"I always saw that he was a great goalie but also thought that he was too small."

"I am the number one"

Let's rewind back to fall of 2012. Saros had started his second season with HPK U20 but things weren't going well. Saros was letting in unusually soft goals.

"He seemed angry and tight. He had set a bar for himself and it was really high. He was really critical towards himself" Lukkari reveals.

"Playing became forced because he thought that he had to be above the bar he had set for himself. We had to work to make playing enjoyable again. He had to became more relaxed so he would be able to get his flow back"

The duo got back on track. Saros was the number one goalie when HPK U20 won their first ever Championship.

Although he was great with HPK, the games with national team weren't going so well. He had one more obstacle to overcome.

"He was playing in Husso's shadow in the national team. His biggest problem was mental. He was too nervous and it showed in his play" Lukkari tells.

It sounds almost unbelievable considering that Saros' mental toughness is one of his biggest strengths now.

"Juuse was really humble and modest. He was too humble and modest. We worked on the nervousness a lot. I tried to get him to adopt an attitude where he could say to himself that he is the number one goalie for the national team without being cocky" Lukkari describes.

Finally the mental exercises paid off. During the 2012-2013 season Saros was number one goalie for Finland's U18 team. He played all games in U18 World Championships in Sochi. He was praised by his own and by his opponents.

"Saros won USA basically by himself. I've seen only a few of his games but he seems outstanding" Connor McDavid told Jatkoaika during the World Championships.

Finland won the bronze medals and Saros was selected as the best goaltender in the tournament. Although everything seemed to be going smoothly Saros doubted himself before the tournament.

"He told me that he was really tired, both physically and mentally. In the locker room he was thinking by himself about how could he be a winning goaltender in the World Championships" Lukkari recalls.

Saros thought about it for a moment and then started walking towards the rink. On the way he had decided that he would imagine he wasn't going to play in the World Championships but, instead, was playing roller hockey and having fun with his friends in Hämeenlinna.

Too small or athletic enough?

Summer of 2013 was exciting for Saros. He was eligible to be drafted in the NHL.

Scouts had taken notice when Saros was playing with HPK U20 team. He got more attention after the successful Sochi tournament.

Despite outstanding statistics and great abilities there was something that would affect drafting Saros, and there was nothing he could do about it. NHL teams like big goalies. Saros was only 5'10".

"NHL teams started drafting big goalies and we didn't take Juuse so seriously. I always saw that he was a great goalie but also thought that he was too small. But he never played poorly" Nashville Predators' scout Janne Kekäläinen recalls.

Predators had three picks on fourth round. They drafted center Felix Girard and sold one of their picks to St. Louis Blues. The third pick they used to take Saros.

Predators weren't supposed to draft a goaltender at all. Pekka Rinne has just signed a seven-year and 49 million dollar contract few years back. Predators also had goalie prospects in their system behind Rinne. They had Swedish Magnus Hellberg and Czech Marek Mazanec.

Saros fell on Preds' lap as a 99th overall pick.

"I was expecting him to go earlier. All of a sudden he was still available on fourth round. Our head scout asked me to come over and asked me if we should pick Saros. I said that we should absolutely do that" Kekäläinen says with a smile.

GM David Poile believes that Saros would have ended in some other team if he just was a bit taller.

"Teams don't draft many goalies that are 6-foot or under. If he was taller he would have gone in the first or second round. His size has been an issue throughout his career so far and it will be until he makes it in the NHL regularly." Poile says.

"Athletically, he is on elite level. Not just compared to other goalies but compared to other athletes, too."

Lukkari and Saros have developed techniques that helps Saros play bigger.

When he drops down he keeps his posture higher. That helps him cover the top of the goal, but Lukkari also believes that it's better for the hip joints and helps Saros move better.

"Juuse thought about these things himself and every once in a while I asked him what kind of situations he would like to practice. He would tell me and I would make up a drill for the situation." Lukkari says.

When playing floorball and soccer as a junior Saros was never a goalie. Playing on field helped him develop his play between the pipes. He would read the play better and would be one step ahead of the situation.

He was also mentally tougher. Mental toughness was one of the best known qualities when he made it from the juniors to Liiga.

"I don't know anyone who is mentally tougher and had developed so much. He succeeds in every challenge we give him and he does it superbly." Kekäläinen praises.

"Juuse's biggest talent is his devotion and how determinedly he practices. That makes him a top athlete." former head coach Salo says.