24 Finns are set to play Divison I college hockey in the 2018-19 season. The number of Finnish players has increased quite rapidly – as evidence, in the 2012-13 season there were only eight Finnish players. In this article I will take a look at the upcoming NCAA season from a Finnish point of view, highlighting some of the most interesting Finns in the league.
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Colorado’s third round pick Sampo Ranta will begin his NCAA career at the University of Minnesota. Here’s a write-up on Ranta from the June-July Newsletter: The Avalanche picked up a big and strong-skating winger with a lot of upside. Ranta is fast and uses long, powerful strides to hit good top speed. He has a hard shot, good stickhandling skills and decent hockey sense. He scored 23 goals for the Sioux City Musketeers last season, tied for second most among U18 players in the USHL. According to prospect-stats.com, Ranta recorded 3.64 shots per game which was fifth most in the league last season.
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Penn State will have two incoming freshmen in 1999 born Oskar Autio and Aarne Talvitie. Autio, who played for USHL’s Chicago Steel, is an extremely competitive goalie who won’t quit on any play. Talvitie is a New Jersey Devils prospect whose game has consistently improved over the past few seasons. He’s a physical, smart, defensively responsible center with good scoring touch. He thrives in pressure situations. You can read more about Talvitie in the player profile.
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Julius Mattila, Jesper Mattila and Aapeli Räsänen will return to Boston College for the upcoming season. Julius led the team in goals with 13 last season, while his brother Jesper, who plays defense, put up 13 points. Räsänen, an Edmonton Oilers draft pick, is a defensively responsible center, strong at face-offs and has a good shot and scoring touch around the net. He didn’t score a ton of points in his first NCAA season, but he could develop into a solid offensive contributor for the Eagles down the road.
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Detroit Red Wings third round pick Kasper Kotkansalo will begin his second season at Boston University. He’s a good-sized blueliner who can make an impact at both ends of the rink. He has a solid offensive skill set and pretty good mobility. I’m expecting his offensive numbers to improve as he gains more experience at the college level.
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Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Kasper Björkqvist will be captaining Providence College this season. The hard-working, relentless forward scored 16 goals last season, tied for most in the team. Provicence is also bringing a new Finn in Chicago Blackhawks’ fifth rounder Mikael Hakkarainen. I was always impressed with Hakkarainen’s offensive game back in Finland. He reportedly had a strong development camp for the Blackhawks this past summer.
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Christoffer Hernberg will begin his fourth season at UMass-Lowell. The 1995 born goalie had a very solid season and posted good numbers (2.08 GAA, .921 save percentage) after appearing in only six games in the previous two seasons combined. He won the Hockey East championship with UMass Lowell in the 2016-17 season. He could very well be the team’s starting goalie this season.
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Ottoville Leppänen committed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in May. He’s a versatile, energetic winger who can be used in any game situation. He brings grit and competes hard. Moreover, he’s got some skill and offensive upside. He captained various Blues junior teams in Finland and could make an immediate impact in the NCAA.
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1998 born forward Erkka Vänskä, who has spent the last four seasons in North America, is entering his first season with Holy Cross. Vänskä scored 55 points in 60 games for NAHL’s Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the 2017-18 season. He played for Stanstead College and Iowa Wild U18 before joining the Ice Dogs.
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Quinnipiac forward Dan Nybondas already committed to the Bobcats in 2017; however, he didn’t appear in any game this past season. The 6’6 center is a bit of a late bloomer who played for HIFK U20 in the 2016-17 season. He’s a decent skater who can utilize his size and reach to shield the puck away from defenders, has a good shot and pretty good hands. He’s not a flashy player but he’s got some offensive ability.