Samuel Kemppainen

Born: 2000-06-28

Team: Kärpät U20

Position: Defenseman

Shoots: Left

Height / Weight: 5-11 / 176

GERMANY @ FINLAND U20, FEBRUARY 9, 2019

Kemppainen played on Finland’s fourth pairing with fellow Kärpät U20 defenseman Aleksi Matinmikko. Kemppainen only had 13 shifts in the game, however, he made some really good plays and impressed despite rather limited ice-time. He had a great zone entry in the first period where he made a quick move to evade an opponent and passed the puck to the wing after entering the zone. His puck management was good, he moved the puck with crisp tape-to-tape passes. Another aspect that stood about Kemppainen’s game was his skating. He’s a very fluid skater and moves well in all directions. He was smart without the puck and able to hold his own defensively, despite not being an overly physical player.