Prague Sparta GM Peter Ott went with a Finnish forward with the fifth pick in the draft. It was the team’s first of two picks (No. 16 is the other) in the first round.

A fairly small forward, Miro Aaltonen is ready for EURO action now after stints in the KHL and Finnish leagues. There might be openings for him at center and left wing in Prague this season. He is versatile and can play any forward position. Offense is his game and he does it very well. One of the best playmakers in the draft, he can puckhandle and create plays at top speed.

A knock against him, according to scouts, is that he lacks physicality and needs to add plenty of strength, but everyone agrees that he is a hard worker.

If he stays at center with Prague, then he will probably be stuck behind Mark Scheiffele for the first half or more of his career.

Aaltonen was the first Finn picked in the draft, but he won’t be the last. The country expects to have about a half-dozen of its citizens drafted this season.