence.

– Tarkki showed that he likes to stay up on his skates. If he needs to get low to the ice, he’ll spread his feet out wide and hunch his back in order to find the puck through traffic. He displayed a good bend at the knees when the puck is high in the zone and along the boards, similar to what I see with Jason LaBarbera.

– Tarkki’s “low and tight” hand placement was exposed again on a fast Rick Nash wrist shot in the slot. The shot was about 16″ off the ice, and found some space just over Tarkki’s blocker. Once again, a lot has to be taken with a grain of salt; Tarkki needs time to adjust to the speed of NHL shooters, especially a sniper like Rick Nash.

– Overall, I get the sense that Tarkki is very much a “work in progress” prospect, but one that has well-rounded Finnish technique. He seems to be an aggressive battler, a goalie that will work hard to cover loose pucks, a goalie that won’t be afraid to step out of the crease to challenge shooters.

– I did see some efficiency in terms of his footwork, which is an important trait for me to decipher in 40 minutes of action. He recovers fairly quickly, he is mobile moving laterally in the crease, he can go from the paddle-down position on one side of the net to a stand-up stance on the opposite side with good efficiency, and with quickness.

Please keep in mind everything I mentioned above regarding this being a nervous and lop-sided debut. It was not the type of game I would normally take notes on, but since I was already working on some projects when Hiller was injured, I took advantage of the opportunity.

Check back when Tarkki makes his first NHL start for a more well-rounded scouting report!