The NHL season along with many European and CHL seasons is just around the corner and rookie camps are starting up. It’s time to take a look at a few more players eligible for the upcoming draft that many may be watching come this time next year.
According to Statista, Finland has over 100 players in the NHL trailing only the USA, Canada, Russia and Sweden. Last season, Konsta Helenius of the Buffalo Sabres, and Emil Hemming of the Dallas Stars were the only two Finnish-born players to go in the first round after Finland had no first-round picks in 2023. The country boasts an interesting class this year with the potential for at least one player to go in the first round. Here’s a look at some of the players receiving early looks.
Jesper Kotajarvi
Kotajarvi got his start in the U16 SM-sarja league at just 14 years old playing for the Kokkolan Hermes in 2021-2022. He then spent the next year playing for the U20 team for Hermes recording 19 points in 19 games. Kotajarvi appeared in 4 games for the club team Hermes in the Mestis league, the second division of pro hockey in Finland that season.
Last season, at 16 years old, Kotajarvi joined the most accomplished club in Liiga, Tampere Tappara where he tallied six goals and 23 assists for the U20 while also managing to put up 18 points in 37 games internationally. Kotajarvi will likely join the club team this season with the hope of boosting his stock even further. Kotajarvi currently sits at #40 in the Inside the Rink rankings and is listed in the top 32 prospects by TSN.
Jere Sumervuori
Sumervuori spent two years in the U16 SM-sarja, registering 28 points in 40 games. Last season, Sumervuori started in the U18 league before being called up to the U20 league after posting 12 points in 13 games. Somervuori has spent his entire junior career with Idrottsföreningen Kamraterna of Helsinki (HIFK). He also has 26 points in 36 games across the U16, U17 and U18 levels. Sumervuori is set to start the season with HIFK’s U20 team with the potential of being called up to Liiga shortly.
Lasse Boelius
Boelius makes this list because he has continuously found ways to rise to each new challenge thrown at him. Boelius was a point-per-game scorer for his hometown team, Hockey Club Ässät Pori, from the U16 SM-sarja, in 2021 before having a quiet end to the campaign where he was held scoreless in eight games at the U18 level.
The next season, Boelius would return to the U16 level again as a point-per-game scorer, before receiving a call-up to the U18 team where Boelius continued to impress with four points in as many games. Boelius has 22 points in 33 international games and will start this season either with the U20 team or with the pro team in Pori.
Patrik Kerkola
Kerkola is unique from most of the other names listed above him as he already has some Liiga experience. Kerkola appeared in one game for KalPa Kuopio where he stopped 14 of 16 shots in 62 minutes of ice time. Kerkola has spent his entire career with KalPa maintaining a save percentage over .900 in the U16 and U18 levels before it dropped down to .886 in the U20 SM-sarja. However, Kerkola also posted an 11-8 record in that stretch.
The main concern with Kerkola is whether or not he will be able to keep up in the NHL. Kerkola’s stats are noticeably lower during any international appearance. Kerkola is 46-33-1 with a .904 save percentage across all age levels with club hockey in Finland. Compare that to his 11-15 record with an .894 save percentage in combined international play, and there could be reason for concern.
This season at KalPa will be huge for Kerkola, as he will look to crack the Liiga roster and prove that he can perform at the pro level.
Jasper Inkinen
Inkinen is known for a hard accurate shot and an unselfish playstyle. In his first season with Rauman Lukko at the U16 level, Inkinen tallied 50 points in 39 games while tallying 34 assists in almost as many games. Inkinen continued his dominance in 2022-2023 with 29 points in 16 games before receiving a call-up to the U18 league. Inkinen was held to 9 points in 23 games to finish the season before surging back in 2023-2024 almost returning to the point-per-game mark with 31 points in 38 appearances.
Inkinen has already recorded two assists in his first two games of the new season in the U18 SM-sarja with Lukko. He will look to graduate to the U20 level before the end of the season and could very well have his name called next April.
Final Thoughts
With the season already underway as of this week, there is plenty to look forward to this season across Liiga and its junior leagues. While it is too early to rank any of these players, the name with the most attention so far seems to be Jesper Kotajarvi, who is ranked 40th overall by Inside the Rink and is hovering around the late first-round to early second-round in most mock drafts. It’ll be interesting to see what other young stars emerge from this league and this country in the following months as all of these players battle it out for the ultimate dream in hockey: to hear their names called on draft day.
