The completion of the 2019 NHL Draft means that it is time to turn the attention to next year’s draft. Finnish Junior Hockey presents its preliminary ranking of Finnish prospects eligible for the 2020 NHL Draft. 15 names have been included this time, however the ranking will be expanded over the course of the 2019-20 season. This is a rather strong draft crop for Finland with solid depth at all positions which should make the upcoming season an interesting one from a draft standpoint.
The ranking is headlined by HIFK center Anton Lundell, a late 2001 who spent the majority of the past season in the Liiga and won gold at the 2019 World Juniors. Lundell is an extremely intelligent and defensively reliable player who does many things at a high level – he protects the puck really well, is stellar at face-offs and creates offense without sacrificing from his defensive game.
Ässät center Roni Hirvonen and Tappara winger Kasper Simontaival slot in at 2 and 3. Hirvonen had an excellent season with Blues U20 and his development continues to be on an upward trajectory. He has the hockey sense, puck skills, quickness and defensive ability to play against men in the upcoming season. More of a playmaker than a goal-scorer but we have seen him pick his spots really well and score impressive goals. Simontaival is a dangerous shooter with a high-end finishing ability and release. He has a very good shot selection (slap shot, wrister, one-timer) and he can give skilled passes showing good vision in the offensive zone.
You can read more about most of the ranked players by clicking their names in the table.
| 1. | Anton Lundell | Center | 2001 | HIFK |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2. | Roni Hirvonen | Center | 2002 | Ässät |
| 3. | Kasper Simontaival | Right Wing | 2002 | Tappara |
| 4. | Topi Niemelä | Defenseman | 2002 | Kärpät |
| 5. | Joel Blomqvist | Goalie | 2002 | Kärpät |
| 6. | Kasper Puutio | Defenseman | 2002 | Swift Current, WHL |
| 7. | Christoffer Sedoff | Defenseman | 2002 | HIFK |
| 8. | Roby Järventie | Left Wing | 2002 | Ilves |
| 9. | Ruben Rafkin | Defenseman | 2002 | Tri-City, USHL (18-19) |
| 10. | Oliver Suni | Right Wing | 2002 | Oshawa, OHL |
| 11. | Veeti Miettinen | Right Wing | 2001 | Blues |
| 12. | Joel Määttä | Center | 2002 | Sioux City, USHL |
| 13. | Joni Jurmo | Defenseman | 2002 | Jokerit |
| 14. | Eemil Viro | Defenseman | 2002 | TPS |
| 15. | Veeti Korkalainen | Center | 2002 | KooKoo |