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By: Anni Karvinen

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It is no secret the 2025 NHL draft class from Finland will be weaker than the 2024 class. It wouldn’t be surprising if no players from the Finnish leagues are selected in the first round come draft day. However, that does not mean there aren’t interesting prospects to follow for the 2024-25 season. In this article, I’ll introduce you to 10 of the most intriguing draft eligible prospects, plus three standout D+1 players you should keep an eye on as a bonus.

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Effective Puck-Moving Defensemen

Jesper Kotajärvi and Lasse Boelius are the clear front-runners for the top Finnish prospects for the 2025 NHL draft, with Kotajärvi currently holding the slight edge. Both players are of similar stature, and are both left-shot defensemen, but each have their own identities as players. Kotajärvi’s game is centered around his great skating. He has a beautiful technique as he uses his strides effectively which allows him to make quick turns and open up his hips to find new passing lanes. The great skating combined with his hockey smarts allow him to be effective in all three zones of the ice, whether he’s blocking passing lanes, walking the offensive blueline, or carrying the puck himself in the neutral zone. Like Kotajärvi, Boelius has a fluid skating technique, but his sharpest tool is his passing. He can deliver crisp, accurate passes on the tape, which allows him to be effective in transition. The passing ability translates well to power play, where he can be a true difference maker with his creativity. Both Finnish defensemen have their development areas to focus on. Kotajärvi should try to find more versatility in his offensive game. He is effective at getting pucks to the net, but he isn’t the most creative player. Boelius needs to improve his overall defensive game and physicality. More muscle could do wonders for his skating as well as he lacks a bit of explosiveness.

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The Trustworthy Tappara Centers

There are two interesting draft eligible centers playing with Tappara’s U20 team: Finnish Eetu Orpana and Slovak Jan Chovan. Orpana is a versatile left-handed center with a decent frame. He’s defensively responsible, actively supporting the defenders in his own zone. Orpana reads the game well and he is effective at making himself available as a passing option. In the offensive zone, Orpana is more of a passer than shooter; he has good vision and he can pass the puck through multiple defenders. While being a good passer, Orpana isn’t afraid to go to the net either, where he actively engages in puck battles. Chovan is also a left-handed center, but with an even bigger frame. He is trusted in all situations and is a regular on both the power play and penalty killing units. Chovan understands space and positioning well which allows him to be an effective small area passer. He plays his best hockey when he can be the complementary player, not the playdriver, on his forward line. For both Chovan and Orpana, I have one clear thing on my wishlist regarding their development: they need to make better use of their frames and ramp up the physicality. I would also like to see Chovan working on his skating.

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Pesky, Powerful Czechs

Both Dominik Pavlik and Tomas Poletin have the profile that NHL organizations tend to look for in drafts. While neither is towering, they are both 6-1 and nearly 195lbs. Most importantly, they know how to use their strong frames to create advantages for themselves. Pavlik is a left-handed center who can play a true power-forward game. In the offensive zone he is at his best playing down low, dishing the puck or winning battles. He is also active at getting to the net. Pavlik has shown some intriguing dual threat abilities: he can be a creative passer but he is not afraid to use his shot which can cause some damage as well. On the defensive side of the game, Pavlik plays a responsible game. He supports his defenders under pressure, and he covers a lot of ice with his smart positioning. Poletin’s game is very similar to Pavlin. He is a versatile left-handed winger who’s trusted in all situations. Like Pavlik, Poletin has the power forward game figured out. He is comfortable playing near the net and he likes to engage in puck battles. Poletin is good at delivering small area passes which makes him even more effective near the net. In the defensive zone he plays a mature game and positions himself well. The area I would like to see both of the players develop is the consistency in their offensive game. Both have shown some great flashes but you hope to see them more often.

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A Duo of Lukko Centers and Steady Defenders

Playing with the U20 team of Lukko, Jasu Mensonen and Atte Joki is a center duo that has been a mainstay with the Finnish national team for a couple of seasons. Mensonen might be the most interesting player mentioned in this article, in my opinion. Standing at 5-10 he is on the smaller side but he plays bigger than his frame suggests. Mensonen has a good motor, a great two-way game and he’s an active forechecker who likes to throw a hit occasionally. Though it is Mensonen’s offensive upside that makes him intriguing. He has shown flashes of brilliance: when everything clicks, he can score a ridiculous coast-to-coast goal completely stripping down the opposition. So far it’s been just the flashes, but I have strong faith in Mensonen because he seems to have all the tools, they just don’t click in the right way all the time. Joki plays a different type of game. Like Mensonen, he’s a great two-way player, but in the offensive zone he likes to operate near the net where he can score a lot of goals. Standing at 6-1, Joki’s a lot safer bet to make the NHL some day. My wish list for the both? I hope Mensonen keeps playing with the same intensity but adjusts his decision making a tiny bit to achieve better results. For Joki, I’d like to see a little more versatility in his offense.

Julius Saari and Aaron Paju are typical, stay-at-home defenders. They both have great physical profiles standing at 6-2 and have been mainstays with the Finnish national team. Saari is a left-handed defensive defenseman playing in the Jokerit system. He does a lot of things well that you look for in a defensive defender. Saari covers a lot of ice, he isn’t afraid to be physical, and he makes good, simple first passes. The basis of Saari’s game is built on his skating. He has fluid strides, and that, combined with his good positioning, allows him to be effective at escaping pressure or getting to a loose puck first. The right-handed Paju has a lot of the same strengths as Saari. He has a good reach and he positions himself well on the ice. Paju relies a lot on his stick when defending and he’s great at intercepting passing lanes. His game lacks physicality, but he seems to be quite raw so there’s hope for development in that regard. For both Saari and Paju, the next steps in their development paths are crucial. Right now they are too easy to miss on the ice, even for defensive defensemen.

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Should-Have-Been-Drafted: Hynninen, Nieminen and Jokinen

For the final part of the article, the spotlight turns to three D+1 players that should have been drafted, in my opinion. Topias Hynninen is a left-handed forward that can play both on the wing and at center. He is a high-motor fore-checking forward who is extremely annoying to play against. In addition to his reliable two-way game, Hynninen is an incredibly smart playmaker, who likes to utilize a lot of quick passing plays and give-and-goes. He is on pace to crush his previous Liiga point totals. I truly hope he does that and maybe finally garners the attention he deserves. Daniel Nieminen is another player I was shocked to see go undrafted. He’s a left-handed two-way defender who bases everything he does on his excellent skating. He was called up to Liiga and he’s been brilliant in the games he has played with the big club. Even against Liiga competition Nieminen can create separation with his skating or catch up the opponent from a longer distance. He’s been trusted with power play responsibility, and has looked really good so far. It hasn’t been all offense for Nieminen, as he has been quite effective in the defensive zone as well. He can deliver well-timed hits to separate the opponent from the puck and he uses his stick actively as well. The final name to mention is Mitja Jokinen. He’s a smart puck-moving defender who’s played solely in Liiga so far this season. Jokinen is effective in transition: he can draw opponents close before exploiting the space and passing the puck crisp on the tape. As a smaller defender he faces trouble with physicality from time to time, but playing the season in Liiga with TPS could make him an interesting draft target if organizations feel he can play his game against professional competition.

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Thank you for taking time to read this article,
– Anni Karvinen