Top 15 Finnish Prospects For The 2020 NHL Draft
This is my third year doing more intensive scouting work and the second one focusing pretty strictly on Finnish players. Though the season was shortened due to the pandemic, I still was able to attend around 70 games live, which I think is a solid mark for someone who’s not doing this professionally. I also started to track micro stats on the most interesting players in the Finnish U20 league and in August, I had tracked over 250 games and covered pretty much all the interesting draft-eligible players in the league as well as some 2021 and 2022 eligibles. The tracking project can be found from this link.
For this ranking, I’ve only listed players who spent their draft-eligible seasons playing in Finland. This means I’ve excluded players like Kasper Puutio, Oliver Suni, Christoffer Sedoff, Ruben Rafkin, Ville Ottavainen, and Joel Määttä. This is because with my role as the Finland-based scout for EliteProspects, I’ve focused 95 percent of my efforts into scouting Finland as a region and while I’ve seen the Finns who played in the CHL and USHL a couple of times, I’m way more comfortable ranking these players who I’ve seen live multiple times and many more on video.
If the 2019 draft had a lot of depth in terms of Finland-based players, this class is considerably thinner in that regard. There is one potential top 10 pick, but it’s very much possible, even likely that we don’t see another Finn go in the first round. There are intriguing options in the following two rounds, but not so many deeper into the draft.
If you want to find more about these players and the entire draft class, I highly recommend buying EliteProspects’ 2020 Draft Guide, which includes over 1200 pages of information. I might be biased to say this, but I truly believe that it’s hands-down the best draft guide on the market.
Anton Lundell, C, HIFK (Liiga), 6-foot-1, 187 lbs
Lundell has been the top Finnish prospect of this draft class for a long time. In 2018-2019, he added 19 points in 38 Liiga games with HIFK (the second-best total among draft-minus-one players in the league’s history) and helped Finland to win gold at the U20 World Juniors, playing in a prominent two-way role as the second-youngest player in the tournament. He continued to impress with HIFK in his draft-eligible season, adding 28 points in 44 games while posting absurdly good on-ice numbers.
Lundell’s game revolves around his smarts. He’s such a refined two-way player for his age. His positional awareness in the defensive zone is excellent and he flees the defensive zone too early or sacrifices defence for offence. One could think that he could have posted even more impressive offensive totals if he wasn’t so committed to his defensive duties, because Lundell certainly has offensive tools, too. He has a dangerous wrist shot that can beat goalies from tight angles combined with deceptive playmaking abilities. He’s very good at supporting his linemates during long cycles or rush sequences.
The only real downside to Lundell is his skating, which is at a very average level. He rarely achieves a 90-degree knee bend, causing the hunched over posture. Lundell’s stride recovery is also often sub-optimal, which causes him to push from the inside edges, which in turn limits the power he’s able to generate. With a good development staff, these things can be fixable, at least to a degree. Some have also criticized Lundell for “lack of offensive upside”, but I think these concerns are mostly invalid. He’s not a very flashy player, but as I said before, he’s proficient both as a shooter and playmaker.
Given how complete of a player Lundell is already, I’d expect him to be ready to compete for an NHL job as early as in 2021-2022. Before that, I’d expect him to put together a dominant season with HIFK in a big role and to be one of the top players at the World Juniors.
Roni Hirvonen, C/RW, Ässät (Liiga), 5-foot-9, 170 lbs
Hirvonen has always been one of the top 2002-born Finnish players, putting up big numbers in U16, U18, and U20 levels and playing in a top-line role at international events. In 2018-2019, he formed a deadly duo with fellow 2020 eligible prospect Veeti Miettinen, leading Blues’ U20 team all the way to the U20 league finals. Looking for a bigger challenge playing against men, Hirvonen moved to Ässät for his draft-eligible season, logging 16 points in 52 games during the regular season.
A skilled center, Hirvonen showcased during his first Liiga campaign that he’s more than a perimeter playmaker. He was consistently pushing towards the middle of the ice despite his small frame. Hirvonen is effective on the forecheck as he does a good job at anticipating plays and closes on the correct angle most of the time.
Though he only showed it in flashes at the Liiga level last season, Hirvonen is a very skilled playmaker who makes his money running a power play from the right half-wall (though he played a lot on the bumper spot last season, which is wasting his talents). He’s a creative handler who can fool defenders while attacking off the rush, utilizing a rather long stick for his size. Hirvonen showed these skills more at the international level and in the junior ranks, and I’ll fully expect that he’s going to be able to use them more in Liiga in the upcoming seasons as he gains strength and experience.
The question with Hirvonen is whether he’s going to be a good enough skater to make the most out of his other tools. I thought he improved his skating throughout the season, which makes me more optimistic about his chances of continuing to do so in the future. Hirvonen’s likely ceiling is a middle-six winger who can contribute on the power play as a playmaker, and I think that he's a good pick in the early second-round range.
Topi Niemelä, D, Kärpät (Liiga), 6-foot-0, 163 lbs
Niemelä caught the eye of many evaluators when he made Finland’s U18 World Championship roster as the only under-aged defenceman and ended up performing quite well in the tournament. He then ended up surprising many by making Kärpät’s Liiga roster (a notoriously difficult thing to do) as a draft-eligible, averaging just under 13 minutes per night in 43 games.
It speaks volumes about Niemelä that coaches at seemingly every level like and trust him. He’s a strong skater in both directions and has very impressive lateral movement. He’s a confident player with the puck, showing no fear against forecheckers in Liiga. He can distribute the puck through layers on the breakout and also has the feet to carry the puck up the ice himself. Defensively, he was able to hold his own against pro-level opposition.
While Niemelä has a pretty good shot from the point, he does lack the kind of offensive skill that many other options provide in the early second-round range. Most of his offence last season revolved around shooting the puck quickly from the point and while he can occasionally activate from the point, I didn’t see much in the way of the ability to make plays in the final third of the ice.
There is a chance that Niemelä will start to flourish offensively in the future, given that he’s always played above his age group. It’s a super difficult thing to be a difference-maker in the pro ranks as a 17-year-old defenceman. Given that he doesn’t have to hit his offensive ceiling to play and provide value due to his skating, transition play, and matureness, I think that Niemelä is a pretty safe pick in the early-to-mid second-round range.
Kasper Simontaival, RW, Tappara U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 5-foot-9, 172 lbs
Just a year and a half ago, Simontaival was talked about as a potential top 15 pick. He was already a point-per-game player at the U20 level, had made his debut at the Liiga level, and had put up 14 points in 21 games with Mestis club LeKi. Mostly due to Tappara being one of the most stacked teams in Liiga, Simontaival was forced to spend another season with the U20 program. He finished fifth in the U20 league scoring with 57 points in 48 games, also adding four points in six loan games with KOOVEE in Mestis.
While Simontaival’s draft stock has dropped a bit, he’s still a player with a high upside, even though the odds of him reaching that upside seem lower than 1,5 years ago. Simontaival is a true dual-threat winger who can both make plays and finish them. He’s dangerous from mid-to-long range, owning the best one-timer in the draft class among Finns. He’s also a sneaky playmaker who draws in pressure due to the threat of his shot and uses it to his advantage by making well-timed feeds to his teammates. For a smaller winger, Simontaival has a strong lower-body and he wins a surprising amount of puck battles against bigger players.
Simontaival’s underlying profile was spectacular last season. He was generating both individual scoring chances and scoring chance assists at a very high rate, which speaks to the fact that he’s a true dual-threat.
The biggest cause of concern with Simontaival is his average skating ability for a 5-foot-9 forward. He’s already pretty strong and his skating mechanics are fine, which leads me to wonder how much is he able to improve that area of his game. Simontaival has also been pretty prone to injuries and I think it’s fair to say that those injuries have hindered his development to some extend.
While those are legitimate reasons to worry about Simontaival’s NHL future, I still believe that he’s a good pick in the early-to-mid second-round range based on his upside, especially if the team that drafts him has a good development staff.
Roby Järventie, LW, KOOVEE (Mestis), 6-foot-2, 185 lbs
Järventie had an impressive draft-minus-one season in 2018-2019 with a weak Ilves U20 squad, finishing with 31 points in 40 games — the second-best mark on his team. In 2019-2020, he was loaned to Mestis club KOOVEE after just five games in the U20 league, which ended up being a huge success. Järventie scored 23 goals and added 15 assists in 36 games (even though these totals are inflated by his ridiculous shooting percentages), easily breaking the records for most goals and points in Mestis history as a U18 skater.
Järventie is a pretty unique case in this year’s draft among Finns in that he clearly has the tools and statistical profile, but he hasn’t put it all together yet. Järventie is the type player who can go almost the entire game unnoticed and still end up with two goals and an assist. It can be pretty frustrating to watch sometimes, to be honest, because he clearly has the talent. Järventie is a good skater who lacks strength and endurance but can reach a very impressive top speed when he gets going. He’s one of, if not the most clinical finisher on this list, and has a great sense of finding loose pucks around the net-front area. He flashes good vision, too, and can make plays for his teammates, especially on the power play.
Järventie’s two-way play leaves a lot to be desired, though. He’s pretty passive in his own end of the ice and doesn’t compete for pucks as hard as one would hope to. He has the frame to be more dominant physically, too. Järventie’s value in transition is a bit hard to gauge. When he makes a clean exit or entry with his skill and feet, you’re left to wonder why doesn’t he do that more often.
What helps is that Järventie has an August birthdate and is very young for this draft. Scoring is the hardest thing to do in hockey, and he’s got that locked down. If Järventie puts it all together, he has the toolkit to become a middle-six supplementary scoring winger, and I think that’s a risk worth taking in the mid-to-late second-round.
Joel Blomqvist, G, Kärpät U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 6-foot-1, 205 lbs
Let me get one thing out of the way: I’m not a goalie expert. Still, it’s pretty easy to notice that Blomqvist is the best Finnish goalie prospect since Justus Annunen in 2018. Blomqvist posted dominant numbers with Kärpät’s U20 program last season and looked mostly good with Finland’s U18 team.
Blomqvist is a calm presence in the net and does a very good job of scanning the ice around him. As EliteProspects’ goalie scout Catherine Silverman noted in his profile of Blomqvist, Blomqvist has a very active glove hand and has a powerful first push when moving laterally across the crease.
Blomqvist was the second-highest ranked goalie on our final draft board at EliteProspects and I believe he should be a good value in the late second-round or early third-round range.
Joni Jurmo, D, Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 6-foot-4, 198 lbs
Jurmo is the biggest riser on my board this year. I hadn’t seen much of him before the season as he played mostly at the U18 level in his draft-minus-one season and wasn’t on Finland’s international roster at the biggest events like the U17 World Hockey Challenge or Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Jurmo started last season hot and while his point-production did slow down a bit, he still managed to put up 28 points in 43 games, finishing the season with a strong performance at February’s U20 tournament where he added three goals and six points in four games.
What stands out the most about Jurmo is that he’s a 6-foot-4 defenceman who skates at a very high level. His speed and good usage of crossovers made him one of the best puck-rushers at the U20 level last season. He’s a solid handler at higher speeds, which further advances his puck-rushing prowess. Just look at Jurmo’s transition numbers in the 17 games that I tracked from him last season.
Offensively, Jurmo likes to hammer the puck towards the net, looking for possible rebounds or tip-ins. He can run a power play from the point, but he’s not the most creative playmaker, which makes me question whether he’s going to play in that role at the NHL level. Jurmo’s skating prowess makes him a solid rush defender as he’s able to close gaps and make stops at the blue line relatively well (this area improved as he got more confident with the season progressing). Defensively, he’s prone to making some positional errors, but he has the physical tools to bully forwards in corners and in front of the net.
One thing that Jurmo has to work on is his passing game in transition. Last season, he relied pretty heavily on his skating ability to create exits (which worked very well), but as he progresses to the pro ranks he’ll have to rely more on finding targets through layers on the breakout. He flashes this skill at times but I’d like to see it more consistently. The same goes for Jurmo’s patience with the puck. He was so good at February’s U20 tournament at manipulating forecheckers and maneuvering with the puck while pressured, but I’ve also seen him panic with the puck under duress.
Even with those question marks, I believe Jurmo is a good pick in the latter half of the second-round. While he’s a very raw player compared to some of the other names in that range, the tools are too hard to pass on. If things go well, I think that a number 4 defenceman who can have a very good impact in transition is a realistic outcome.
Veeti Miettinen, RW, Kiekko-Espoo U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 5-foot-9, 159 lbs
If you follow Finland’s top junior league, chances are that you’ve heard of Miettinen. He cracked Blues’ U20 squad for the first time in 2017-2018 and followed that up with a dominant campaign in 2018-2019 playing together with formerly mentioned Roni Hirvonen. While Hirvonen moved on to Liiga, Miettinen opted for the NCAA route instead and decided to stay for another season. While his team didn’t have a very good season, Miettinen managed to score 42 goals and 73 points in 52 games to win the league’s scoring title. He also became to all-time leading goal-scorer in the modern U20 league with 80 goals in 138 games across three seasons.
As the goal totals would suggest, Miettinen is up there with Simontaival as the best shooter on this list. He’s got a very quick wrist shot that he uses to beat goalies off-the-rush and in close. Miettinen is a dangerous player when he gets too much space on the half-wall as he’s got a good two-step acceleration that he employs to gain separation before unleashing his shot.
The underlying numbers show that Miettinen generated a lot of shot attempts and a lot of scoring chances for himself and even though his shot assist numbers don’t pop up in this sample, I do think that he’s a capable playmaker, too. Miettinen’s skating also gets a good grade from me, as his acceleration and top speed are both at an above-average level.
Then let’s get to the downsides with Miettinen. Firstly, he’s among the oldest players in this draft class and was only five days away from being eligible in the 2019 draft. Secondly, he already had shown that he could dominate at the U20 level, so we didn’t learn that many news things about him this season. Thirdly, there are some hockey sense question marks. Miettinen had a habit of trying to do too much by himself which led him to trouble, and his off-the-puck play can be a bit hit-and-miss, even though he did play on the penalty kill last season. Lastly, he’s on the smaller side at 5-foot-9, which is why it would have been nice to see how he would have done in the pro ranks last season.
I’d expect Miettinen to have an immediate impact at the NCAA level whenever the college season starts. I’d start to think about picking him in the early third-round range, and it looks like he’s most likely going to be available there based on the industry consensus.
Eemil Viro, D, TPS (Liiga), 6-foot-0, 168 lbs
Viro has always been one of the top 2002-born defencemen in the country and a staple for Finland at international events. He had a solid performance at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, but his draft stock really started to rise once he was promoted to TPS’ men’s team in late October. Viro ended up finishing the season with three points in 29 games while averaging just over 14 minutes of ice time.
Listed at 6-foot-0, Viro is not the biggest defenceman but he likes to engage physically and handled that aspect of the game well even against men. He’s a strong skater with very good edgework, which helps him close gaps quickly in the defensive zone and in transition. Viro made some good offensive plays at the Liiga level, but not consistently.
What makes me rate Viro lower than some in the industry (I’ve seen him ranked even in the first round by some) is that he’s not particularly smart. He can get caught out of position off-the-puck in the neutral zone and it seemed like he made at least one bad turnover in most of his games. What also gives me pause is that he wasn’t particularly good when he played at the U20 level last season. Frankly, it did catch me by surprise that TPS promoted him based on what I saw and tracked from him early in the season.
I’m not completely sure what to make of players who perform better in the pro ranks than they do with their junior programs. Part of the reason could be that Viro benefitted from the structure of a Liiga team and that helped him to cover his weaknesses to an extend.
On the other hand, Viro has some intriguing tools and he’s proved that he could stick in a Liiga lineup as a 17-year-old, but I also have reservations whether his offensive and transition abilities will be good enough to make it. On my board, I have Viro listed as a mid third-round pick, although he’s very likely someone who gets taken on the actual draft day earlier than I would.
Axel Rindell, D, Jukurit (Liiga), 6-foot-0, 176 lbs
Rindell is the first over-ager on this list. He wasn’t really on my radar as a draft-eligible, but had a big season in 2018-2019, adding 41 points in 50 games with HIFK’s U20 team which earned him a spot on first All-Star team. In the hopes of getting a big role in Liiga, Rindell decided the move to Jukurit for the 2019-2020 season and it’s safe to say that decision paid off. Rindell added 22 points in 47 games during his debut season in Liiga, which is the most points by an undrafted U20 defenceman in the league’s history.
A former forward who transitioned to a defenceman quite late into his career, Rindell’s strengths are on the offensive side of things. He’s got a dangerous wrist shot that makes him a power play threat, but he can also find players in the slot with passes and activate from the point without hesitation when he sees an opening. Rindell’s hands also get a good grade from me and he definitely has the confidence to use them. It’s always fun to see a defenceman trying between-the-legs deke off the rush.
Rindell’s skating is what makes me worry if he’s going to be able to translate his game to the next level. He’s not particularly quick in bursts and his top speed is lacking, too. Defensively, there’s a lot of work to be done as well. Rindell likes to play aggressively in the neutral zone which can backfire given that he’s not going to win that many footraces, at least if he starts from a disadvantageous position.
Still, there’s enough upside to Rindell’s game that I’m willing to have him this high on my board. If he makes big improvements as a skater, I think he could play in 3-4 years and contribute offensively and in transition.
Juuso Mäenpää, C, Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 5-foot-7, 141 lbs
Mäenpää first caught my eye at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup as he made the team ahead of players I thought would have been on the roster and looked really good in bursts. He then proceeded to have a very productive season with Jokerit’s U20 team, finishing with 49 points in 52 games and earning the Yrjö Hakala award as the league’s best rookie. Mäenpää also looked good in other international tournaments throughout the season.
Speed is the name of Mäenpää’s game. He’s among the best skaters on this list, having impressive four-step acceleration and top speed. Mäenpää is also a very strong playmaker (37 of his 49 points last season were assists), capable of making good passes off the rush and running a power play from the half-wall. Mäenpää’s playmaking also shows in my tracking data as he was one of the best players I tracked in generating scoring chances for his linemates.
If Mäenpää was 6-foot-0, we would be talking about a potential second-round pick. The thing is that he’s one of the smallest players in the draft at 5-foot-7 (which is generous), which is why he very well might go undrafted. There were only two players in the NHL who were as small or smaller than him. Where Mäenpää’s size disadvantage mostly shows is in the defensive zone. He had trouble with bigger players in front of the net and in corners and though he’s been a center at the junior level, he’ll likely be better suited as a winger in the future.
Though the odds are stacked against him, Mäenpää does have that high-end skating ability you’d hope in a player his size. He’s already too good for the U20 level, which is why he signed with KalPa in the off-season and already made his Liiga debut last week. The upside with Mäenpää justifies a pick from the fourth-round range onwards, even though you’re taking a big gamble with his size limitations.
Rami Määttä, D, Ässät U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 5-foot-11, 174 lbs
Määttä made a positive impression at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and continued his strong play with Ässät’s U20 team playing on the top defensive pairing together with Detroit Red Wings prospect Antti Tuomisto. While the 5-foot-11 blueliner got to play with the best defenceman in the league, I’d argue that Tuomisto also benefitted from playing with Määttä who excels while playing in a more supportive role.
Määttä is such a smart player. He doesn’t have blazing speed or game-breaking offensive abilities (instead he’s pretty limited in those areas), but he makes very few mistakes with or without the puck. Määttä closes gaps in the neutral zone really well and is able to funnel forwards away from the middle before closing in on them near the boards. Määttä handles complex defensive schemes really well and is hard to beat 1-on-1. It’s not often that I give a player credit for having a so-called “high compete level”, but Määttä stands out in that regard so much I have to mention it.
As my tracking sample would suggest, Määttä didn’t create a huge amount of zone exits or entries, but when he tried to do so, his success rate was excellent. That’s because Määttä often deferred to his partner Tuomisto on the breakout, often drawing in one forechecker before making a D-to-D pass for an easy breakout for Tuomisto. Määttä also did a lot of D-to-D passing in the offensive zone, often setting up the trigger-happy Tuomisto for wristers and one-timers, which explains the high shot assist total.
While Määttä doesn’t have the offensive upside that the other players on this list have, he’s such a rock in so many other ways. Given how smart he is, I believe that his floor as a player is very high.
Karri Aho, D, Ilves U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 6-foot-1, 179 lbs
Aho wasn’t really on my radar until last season, mostly due to the fact that he hadn’t played any international games until then. He had always been a solid producer at the U16 and U18 ranks, though, so it shouldn’t have come as a surprise that he was able to secure a top-4 role on Ilves U20 team’s defence, adding 14 points in 47 games and having a very productive eight-game stint in Mestis, too.
Aho is an above-average skater who uses crossovers to gain separation and add deception when he’s rushing the puck up the ice. There are some mechanical quirks in his stride, but added lower-body strength could get rid of at least some of those. Aho sees the ice well and is able to execute his breakout passes with solid consistency. He’s solid in his own end and is capable of tying forwards along the boards and making breakups with his stick.
Aho’s underlying metrics from last season weren’t anything special, but the rather weak team around him explains at least some of that. Aho lacks a high-end trait in his game that would make me really optimistic about his chances, though. He can contribute offensively off the rush and has a sneaky-good wrist shot from the point, but I don’t think his skill is anything special.
What makes me more intrigued is that Aho is among the youngest players in this class, only being 10 days away from being eligible in the 2021 draft. If he keeps improving his offensive output and rounding out his game in other aspects, I believe he could be a solid bet in the sixth or seventh round.
Petteri Puhakka, LW, Kärpät U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 5-foot-9, 157 lbs
Being draft-eligible for the first time in the 2019 draft, Puhakka is the second over-ager on this list. He spent the 2018-2019 season with Kärpät’s U18 team and put up 60 points in 44 games. Frankly, in any other club, he would have already played at the U20 level back then. It wasn’t a big surprise to see him produce really well in a big role once he was promoted to the U20 team for the 2019-2020 season. He finished the campaign with 26 goals and 53 points in 52 games and performed well when he got the chance to play with Finland’s U20 team in February.
Puhakka possesses a versatile offensive tool kit. Last season, he was often the one finishing plays and has an accurate release, but he can also make small, effective passing plays in tight which signal that he’s also got a good vision for playmaking. Actually, in my seven-game sample at 5-on-5, he created more shot assists than shots. Puhakka is able to use a solid acceleration and top speed to create havoc off the rush and also put pressure on the opposing defencemen on the forecheck. There are some technical flaws to fix (he recovers his stride a bit wide, for example), but overall I’d say that he was clearly an above-average skater for the U20 level last season.
Puhakka’s skill level is a bit of a question mark for me as he flashes good hands but he can also fumble pucks in key positions. I've also noted that he can have trouble adapting to the play once the circumstances change, which leads to him trying a play that’s no longer available, which in turn often leads to turnovers and lost possession.
With even players like Tuukka Tieksola and Aatu Räty having difficulties cracking Kärpät’s Liiga roster, Puhakka decided to move to Tappara during the off-season, presumably for a better chance to get Liiga games sooner rather than later. While drafting over-agers from the junior ranks is very risky, I think that Puhakka has untapped potential and enough intriguing tools to be considered in the sixth or seventh round.
Mikael Pyyhtiä, C/LW, TPS U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 5-foot-11, 174 lbs
Pyyhtiä had a solid draft-eligible campaign with TPS’ U20 team, finishing with third-most points on the team with 41 in 42 games. He also got to make his debut in Liiga and got to play with Finland’s U20 team in the spring tournaments, which were his first international appearances.
Pyyhtiä is a very well-rounded forward who can play both at center and wing. I’d say that his smarts are his best attribute. He covers well for his defencemen and plays a pretty sound two-way game for his age, often being relied to contribute on the penalty kill. Pyyhtiä skates fine, but none of the qualities in his skating really stand out. He plays at a good pace, though, and does a fine job in transition.
Pyyhtiä’s profile in my tracking project is pretty interesting because I actually think that he’s a more proficient playmaker than a shooter. What doesn’t surprise me is that he did a very good job at suppressing shots against and moving the puck out of the defensive zone with control.
Why I'm not that high on Pyyhtiä is because I’m not sure if he has enough tools to become an NHL-level contributor. He’s well-rounded and good enough as a playmaker that I’m comfortable ranking him here among Finnish players.
Honorable mentions:
Matias Rajaniemi, D, Pelicans U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
Rajaniemi is a tall, rangy defenceman who already got a cup of coffee with Pelicans’ Liiga team late last season. He skates fine for a bigger defenceman but doesn’t have that much in the way of offensive skill. Rajaniemi is still very raw but he’s also young and was only four days away from being eligible for the 2021 draft. I debated hard putting him at 15, but ultimately I didn’t see enough upside in his game, although I believe he’ll definitely get drafted.
Samuel Knazko, D, TPS U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
Knazko was TPS’ second-most productive defenceman at the U20 level last season, finishing with 28 points in 48 games. He’s a fine skater who can make impressive stretch passes and occasionally contribute as a playmaker on the power play. Knazko’s shortcomings are mostly on the defensive side of things, and they are severe. He likes to wander around aimlessly and take poor routes while recovering loose pucks. He’s also someone I would consider having a low motor. Knazko’s also young for this draft class, but he’s such a risky bet that I wouldn’t be very comfortable making that pick.
Aatu Jämsen, RW, Pelicans U18 (U18 SM-sarja), 6-foot-1, 152 lbs
Jämsen spent time injured last season, but when he was able to play, he was very dominant at the U18 level, adding 47 points in 24 games. Jämsen has also been on fire at the start of this season and is currently leading the U20 league in points with 18 in 8 games. Jämsen is a skilled winger who has good instincts around the net and can make high-end passes from time to time.
Tomi Niku, D, JYP U20 (U20 SM-sarja), 5-foot-9, 154 lbs
The younger brother of Winnipeg Jets defenceman Sami, Niku was JYP’s top defenceman at the U20 level last season, logging 36 points in 45 games. Niku is one of the more skilled passers on this list, often finding players with cross-slot feeds and long stretch passes. Niku is a mobile skater but not particularly quick for his size. He’s pretty passive in the defensive zone and like Knazko, someone who doesn’t compete particularly hard for pucks. He’s also on the older side for this draft with his 2001-birthdate.
Lassi Lehtinen, G, Lukko (Liiga), 6-foot-0, 176 lbs
Lehtinen is a triple over-ager who had a really strong season in 2019-2020, managing a .922 save percentage in 29 games with Lukko and getting his first start with Finland’s national team. Lehtinen’s hockey sense is really good and he rarely gets in a bad position. We’ll see whether he gets picked due to being a six-foot goalie and not overly athletic, but I think his body of work is worthy of a late-round selection.