There are currently seven Finnish goaltenders in the NHL, but many insiders and experienced scouts think that in the near future there will be at least one more.

Samu Perhonen is the top ranked young goalie from Finland and he is also considered the top goaltending draft prospet from Europe.

"Perhonen has an solid foundation to develop and build on," says Mika Tarvainen, goaltending coach with Timra of the Swedish Elite league. "There are no real flaws to his game. He only needs to mature and get more experience and it won't surprise me if he ends up playing in the NHL."

For the past eight seasons Tarvainen has worked with Timra in Sweden and since Tarvainen's home in Sweden is only minutes away from Sundsvall, he went to see Perhonen during the U-18 tournament in November. Here's what he and some other scouts had to say about Perhonen's game, as well as four other top netminders in the Finnish leagues.

1. Samu Perhonen -- JYP, Jr. A, SM-liiga

First of all, for all readers with knowledge of the Finnish language -- yes, you are correct, Perhonen translates into "butterfly." Not coincidentally, Perhonen plays the butterfly style and he does so with confidence.

"His performance in the U-18 tournament was impressive and even though Perhonen is not complete he's technically skilled and his future is bright," thinks Tarvainen.

Perhonen played second-tier Jr. B U-18 last season, but this season he stepped up to the elite Jr. A U-20 tier and his performance so far has left no question marks.

"He reads the game well and is mentally tough. Perhonen is the full package and reminds me of Kari Lehtonen in his style of playing," says one scout.

2. Richard Ullberg -- HIFK, Jr. A, SM-liiga

This kid is a bit of an enigma. On one hand he's getting praise for his play -- especially his understanding of the game -- and the way he positions himself in the net. On the other hand, he seems to lose his concentration during games.

"Ullberg can be fantastic in one period of a game and then drop his performance and give up easy goals in two periods. He has a lot of hockey in him, he reads the game well and uses his size, but he needs to raise his performance to a more solid level," says another scout.

3. Lars Volden -- Blues, Jr. A, SM-liiga

Volden is Norwegian, but is still ranked as one of the top 5 goalies out of the Finnish system due to his affiliation with SM-liiga. "Volden has really great technique, works with patience and is calm and persistent in his actions, especially when there's attacking players on his doorstep," says one scout. "He needs to improve his stickhandling but that's pretty much it. Volden works hard and covers the net well."

4. Niklas Kekki -- Assat, Jr. A, SM-liiga

Kekki possesses explosive quickness. Kekki, at 5-foot-7 and 139 pounds, is a very fast-moving goaltender with good instincts. "Kekki is a fighter, a bona fide warrior with a great attitude out there and he challenges the shooters," says one scout. "Because of his small stature he plays a mix of butterfly and old-school stand-up styles. He looks a bit like Nabokov."

Kekki is being praised for his positioning and timing, but he needs to improve his skating and stickhandling.

5. Mikael Edelmann -- Tappara, Jr. A, SM-liiga

If not for an injury to Edelmann this season his ranking could very well have been higher. Edelmann has only played 10 games so far.

"He has good puck control and doesn't let any sloppy rebounds come off him," one scout says. "There's a lot of talent to his game and he uses his size well. Edelmann needs to work on his stick handling and his physique."