Welcome back to my prospect rankings for each country. We've already gone over Canada, USA, and Sweden, so now it's time to tackle the fourth country and take a look at the Fantastic Fins. Finland is a very exciting up-and-coming country in terms of hockey players, so let's dive in and take a closer look at who we have ranked 1-10.
10. Esa Lindell, D, Texas Stars, OHL (3rd round, 74th overall in 2012 to the Dallas Stars)
Another Scandanavian defensive prospect in the Stars system, alongside of Swede Niklas Hansson, Lindell is proving himself to be a solid d-man for the Texas Stars. In his first pro season with Texas, he currently has 31 points in 52 games. These are very good totals for a defenseman playing at the AHL level. If his development goes smoothly, then expect him to eventually blossom into a regular defenseman for the Stars.
9. Roope Hintz, LW, HFIK, SM-Liiga (2nd round, 49th overall in 2015 to the Dallas Stars)
Another Finnish Stars prospect, this time a forward, Hintz represented himself well at the World Juniors for Team Finland in 2016, putting up 4 points in 7 games. He's having a solid season playing in the SM-Liiga this year, with 12 points in 25 games. The Liiga, much like the SHL, is a tough league to play in, so these are respectable totals for Hintz. Expect him to make the jump to the Texas Stars at some point within the next few years.
8. Villi Saarijarvi, D, Flint Firebirds, OHL (3rd round, 73rd overall in 2015 to the Detroit Red Wings)
The Red Wings have been notorious for drafting hidden gems in the late rounds of the draft in the past, such as taking core stars Pavel Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg in the sixth and seventh rounds of their respective drafts, and they might have found another in Saarijarvi. After being taken ninth overall in the 2015 CHL Import Draft by the Flint Firebirds, the undersized Rovaniemi native has been a bright spot in an atricous Firebirds seasoon, putting up 32 points in 45 games.
7. Olli Juolevi, D, London Knights, OHL (Top 2016 NHL Draft Prospect)
Juolevi is a core member on one of the most stacked OHL teams. The Helsinki native has 29 points in 45 games for the Knights, and on top of that he had a very solid World Junior campaign for the gold-winning Team Finland, with 29 points in 43 games. Due to his solid production both offensively and defensively, Juolevi has worked himself into a projected top ten pick position in the upcoming 2016 NHL Draft. He's drawn many comparisons to current Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Olli Maatta, and could turn out to be a solid player if he's developed right.
6. Julius Honka, D, Texas Stars, AHL (1st round, 14th overall to the Dallas Stars in 2014)
Honka is not the first, not the second, but the THIRD prospect to make this list who's in the Stars organization. Honka spent his last junior season in 2013-14 playing for the Swift Current Broncos of the WHL, where he recorded 56 points in 62 games. He is now in his second season with the Texas Stars, and the Jyvaskyla native has had solid production. He currently has 34 points in 54 games for Texas and is showing no signs of slowing down. If his development continues properly, then he should be a staple on the Stars defensive core for years to come.
5. Sebastian Aho, C, Karpat Oulu, SM-Liiga (2nd round, 45th overall to the Carolina Hurricanes in 2015)
Aho really made a name for himself after being selected in the second round by the Hurricanes in 2015. The Rauma native currently has 32 points in 38 games for Karpat Oulu, and really turned heads at the World Juniors after recording 14 points in 7 games while playing in between highly touted 2016 draft prospects Jesse Puljujarvi and Patrik Laine. He could potentially make the jump to the AHL within the next few years and could be a very serviceable player for the Hurricanes for years to come.
4. Kasperi Kapanen, RW, Toronto Marlies, AHL (1st round, 22nd overall in 2014 to the Pittsburgh Penguins)
After being acquired by Toronto in the trade that sent goal scorer Phil Kessel to the Pittsburgh Penguins, the Leafs knew that Kapanen was the main piece coming back and was a very solid prospect. The start to his season was slowed down due to injuries, but after representing Team Finland at the World Juniors and recording 5 points in 7 games including the golden goal, he really took off. He currently has 10 points in his last 9 games for the Marlies. He could very well become a solid top six player for the Leafs in the future if developed correctly.
3. Mikko Rantanen, LW, San Antonio Rampage, AHL (1st round, 10th overall to the Colorado Avalanche in 2015)
The top ranked Finnish player in the 2015 NHL Draft, Rantanen appeared in six games for the Avalanche in 2015-16 but struggled to produce for them. However, he really stepped up his game in the AHL and to this day has recorded a ridiculous 41 points in 33 games. He captained Team Finland at the World Juniors and recorded 5 points in 7 games, so his development is going smoothly to this day. Expect him to be a lock to make the Avalanche next season.
2. Jesse Puljujarvi, LW, Karpat Oulu, SM-Liiga (Top 2016 NHL Draft Prospect)
Puljujarvi had been hovering around the top five area of the 2016 NHL Draft for a long time, but at this point he's a lock to go either second or third overall, given that Auston Matthews essentially has #1 booked. Whoever gets Puljujarvi won't be complaining however. The Avkarleby, Sweden native holds a dual citzenship between Sweden and Finland, but considers himself a Fin. He recorded an incredible 17 points in 7 games at the World Juniors this season, and currently has 22 points in 45 games for Karpat. He is going to be a phenomenal player for whoever drafts him.
1. Patrik Laine, RW, Tappara, SM-Liiga (Top 2016 NHL Draft Prospect)
Laine is essentially a clone to Jesse Puljujarvi. The Tampere native shares many of the same traits as Puljujarvi, as they both have a big combination of size and skill, and could easily go second or third overall. The reason I give Laine a bit of an edge over Puljujarvi is because he's slightly bigger and more flashier than he is, but aside from that they're almost identical. Both represented Finland at the World Juniors and both tore it up, as Laine got 13 points in 17 games and currently has 29 points in 37 games for Tappara. These young guns are something special, without a doubt.
Thanks for reading, everyone.
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