Prospect Info: Lenni Hämeenaho (#58 Pick - 2nd Round - 2023 Draft)

[Hisch13r]

Lenni ties the game at 3 with just over 2 minutes left on a backdoor redirect! This comes after he lost the puck in the corner directly leading to them going down 3-2

 

[Juzmo]

Supremely careless game from the team. Even with some OT Lenni with 15:39 ice time because of all the pk.

5 games, 4 goals, 3 assists, +5, & 29 shots.

 

[Hisch13r]

Really nice saucer for the entry then his teammate sends a cross ice pass for a one timer goal

 

[evnted]

really liking lenni's playmaking progression. small area attempts attacking D triangles, seam passes in transition, cross ice saucers. lots of diversity here, and hes having way fewer fumbles/coordination issues carrying the puck as well. i always thought (and still do) that he'll make his money being that greasy forechecker who wins battles and parks himself around the net, but this is gonna help him flex all over the lineup. turning into a more expansive offensive threat than i anticipated. exciting

and while it would be unfair not to label his skating a concern, i remain fairly confident it wont hold him back. elite anticipation, knows how to take away lanes early, defensive stick is disruptive, and in terms of his mobility itself hes always moving, good on his edges, quick in small pockets of ice, hard to contain one on one, has some sort of open ice acceleration ability even if hes still not fast. basically doing too many NHL-style things for me to think being an ugly skater can singularly derail his outlook, esp considering that he very well could be paired with some superb skaters in this lineup

 

[Emperoreddy]

The Lenni agenda has no brakes

 

[Juzmo]

Got the assist on this one also:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1839717857300533271

edit. Tied fourth in league scoring.

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

Lenni’s even got JP saying maybe he was wrong to completely write off an 18 year old.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838286266950984058

Yeah and if you look at the previous year Holtz was a clear below average skater. He really brought his skating up. I’d also argue Holtz biggest issue was never being given a legit chance. He had really efficient production last year.

and while looking for that last tweet, i conveniently found this one. “Really efficient” might even be an understatement.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1744447273080131887

 

[Devils731]

Lenni’s even got JP saying maybe he was wrong to completely write off an 18 year old.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838286266950984058

His production last year was strong for his age and his production this year is even stronger for his age.

If he somehow keeps this pace up then the guys who like NHLe will either have to think he’s got real potential or thinks he’s an outlier of disastrous proportions.

 

[Hisch13r]

Lenni’s even got JP saying maybe he was wrong to completely write off an 18 year old.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1838286266950984058

and while looking for that last tweet, i conveniently found this one. “Really efficient” might even be an understatement.

https://x.com/i/web/status/1744447273080131887

Ugh. Fitz, Ruff, and Green are the 3 Stooges

 

[Shakir ONeal]

Got the assist on this one also:

https://x.com/i/web/status/1839717857300533271

edit. Tied fourth in league scoring.

Lenni the Thief on that one

 

[Cheddabombs]

Love me some Lenni

 

[Hisch13r]

I think Lenni just got a secondary. Will have to see on the scoring. He got the entry and dished it off to teammate A who sent a pass off the boards to B. B sent it back to A for the goal

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840046229817794925

 

[My3Sons]

I think Lenni just got a secondary. Will have to see on the scoring. He got the entry and dished it off to teammate A who sent a pass off the boards to B. B sent it back to A for the goal

https://x.com/i/web/status/1840046229817794925

Is that what the kids are calling it now? “Getting a secondary”. In my day we called it “setting the fire” or “corralling the leopard”. Sometimes people just said “overheaters anonymous”

 

[Emperoreddy]

Lenni agenda has no brakes

 

[Hockey Sports Fan]

he started extremely hot last year, wasn’t he like a goal-per-game player for the first 15 games? I’m real high on him but i’ll be surprised if he keeps this production up.

 

[evnted]

he started extremely hot last year, wasn’t he like a goal-per-game player for the first 15 games? I’m real high on him but i’ll be surprised if he keeps this production up.

very true, im also anticipating that his production rate will drop at some point. one reason to be optimistic that it wont be as dramatic, though, is that his overall offensive involvement looks to be improved

if you go back and look at last years hot streak, its a lot of right place/right time, sequence finishing type plays. i dont mean to take away from it, we still want him doing that, but hes accomplishing more on this early season run. starting passing plays, leading rushes, having longer touches. improvements with handling/coordination are allowing him to show off that one on one skill more and better maintain possession under pressure/along the boards. calling him deceptive might be a bit too generous, but i think hes been better at bluffing shot attempts into passes as well, which is important since his shot kind of needs to be respected now

my thought process is, while yes, he will likely slow down as the year goes on, i dont think he'll ever go as cold as he did last year because hes less reliant on opportunities coming to him to produce

 

[Hisch13r]

Malek keeps Lenni off the scoresheet but Lenni picks up an assist on the ENG

 

[Juzmo]

A good part of a solid team performance vs the team that had gotten 21/21 points before today.

In addition to the EN-point had some good chances, while drawing a penalty on one while going to the net a few times, & a nice reverse hit with the 15:21 ice-time.


EN-point

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841511417062592807

0:22 chance

https://x.com/i/web/status/1841523627755503757

0:13 hit 0:23 chance

he started extremely hot last year, wasn’t he like a goal-per-game player for the first 15 games? I’m real high on him but i’ll be surprised if he keeps this production up.

First 9 gp: 8 + 1
First 15 gp: 9 + 4
Last 31 gp: 5 + 13

evnted said it well. Just more consistently in the game making things happen. And now hopefully a non-rookie coach is able to find ways to keep up with other teams to some degree at least, and not go full safe/passive/timid mode with the team becoming amazingly ineffective.

 

[Hisch13r]

Stopped on a good look

 

[Juzmo]

Yeah... Lenni with his chances with the line and 5 shots, but things weren't quite clicking to the usual degree. Biggest struggle of a game for the whole team, and their first 0 goal game vs the team that has the fewest GA in the league.

 

[Hisch13r]

Yeah... Lenni with his chances with the line and 5 shots, but not to the usual degree. Biggest struggle of a game for the whole team, and their first 0 goal game vs the team that has the fewest GA in the league.

Halfway through the game they were down 3-0 and outshot 23-4...

 

[Emperoreddy]

Lenni agenda still has no brakes. A little slowdown going uphill doesn't mean the train ever stops

 

[Juzmo]

Season high 10 shots* taken today in the 2-1 win against Ilves again. So a good chunk of chances (also on the powerplay even though it again could be more mobile overall), but maybe could see a bit of tiredness in him after the 10 games in 3 weeks. Next 3 weeks are a bit chill with 2 games per, while of the next 8 games 6 are at home.

*edit. Now after 10 games leads the league with 53 shots taken by a forward, & tied 4th in shots saved with 24.

 

[Guttersniped]

EPRinkside Finnish Stockwatch = more Lenni content

Nov 2023 Stockwatch appearance
March 2024 EPRinkside article

At this point, the Finnish hockey circuit has been going strong for about a month. Almost all of the teams in Liiga have already played 8-10 games, and the same goes for the Finnish U20 league. The second-tier professional league, Mestis, isn't far behind, either.

Scoring has been significantly up in Liiga compared to previous years, partly due to stricter officiating. Many prospects have also started their seasons in a productive manner.

On the other hand, nothing has changed regarding the weakness of the 2025 draft class; it is still projected to be one of the weakest in Finland’s recent history. No player has been able to significantly boost their draft stock during the first month of play.

Lenni Hämeenaho only starts hot. He was the top mention on last year's first Stock Watch, too, adding nine points in the first nine games of the season.

The start of his draft-plus-two campaign has been even more productive. He’s currently first in team scoring and ninth in league-wide scoring, having added four goals and 11 points in the first 10 games. Unlike his previous hot start, he’s not riding an extraordinarily high shooting percentage; he is now better positioned to continue accumulating points at a high rate, with the majority of his production being assists.

Hämeenaho’s NHL projection remains mostly unchanged from last season. In a year or two, he should be competing for a top-nine winger spot with the Devils. He remains highly intelligent away from the puck, displaying strong awareness around the net and effective movement. He also excels both as a net-front scorer and a mid-range threat. His skating could still use an extra step, but he just might have the intelligence required to play despite that weakness.

The other Finns featured…

Stock Rising
Otto Salin, D, TPS (LAK)
Daniel Nieminen, D, 2025 NHL Draft, re-entry

Stock Steady
Rasmus Kumpulainen, C, Pelicans (MIN)

Stock Falling
Aron Kiviharju, D, HIFK (MIN)
Patrik Kerkola, G, KalPa (2025 Draft)

Finland Stock Watch: Lenni Hämeenaho starts the season hot, again

Lassi Alanen brings you the stock update from Finland, highlighted by the New Jersey Devils draft pick.

eprinkside.com

 

[Hisch13r]

Held off the scoresheet during the game but scored in the shootout. Came in wide on the right side then came back to the hashmark and toe drag sniped one low blocker