About two weeks ago I released my Top 15 list of Finnish prospects eligible for the 2018 NHL Draft. Next I will introduce all these players with quick profiles. The players are still in alphabetical order, but as I mentioned in the first article, the list will be updated throughout the next season. Also, the ranking will … Continue reading 2018 NHL Draft – Top 15 Player Profiles
Category: NHL Draft
2017 NHL Draft Profile: Kristian Vesalainen
Player: Kristian Vesalainen Team: HPK (Liiga) Position: Left Wing Shoots: Left Height: 6’3.75” Weight: 209 lbs Pros Having seen Vesalainen's games since he played two years up with HIFK U16, his skating has definitely come a long way and can be considered a strength now. He has really good speed for a big kid and … Continue reading 2017 NHL Draft Profile: Kristian Vesalainen
2017 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Aleksi Heponiemi
Swift Current Broncos center Aleksi Heponiemi is one of the top NHL Draft eligible Finnish forwards and could be selected in the first two rounds.
Three Notes on Team Finland from the U18 World Championship
Finland has gone unbeaten at the U18 World Championship thus far after defeating the host team Slovakia, Switzerland and Latvia. Here are three notes from the tournament. 1. Joni Ikonen and Kristian Vesalainen leading the way offensively Finland's first line has been excellent thus far. Rasmus Kupari was moved to the third line after Linus Nyman joined … Continue reading Three Notes on Team Finland from the U18 World Championship
Interview with 2017 NHL Draft Prospect Miro Heiskanen
Miro Heiskanen is widely considered one of the best defensemen eligible for the 2017 NHL Draft and is a player who could be selected very early in the draft. The 17-year-old defenseman from Espoo, Finland, is having a very good rookie season for HIFK in the Liiga. He has scored five goals and ten points … Continue reading Interview with 2017 NHL Draft Prospect Miro Heiskanen
Miro Heiskanen – No. 1 Finnish prospect for the 2017 NHL Draft
The first time I saw Miro Heiskanen play in juniors was in 2013-14 season when he played one year up with HIFK U16. You could see that he was very talented, albeit a bit small. But his puck handling skills, offensive instincts and smooth skating were some of the qualities that already stood out back then. … Continue reading Miro Heiskanen – No. 1 Finnish prospect for the 2017 NHL Draft
2016 NHL Draft: Islanders pick Otto Koivula
The New York Islanders sent a 2017 fourth round pick to the Philadelphia Flyers for the 120th overall pick. With that pick, they took Finnish left wing Otto Koivula from Ilves U20. I had predicted Koivula to be drafted in the fourth or fifth round in my draft preview. Pros: I think this is a really smart pick by the Islanders. … Continue reading 2016 NHL Draft: Islanders pick Otto Koivula
2016 NHL Draft Preview
Here's my preview for the upcoming NHL Draft which will be held in Buffalo from June 24-25. This is the result of following the 1997 and 1998 age-groups over the past few seasons. One thing I try to emphasize is the players' progress during this past season. Also, since people already have a lot of information about the … Continue reading 2016 NHL Draft Preview
2016 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Joona Koppanen
Joona Koppanen is an intriguing forward who was key part of Ilves in his first U20 season. He registered 9-17-26 stat line, but I came away even more impressed by his defensive game and hockey sense. Koppanen respectably won both Finnish U20 league and U18 World Championship gold medals. The 6'5 center is ranked 27th (European skaters) in NHL Central … Continue reading 2016 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Joona Koppanen
2016 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Henrik Borgström
Henrik Borgström saw his draft stock rise throughout this past season in the Finnish U20 league. He's ranked 9th among European skaters in NHL Central Scouting Final Rankings. Borgström has committed to play college hockey at University of Denver and had lots of interest from other colleges. Here's a closer look at Borgström's strengths, weaknesses and draft projection. Scouting … Continue reading 2016 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Henrik Borgström
