The World Juniors. A wonderful time of year for hockey fans — and for underdog nations to take the world by its horns and prove themselves.
Finland’s top young guns from its top pro league, Liiga, are in Minnesota to compete for a medal. This edition of the Liiga Roundup focuses on those players.
It is also the best opportunity for dynasty managers to evaluate up-and-coming prospects — and even add some undrafted free agents ahead of the draft.
Rimpinen and Rautiainen were claimed ahead of or during the WJC last season in every deep league I am part of.
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Petteri Rimpinen, G, 6-0 — 152 overall in 2025
8-9-6, .894 SV%, 2.79 GAA — LAK
Rimpinen served as the starter for Finland in last year’s World Juniors, securing a bronze medal and winning goalie of the tournament. He was then drafted by the Kings in the fifth round of 2025 as a re-entry.
His game is built on technical precision and athleticism. While undersized, Rimpinen has played phenomenally at the professional level as a young starter.
This year his performance has dipped — he is registering his first save percentage below .900 in a pro league. Last season, he logged a .912 over 40 Liiga games, and a .925 over 14 games in Mestis, Finland’s second-tier pro league.
He remains the youngest starting goalie in Liiga and has half the season remaining to return to form. Rimpinen really found his stride after the WJC last year — and can be expected to do the same following another strong performance for Finland.
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Lasse Boelius, D, 6-1 — 60 overall in 2025
1G, 5A, 30GP — ANA
Through exhibition play and Finland’s first two preliminary round games, Boelius has been the team’s best defender — maybe their best skater, period.
Boelius is an extremely agile and fast skater. He moves well with the puck and processes the game at a breakneck pace. He picked up two points in Finland’s opener and added another two in Game 2, bringing him to four points in two games while providing excellent defensive play. He is currently anchoring Finland’s top pairing.
Anaheim is known for finding diamonds in the rough — especially high-upside defenders in the mid rounds. Boelius has held his own through 30 Liiga games this season, and now he is showing even more poise against his age group.
Last season, he split time between Finland’s junior and pro leagues, posting over 0.5 points per game in U20. That may not jump off the page, but paired with sound Liiga minutes and a strong WJC start, it marks him as a rare developmental profile.
If he keeps this up, his ceiling — and dynasty stock — will keep rising.
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Aatos Koivu, RW, 6-0 — 70 overall in 2024
2G, 5A, 30GP — MTL
It has been a long time since a Koivu played hockey in Minnesota. Koivu is continuing that by skating in Finland’s top-six group in front of a Minnesota crowd.
He is currently deployed as the second-line right wing next to Flyers pick Ruohonen. What makes Koivu’s game special is how effective he is all over the ice, while being seemingly invisible. His tools are not flashy, but he is a well-rounded and highly engaged forward.
Koivu is particularly impactful on the forecheck and the backcheck. Retrievals and possession control are his calling cards.
These are the traits that may not excite NHL fans — but will have NHL managers champing at the bit.
Expect a lot of eyes on Koivu throughout this tournament. He brings 66 games and 15 points of Liiga experience since being drafted by Montreal. His responsible play will earn him heavy minutes and a chance to prove himself against peers rather than professionals.
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Oliver Suvanto, C, 6-3 — 2026 draft eligible
2G, 5A, 30GP
A truly electric World Juniors debut for Suvanto. He is already climbing up draft boards as one of the largest and most skilled centres in the class.
Most tournament debuts are filled with flashes — but Suvanto’s dynamism was consistently on display. He controls play like few 17-year-olds can, slowing the game or pushing its pace on a dime to exploit defensive gaps.
He scored in Finland’s opening game and is pivoting their top line.
Suvanto is ranked 16th by EliteProspects — and as high as 8th by some outlets. If he continues to impact games this significantly, a top-ten conversation will be very real.
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Aron Kiviharju, D, 5-10 — 122 overall in 2024
2G, 5A, 24GP — MIN
Once pegged as a top pick in the 2024 draft, Kiviharju has had a tumultuous professional career. He has not shown the ceiling that defined his D-2 and D-1 seasons among peers.
This year his production has dipped slightly — but he has added a stronger defensive element to his game. He is more engaged positionally, defending both zones and man-to-man with more proficiency.
Kiviharju is showing he understands that to consistently generate scoring chances, play often begins in the back end.
He is skating on Finland’s second pair and notched two assists in the opening game. He makes this list because this tournament is his best chance to re-establish his value as an impactful prospect.
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Jasper Kuhta, LW, 6-3 — undrafted in 2025
17G, 13A, 32GP (OHL)
Kuhta has spent this season in the OHL after an eight-game stint in Liiga and a dominant run through Finland’s U20 circuit last year.
He is a sneaky goal scorer with a knack for exploiting soft ice undetected. In Finland’s game against Latvia at the World Juniors, Kuhta registered five points.
That kind of performance is going to get him noticed by NHL scouts. If Kuhta can build on this hot start, he should hear his name called as a re-entry in 2026.
As of now, he is projected as a third-round pick by several outlets.
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Final Thoughts
Finland’s roster is stacked with skill and pro experience, and they fit together well as a two-way unit. They should be right in the mix for another podium finish.
Even near the bottom of the lineup, players like 2025 fifth-rounder Atte Joki have impressed in Liiga and could make an impact.
Deployment could shift a lot as the tournament goes on, and this is a team worth tracking closely all the way through the 2026 WJC.
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Thank you for reading this article on Liiga prospects. I am Arden — a Vancouver-based Online Journalism and Broadcasting student with a passion for community storytelling, hockey, and photography.
Find my work here: https://linktr.ee/ardenmcleod
Twitter: @HockeyArden