Finland currently holds the fifth highest percentage of players in the NHL only trailing the longtime hockey powers of Canada, USA, Sweden, and Russia.
With such a successful league neighbouring them, sometimes it’s more difficult for Finnish players from Liiga, Mestis, or even the youth levels to compete with these other countries. However, that doesn’t mean the talent isn’t there.
The story is quite the opposite, to see where some of these many talented young athletes come from, here’s a list of five underrated players from Finland that will be eligible for the upcoming 2025 NHL Draft.
Benjamin Rautiainen – Tappara
Rautiainen is doing something that no one else on this list is doing yet, playing at the top level of Liiga in Finland. Not only that, Rautiainen is leading all Liiga rookies in points with five goals and six assists in 19 games this season.
After recording 62 points and just under 30 goals last season at the U20 SM-sarja, it was an easy decision to pull Rautiainen up to Liiga.
The Tampere native began his Finnish career with hometown team, the Tampere Ilves from 2019-2022 before heading to their in-town rival Tampere Tappara. Rautiainen is known for his powerful shot and quick shot, he has solid positioning and has proved that he can work through high-traffic areas.
With just about a year or two left in his draft eligibility, this will be a pivotal season for Rautiainen and given his success, he could even hear his name called in the earlier rounds of next year’s draft.
Aleksi Karjalainen – Kiekko Espoo
It may take Karjalainen a little bit longer to settle into a potential roster spot in Mestis or even Liiga, but he’s shown he has the talent and perseverance to hang around the big leagues of Finland. Whether or not that will translate into North America depends on the results of this season. Karjalainen has managed a save percentage of over .900 for most of his career.
The only times he truly seemed to struggle was in his single-game Mestis appearance, and the end of the 2022-2023 season when he was called up from the U18 to U20 level. This season he has certainly proven that once he adjusts to a higher level, he can truly develop. To finish the 2022-2023 season, Karjalainen appeared in 25 games where he had an .865 save percentage with a goals-against average of 3.78 going 8-13 in that stretch.
Last season, Karjalainen raised his save percentage to .890, dropped his goals-against average to 2.49 and led his team to a 15-8 record. This year, to say Karjalainen has settled into the U20 level would simply be an understatement. Despite a 6-5 win-loss record, Karjalainen has a goals-against-average of 1.94 and an astounding save percentage of .926.
Eetu Levanen – Vaasan Sport
Levanen was nearly a point-per-game player in juniors and only showed his first signs of struggle after being called up to the U20 level at the back end of the 2022-2023 season where his point production dropped off both domestically and internationally.
However, Levanen returned to form with 39 points in 44 games last season while also netting three goals in eight international appearances. This season, Levanen has already scored 10 goals in his first 15 games and has another six helpers with it.
Levanen also has another two points in six international games this season. He will need to rely on either a strong World Juniors showing, or a call-up to Liiga where he’ll have to maintain the pace he’s been on to start the year.
Jimi Kuivila – Tampere Ilves
Miikka Kiprusoff, Pekka Rinne, Juuse Saros, what do these names have in common? Other than the fact that of course, these are all Finnish-born goalies, is that all three were drafted in the fourth round or later and have still managed to make names for themselves in the NHL. Kiprusoff and Rinne each have a Vezina trophy of their own with others saying it’s only a matter of time before Saros wins one of his own. The point of all of this is to say that the dream is far from over for Jimi Kuivila, and he has the stats to prove it.
Despite a 4-9-0 record to start the season, Kuivila is posting a .902 save percentage with a goals against of 2.78 at the U20 level. Given the club’s recent success and Champions League appearances in the last few seasons, Kuivila may not see time past the U20 level until he gets to North America.
Even from his limited sample size, he has not let his save percentage dip below .900 from the U18 level and beyond and has only had one season where his goals-against average was over three. A player like Kuivila may be a bit of a gamble but could also have tremendous upside when things are all said and done, it’ll be interesting to see who, if anyone, takes a chance on him.
Lauri Eskola – Assät
Eskola is a strong player who could miss some looks simply because of the club he plays for. Assät has hovered around the middle to lower levels on the table for the last five seasons and have struggled in Liiga.
With the traditional powerhouses of Liiga and other teams on the rise, there will be plenty of players to look at for NHL scouts thriving simply because they are a part of a good club.
However, Eskola begs the question of what a star-calibre player could do if given a good shot in the right system. The answer to that question lies solely in whichever GM would be willing to give him the chance.
Eskola would not only be a great pro player but an even better team player. Throughout his five seasons in Finland, going from the U16 level to the U20 level, Eskola has nearly double the amount of assists than he does goals.
This season has proven to be much of the same, as through his first 14 games, he has six goals and 10 assists. A player like Eskola could develop into a strong second or third-line pass-first forward who could earn solid minutes at the next level.
It will be interesting to see how all of these players continue to develop as they round out their respective seasons, and how many of these players will represent Finland at the World Juniors in just over a month. These next few weeks will be key for these players as strong club performances can lead to strong international performances, which could help some of these players end up in North America long term.
