Interested to see what the Islanders have in Rajaniemi; I'm guessing he spends some of the season in the ECHL.
His size is intriguing. Judging by his numbers in Finland he does not play a punishing style.
Lahti and SaiPa haven't been the traditional beds of developing prospects in Finland through the years (usually relying on the surplus prospects from the larger clubs or older veterans from either the domestic league or outside of Finland to fill their men's team rosters) - but both have made strides in recent years.
True to form, rare is the drafted prospect who isn't at least brought over to the organization for a look-see.
He seemed like a very decent pick in his draft year and even followed that with a nice DY+1. He's been playing pro for years now but hasn't appeared to take any measurable steps forward.
At this point, it wouldn't surprise me in the least if he's a part timer for BPort or even finds himself logging minutes for Worcester.
Interestingly, he played on the same team as the lesser-known NYI-drafted Finnish Dman, Aleksi Malinen, who I've always seen as a top-flight skater. He's set for a regular shift in Liiga action next year.