NHL draft tracker: Kasperi Kapanen, KalPa Kuopio

Since questions about hockey ability being hereditary are inevitable for Kasperi Kapanen, he's developed a novel take on it.

The top NHL draft prospect out of Europe spent this season as a teammate in Finland with his former-NHLer father, Sami Kapanen. The 17-year-old's ease at carrying the puck with skill is, unsurprisingly, reminiscent of his father, who played 831 NHL games and competed in a Stanley Cup final with the Carolina Hurricanes in 2002. Kasperi Kapanen, though, is eager to secrete his own identity as a player.

"They're the ones who played in the NHL, not us," the 17-year-old, who played for his hometown KalPa Kuopio in the SM-Liiga, says of teenaged hopefuls with dads who played in the big-time. "They can kind of prepare us but that only goes so far

"I always try to tease him, he teases me, we tease each other," the 6-foot, 181-pound Kapanen adds. "It's getting pretty close between us. But he's pretty excited for me to have the chance to be a great hockey player ... he's my teacher and mentor and trainer at the same time, He's been the biggest influence on my hockey career, so far."

Kapanen's homeland is riding a hockey development high. Finland, with a population of 5.5 million, has become more than a world leader in grooming NHL goalies. It also won the world junior gold medal in January, plus the Florida Panthers' No. 2 overall pick in the 2013 draft, Aleksander (Sasha) Barkov, who was the NHL's youngest player this past season.

"They wanted to get me a little bit because I'd help Sasha with his English," Kapanen, who spent much of his childhood in North America, deadpans in reference to his meeting at the NHL combine with the Panthers.

"The fact he went so high was a motivator for me. You're happy when a friend goes that high but you want that for yourself.

Kapanen downplays the notion of becoming a full-time NHLer at 18, though. He still has a contract with KalPa, where his father owns a stake in the club. As a skater and playmaker, he compares favourably with nearly anyone in the 2014 draft, but playing the so-called 'heavy game' is a work in progress. Remaining in Finland is a very a good fallback.

"I want to come over when I'm ready physically and mentally. There's time; I'm still young. Of course I want to come over as quickly as possible but I am not in a rush.

"I don't want to play 4-5 minutes a night. I need a lot of ice time."

There is still a lot for Kapanen, who had seven goals and 14 points across 48 games for KalPa. to soak up from seasoned pros in Finland. Of course, he's been learning from pro hockey by osmosis since before he was even old enough to remember.

"Just being in the locker room and seeing all those guys was a great experience. My dad has told me a lot of stories about when I was younger. I guess I danced around the locker room with Jeremy Roenick. Those were good times."

1. How close do you believe you are to being NHL-ready?

"I need to get a little bit heavier and stronger. Skating-wise, hockey sense-wise and playing with the puck-wise, I think I'll be ready soon.

"I think my game really relies on my skating. Doing everything on the move — shooting, passing."

2. What was the main benefit of playing pro full-time in Finland at age 17?

"You have to live like a professional. That's been new to me. It's been an eye-opening experience. Juniors you don't have very many games. With the men's team you might have a game on Monday and then you'll leave and be away for five days, not seeing your family, not seeing your sisters and brothers. It's tough sometimes but that builds up a bit of character."

3. Which NHL player(s) do you study closely?

"I like to watch all those right-handed goal scorers: [Alex] Ovechkin, [Corey] Perry, [Jarome] Iginla, [Steven] Stamkos. Claude Giroux is not the biggest guy in the world — kind of like me — but at the same time we know how to be physical and we like to play with the puck. He might be a close guy to compare."

4. What does it mean now that you and your dad were teammates?

"It was a big thing for me. Probably a bigger thing for him. He had been dreaming about having that chance to play with his son. Now that I think about it, it was pretty amazing. At first it didn't really hit me."

5. What is your favourite movie?

"There's a lot of 'em. I actually like that Will Ferrell movie that just came out, Anchorman 2."

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.