Ottawa Senators: Roby Järventie Showing Promise in Belleville

Drafted with the 33rd overall pick in the 2020 NHL Draft, Järventie is already one of Belleville’s top offensive options

When Roby Järventie was signed to an entry-level-contract following his season with Ilves of Liiga, there weren’t too many expectations for the talented winger, even after a successful season in Finland.

Most of what casual fans saw during the 2020-21 season was Järventie’s struggles in the World Juniors, where he was held pointless in 6 games, but back home in Finland, the skilled forward was putting in strong performances. A rookie with Ilves, the rangy-forward scored 14 goals and 25 points in 48 games, an impressive rate for an 18-year-old in Finland’s top men’s league, and then proceeded to produce at the AHL level, registering 3 points in 4 games with Belleville.

However, Järventie was now entering a much stronger, more competitive AHL due to the reduction of the “taxi squads”, there’s more depth, and fighting for top minutes in Belleville would also be an obstacle.  Despite some potential speed bumps, Järventie has remained pretty consistent throughout the season, despite being the team’s youngest player (19), and continues to produce at a solid rate. Here are Järventie’s stats compared to his Belleville counterparts:

• 5 goals (t-4th)
• 11 assists (3rd)
• 16 points (3rd)
• 65 shots (4th)

established himself as one of the top offensive drivers in Belleville, thought of as more of a sniper in previous years, his vision and passing ability have been very impressive this season.

The Senators 33rd overall selection in 2020 does have the prototypical frame for a traditional power forward, but he doesn’t play the game like one, he relies on finesse much more than his power and also relies on his skill to create opportunities. It seems like the 19-year-old just knows where to be in the offensive zone, the puck just seems to find him at the right time.

Despite having only 5 goals to his name so far this season, Järventie does have a lethal shot that can find the back of the net from all over the ice and is also dangerous on the power play if given space:

Troy Mann has recently matched Järventie with veteran center Rourke Chartier and Egor Sokolov, the line has found chemistry and has been the reason for many of Belleville’s recent wins. Expect the talented winger to continue getting top-6 minutes for the remainder of the season, with plenty of opportunities to increase his already impressive production.

We also ranked Roby Järventie at #19 in our 2020 draft rankings, which can be seen here