Kalle Väisänen

July 2024 – Vaisanen, signed earlier this year to his entry-level contract with New York, will be playing during the 2024-25 season on loan with Tampereen Ilves of the Finnish Elite League. The big-bodied winger will continue to hone his craft in his native Finland, and presumably, the organization will look to ease him into a role with the Hartford Wolf Pack heading into the 2025-26 season. After experiencing difficulty with numerous European prospects in recent years, who have struggled to acclimate to pro hockey in North America, it seems that the Rangers may be looking to try a modified approach with some of their recent draftees. Vaisanen, as with all mid-round draft picks, will need plenty of development time in the hopes of eventually landing an NHL role. Brendan Ferry 

June 2023 – The right shot Finn made the rounds in 2022-23, after being selected by the Rangers with the 106th pick in the 2021 draft. Last season, he appeared in games with TPS of the Finnish league, Liiga, as well as in CHL competition. He also appeared for the Finland U20 team in international competition, and with the TPS U20 team. The largest slate of games that he appeared in were for TPS in Liiga play, where he posted five points in 47 games played, and zero points in three playoff games.  Vaisanen, listed currently at 6-5, and 194 pounds, will need to continue to work his game and adding some additional muscle onto his frame, as he looks to earn an ELC with the Rangers at some point down the road. It appears that Vaisanen has added roughly 17 pounds of muscle post-draft, an encouraging sign, to be sure. The big winger will return to TPS (Liiga) for 2023-24.  Brendan Ferry

June 2022  – Väisänen has good stickhandling skills, passing ability and vision. He has a deceptive wrist shot and likes to walk into the slot to release it. He also takes a great deal of faceoffs for a winger and has played the point on the TPS power play. Look for Vaisanen to stay overseas in his native Finland for two to three more seasons to continue to develop his game prior to heading over to play hockey in the States. Brendan Ferry