LD Aron Kiviharju - IFK Helsinki, Liiga (2024, 122nd, MIN) Part2

[CraigBillington]

If speaking English raised draft stock I'd be a first rounder

"I seen...."
"6th round for you "

 

[GermanSpitfire]

I remember getting lambasted when I said he wouldn’t go first overall and that he wasn’t the best Finn defender in his age group over a year ago.

 

[Albatros]

Overtly cautious drafting, taking fringe NHL talents like Koivu and Pikkarainen over him is just insane. And no, Väisänen is not more talented either.

 

[wetcoast]

I remember getting lambasted when I said he wouldn’t go first overall and that he wasn’t the best Finn defender in his age group over a year ago.

While I agreed with your take it's weird that he is still available don't you think?

 

[Kiekura]

I remember getting lambasted when I said he wouldn’t go first overall and that he wasn’t the best Finn defender in his age group over a year ago.

But he should be going alread though

 

[FinPanda]

Probably a 7th round pick by the looks of it.

 

[SatanicToedrag]

Teams are freaked out by his injury-riddled year? At round 4 his possible upside is way bigger than your usual fourth rounder. Weird

 

[Esko6]

What happened? Still not drafted.

Too small, too badly injured. Team hopping could be seen as a character issue. He has good hockey sense, so I still think he will go soon. Maybe.

 

[GermanSpitfire]

While I agreed with your take it's weird that he is still available don't you think?

This is right around the range I’d start thinking about him, personally.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

Looks like Finns that are too good for Jr-A need to start importing more. CHL, USHL, Swedish jrs... Anything but struggling and risking being injured by guys double your weight in Liiga. Starting to become a yearly tradition that a these prospects fall through the floor because they're not ready to play vs men at 17

 

[Dog]

Worth the risk now in the later rounds.

 

[Albatros]

Looks like Finns that too good for Jr-A need to start importing more. CHL, USHL, Swedish jrs... Anything but struggling and risking being injury by guys double your weight in Liiga

It's complicated when you want to finish school yet don't have the academic qualifications for university hockey.

 

[Mestaruus]

What a fall.

 

[MMC]

Welcome to Minnesota

 

[Dog]

Minnesota did the right thing! Way to go!

 

[William H Bonney]

Not surprising. NHL teams are not usually in the market for a small, bad skating defenseman who looks to be a really early bloomer who's been on a downward trajectory.

He's fine value where he went. But he was long not a top 2 round candidate.

 

[FinPanda]

Minnesota did really well here. No much risk at this point of the draft and decent reward.

 

[DoingItCoolKiwi]

It's complicated when you want to finish school yet don't have the academic qualifications for university hockey.

Yeah maybe. I imagine there's something setup for school situation with CHL at least, but not everyone knows English so it's probably an issue. Maybe Finnish hockey association could do something to encourage using Mestis as a middle step. Any case, something should be done

 

[Mestaruus]

Minnesota did the right thing! Way to go!

It was called Finnesota for a reason. Mikko Koivu being a Turku based guy like Kiviharju gave them a call.

 

[JiricekSaveUs]

I’ll take it

 

[Mestaruus]

Not surprising. NHL teams are not usually in the market for a small, bad skating defenseman who looks to be a really early bloomer who's been on a downward trajectory.

He's fine value where he went. But he was long not a top 2 round candidate.

Those are good points on this matter and there's also the thing that he burnt bridges in Finland with his old team TPS and changed his team to HIFK, so maybe NHL teams look at that and think that there could be difficulties with him in the future with contract negotiations and so on. Loyal players is what these teams want, so they don't escape the first moment they become UFAs. Okay the same thing once happened with Mikael Granlund, but in Aron's case there are so many more negative things that stack up.

 

[king89]

Scouts will look really dumb for passing on him. In a year or two when he's added more muscle and become stronger he will look great. The talent is there just needs some time.

 

[ChicagoBullsFan]

Looks like Finns that too good for Jr-A need to start importing more. CHL, USHL, Swedish jrs... Anything but struggling and risking being injury by guys double your weight in Liiga. Starting to become a yearly tradition that a these prospects fall through the floor because they're not ready to play vs men at 17

Tell that to Finnish hockey associations idiots who are totally out of lunch.
And now if Wild management staff has brains they took Kiviharju out of HIFK.
HIFK has been most injury prone team in SM liiga last 10-12 yrs if i remember right.
Also Kiviharju's development has stopped totally so unfortunately he has big bust potential.

If Wild wants Kiviharju pans out then better development league for him
should be CHL if that's not option then loan him to Sweden but don't bring him back to SM liiga and HIFK.

 

[Gregor Samsa]

This has to be one of the biggest falls in a one year period

 

[Albatros]

Tell that in Finnish hockey association's idiots who are totally out of lunch.
And now if Wild management staff has brains they took Kiviharju out of HIFK.
HIFK has been most injury prone team in SM liiga last 10-12 yrs if i remember right.
Also Kiviharju's development has stopped totally so unfortunately he has big bust potential.

If Wild wants Kiviharju pans out then better development league for him
should be CHL if that's not option then loan him to Sweden but don't bring him back to SM liiga or HIFK.

He has contract until 2025 and is in no way ready for the NHL right now, it'll be at least one more year in Finland.