Finland Stock Watch: Red Wings prospect Jesse Kiiskinen impressing at HPK

We've already reached a measuring-stick part of the calendar for Finnish hockey. 

Many Liiga teams have already played 20 games of the 60-game regular season. At the Under-20 level, big teams like TPS and Tappara have notably been struggling during the first months of the season while teams like Jukurit and Sport have managed to exceed expectations.

October also marked an important date for the 2009-born age group: 132 top players attended the Pohjola camp, a yearly landmark event that is used to construct the first Under-16 national team. This year, Luca Santala was named the MVP of the camp, joining a list of players that includes current NHLers like Jesse Puljujärvi and Urho Vaakanainen.

For the purposes of this article, let's stick with the older age groups and start with an NHL affiliated prospect who has been tearing up the Liiga over the past few weeks.

Stock Rising 📈

Jesse Kiiskinen, RW, HPK (Detroit Red Wings)

It was easy to see why Jesse Kiiskinen decided to make the move from Pelicans to HPK during the past off-season. He had already shown promise in Liiga during his draft-plus-one campaign, but the path to a full-time top-six role still looked challenging. However, looking at HPK's roster before the season, it was immediately clear that while Kiiskinen would have to play on a weaker team, he’d have all the opportunities to establish himself in a prime scoring role.

Kiiskinen didn’t score his first goal until the start of October, but since then, he’s been one of the most productive players in the entire league. In October, he scored seven goals and added 13 points in 10 games; only four players scored more points over the same span. Kiiskinen recorded two or more points in four out of 10 games and ended the month on a four-game point streak.

It’s fair to say that Kiiskinen has played a significant role in HPK's small bounce-back after a terrible start that resulted in an early coaching change. It should be noted that a large portion of Kiiskinen’s production is on the power play; his precise one-timer has become the team’s biggest weapon on the man advantage. Still, he’s also made improvements to his 5-on-5 play, acting as a stronger driver in transition while maintaining his usual high-paced style on the forecheck. If he continues on his current trajectory, he should be signing his ELC next summer or the one after that.

Matias Vanhanen, LW, HIFK U20 (2025 NHL Draft)

No 2025 draft-eligible prospect in Finland has been as good as Matias Vanhanen during the first months of the season. This much is evident just by looking at the scoresheet, as the 17-year-old winger currently sits second in points in the entire U20 league. In October, Vanhanen added five goals and 14 points in just eight appearances, including three performances where he logged three or more points.

And it’s not just the scoring that makes Vanhanen’s first months of the season impressive. He’s the main driver of his line, consistently showcasing advanced skill as a passer and creator of offence. In a weak class of Finnish draft-eligible talent, his ability to see the ice and create offence through his skill and vision clearly stands out. He’s also very young for the draft class; had he been born just four days later, he wouldn’t be eligible until 2026.

The caveat is that Vanhanen stands at just 5-foot-8 and 159 pounds, which is the only reason he was completely left out of Central Scouting’s recent watch list. While it’s hard to see him as a legitimate NHL prospect given his size and lack of truly elite ability, Vanhanen should be on track for a productive career in the European professional ranks.

Wilmer Kallio, RW, TPS U18 (2026 NHL Draft)

Wilmer Kallio is continuing to establish himself as one of the most interesting Finnish prospects for the 2026 draft. Last season, he was Finland's most productive player internationally at the U16 level, and has continued to rack up points during the first months of this season, too. He's currently leading the top group of the Finnish Under-18 league, having added 27 points in 14 games.

October as a whole was a very productive month for Kallio. He was held pointless in just one game out of the eight he played, and added multiple points in five of them. Starting off the season gathering mostly assists, he scored six goals during October, all of them in different games; that's the kind of consistency you're looking for. With performances like these, it shouldn't take too long before we see Kallio tested at the Under-20 level.

Honourable mentions: Kasper Kulonummi (Nashville Predators), Jere Somervuori (2025 NHL Draft) 

Stock Steady ↔️

Juho Piiparinen, D, Tappara U20 (2026 NHL Draft)

Remember when we talked about how Luca Santala was named the MVP of this year's Pohjola camp? Well, Juho Piiparinen earned that honour last season. Widely considered the current top Finnish prospect in the 2008-born age group, Piiparinen would've very likely already played at August's Hlinka Gretzky Cup had he been healthy.

After making the switch from Pelicans to Tappara in the off-season, Piiparinen has started to heat up offensively over the past few weeks. In October, he logged his first goal of the season and added four assists for a total of five points in eight games. By the end of October, his seven points in 16 games tied him for the top mark among all U17 skaters at the U20 level. What makes this even more impressive is that Piiparinen has barely seen any ice time on the power play during the first months of the season.

And the production is only part of the story with Piiparinen. He’s been a steady two-way presence, and in many games, his best contributions have been on the defensive side or in transition. It’s still early, but Piiparinen is shaping up to be one of the top European blueliners in the 2026 class, especially if he adds a bit more power to his skating.

Joona Saarelainen, C/LW, KalPa/KalPa U20 (Tampa Bay Lightning)

After last season, Joona Saarelainen stood out as among the players for the 2024 draft class who should be able to work their way up to the professional ranks sooner rather than later. He had to start the season at the U20 level, but in October, he ended up spending more time with KalPa's Liiga team. So far, he's played six games and managed to add two goals and three points; not a shabby pace given his bottom-six role and minutes.

Saarelainen’s second career Liiga goal came in a very expected fashion: he managed to separate himself from the defender in front of the net and create the perfect passing lane for his teammate from below the goal line. It’s no surprise that his skating is already an asset at this level, allowing him to find separation through his first steps.

If Saarelainen can establish himself as a full-time Liiga player over the next 1.5 months, he could be an interesting dark horse candidate for the U20 Worlds team. If everyone is healthy, a top-nine role should be out of the question, but among fourth-line candidates, his versatile and responsible style could make him one of the better options. A strong performance at the upcoming U20 Five Nations tournament would go a long way.

Stock Falling 📉

Arttu Kärki, D, Tappara (Vegas Golden Knights)

After a very productive OHL campaign and promising pre-season, Arttu Kärki came into his first Liiga regular season with quite a bit of hype. Things started out well enough in September but October was a more difficult month for the 19-year-old defenceman.

His role on Tappara, one of the more stacked teams in the league, has started to diminish over the past few weeks. In the first games of the month, he averaged around 17 minutes, but in the past five games, he’s surpassed the 10-minute mark just twice. For an offensively minded player, just a single point in 10 games isn’t ideal, either.

Kärki has always thrived on the power play, and a significant portion of his OHL production came on the man advantage. In the first 17 regular season games with Tappara, Kärki has logged under two minutes of power play time in total. With several other Liiga teams, things would likely be different in this regard. Ups and downs are part of the course for players with his profile at this level, and a bounce back is certainly possible over the next few months. However, things are currently trending in a negative direction.