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Kaapo Kakko had a truly fantastic run at the World Hockey Championships.
The 18-year-old winger put up seven points in 10 games while also providing plus-defense for the tournament winners.
It was a really impressive showing, one which has garnered him a ton of praise. So much so that some now see Kakko superior to Jack Hughes, while others previously on #TeamHughes are far more unsure of themselves.
Personally, I've backed Hughes the whole way – although I'll continue to point out I think Kakko will be a star as well – and the tournament didn't change much for me, especially after digging beyond the surface.
Seven points in 10 games sounds a lot better than three points in seven games but, if you take out empty-net goals, Kakko averaged .50 points per game while Hughes averaged .43. The latter didn't see the same opportunities either.
Analytically, Hughes is also right there with Kakko (all numbers 5v5).
Through the preliminary round and one knockout stage game, where all of Kakko's production came, Kakko owned a 64 Corsi For%, contributed to 46.39% of the on-ice attempts, and averaged 3.2 controlled entries per game.
Hughes posted a 59 Corsi For% while contributing to 47.87% of the on-ice attempts and averaging 5.1 controlled entries per game.
Kakko had Hughes bested in terms of CF%, however, Hughes contributed to a slightly higher percentage of the shots and was more effective through the neutral zone.
Put another way, Kakko didn't produce more points because he facilitated more of his team's offense than Hughes. Kakko was simply on for more attempts.
Contributing to, say, 40 of 100 attempts gives you a better chance of accumulating points than contributing to 32 of 80. I think that, and a lack of shooting luck for Hughes, was the main reason for the gap in raw production. Not Kakko significantly out-playing Hughes; like many would have you believe was the case.
This is not me knocking Kakko at all. I'm not even arguing, all inclusive, he had the better tournament.
I'm just pointing out the perception Kakko dominated while Hughes struggled to find his footing against men is simply not true. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise.
Note: I plan on tracking the last bit of the tournament and sharing the final numbers – either on Twitter or in a post – when everything is done.
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