Eh, +/- is a notably flawed stat. Could be just unlucky early on in the season. Shore and Cecconi are -4 too.
I'd look more at the shots column. Bankier's 2nd in team with 7, which means he's clearly spending time in the offensive zone too. Hard to say more than that without having the chance to see any of his games though, not to mention lacking any in-depth statistics to supplement the eye test.
As for the Finns, beyond stats and what's seen above:
Rasmus Kumpulainen has been our standout performer so far. In his rookie Liiga season, he's 3+5 in 10GP, as evidenced in the report above. What's not mentioned in the report is that he's leading the Liiga in rookie scoring and is 2nd in U-20 scoring, despite playing in a lowly, 14th (out of 16) ranked Pelicans squad. He's averaging just a touch over 17 minutes per game (2nd among rookies league-wide), with 36 SOG (2nd in team, 1st in Liiga rookies). +/- of -2, and 2 PPG so far. A lot of 2's mixed in there, then, and overall very promising stats for our big-bodied 2nd rounder. But, that's numbers. How about his play?
Well, first and foremost, he doesn't
look like a rookie. Like, at all. If you told me #68 in cyan was some 29-year old AHL vet with a few games in NHL under his belt before moving to Europe, I wouldn't immediately disregard that sentiment. He's got poise both on and off the puck, doesn't cheat, and does a lot of things coaches like. Putting pucks on and in net is naturally a very good sign for his offensive capabilities, too. I can't stress how rare it is to see such a young player looking like a man out there.
On the other hand, I also had the same impression about young Jesse Puljujärvi, so sometimes appearances can deceive. Still, Kumpulainen doesn't seem equally devoid of offensive IQ, nor does he have a knack for fishing boogers with his tongue, so there's that.
There's still areas Rasmus needs to work on, naturally. I'd like to see him gain an extra step in terms of pace. Right now it's adequate for Liiga, but you also have more time & space in large ice. In the NHL, those tenths of second matter even more, especially as he doesn't strike to me as the type of player who can compensate for his lacking mobility with exceptional IQ. Also, while his physicality is good, he's less likely to stand out in that aspect moving overseas. Overall, his mobility and stamina need to improve; one can probably compliment the other as his technique improves and becomes more effective.
Position-wise, Kumpulainen has alternated between center and wing this season at roughly 50-50 rate, however he's still listed as a center in both team and league statistics, and I'd still consider him one. Those more familiar with the situation in Lahti can probably fill in on the specifics, but it looks to me that the team has an abundance of centers and see Kumpulainen as a more effective option on the wing than the potential replacements. It's good to see he's still getting starts and doing well in his natural position, too, and while exact stats are unavailable, he seems to be doing well on the dot, too.
Aron Kiviharju has had a so-so start to his season at high-flying, league-leading HIFK. He's 1+1 in 14 games, with average TOI of 14:50. 32 SOG so far, and since the stat is still relevant to some, a +/- of +4. Looks decent number-wise, yet it's not all sunshine and rainbows.
The goal was nice, but his play has been accentuated by defensive mishaps and it's clear his physical prowess is not yet at the required level. His skating is average, which causes trouble when under pressure. However, with time and space he's able to make good, occasionally great decisions with the puck and be a progressive defenseman from the back. Overall, the sentiment that I get from fans (and from my limited viewings) is that he's trying too hard, trying to force things instead of taking chances as they come. This isn't exactly uncommon with young players, and I wouldn't be too worried about it. He's also improved as the season progresses, though there's still work to do.
Right now, he's a Liiga level defenseman with notable upside but also clear flaws. No doubt missing almost entirety of last season shows here: he's effectively one year behind his trajectory. Also, that's not exactly a bad place to be in D+1 year. Head coach and HIFK icon
Ville Peltonen has received a lot of criticism for how he handles young players, which some cite as a contributing factor to Kiviharju's struggles. Still, I'd say he needs another season at least in Liiga before contemplating a move to North America, as many expected. He's a project, and while season start has been disappointing to some, I'd say the improvements and progression this early in the season is encouraging. Good, full season of hockey and a productive summer working on skating and lower-body strength means 2025-26 should be an interesting year for Aron, and for us as Wild fans. Lest we forget the 2026 WJC is at Minnesota, and Aron's eligible for Team Finland age-wise (b. January 25th, 2006).
Sebastian Soini has played only intermittently (on ice for 6 out of 12 games) at Ilves in his rookie season. He's 1+0, averaging 12:49 with 11 SOG and +/- of +4. In Ilves U20, he has one assist in two games; it's hard to get any further reports about his performance in the juniors due to limited sample size.
While not exactly in the mold (nor having the hype) of Kiviharju, there's a similar sentiment in that improvement is necessary to secure more playing time. Which, admittedly, isn't exactly breaking news when it comes to an 18-year old D playing vs. men. He's eager to move the puck up the ice which has lead to good and bad things, and coaching staff clearly want him a little more reined in. He's currently filling in for injured Daniel Gazda in the Liiga roster and played 16+ minutes vs. HIFK in a 0-4 loss, not being on ice for any goals against. Reports say he showed improvement and played with great confidence, which is encouraging - doubly so as it was a high-stakes match early in the season between two league leaders.
On an even more encouraging note, the goal he scored vs. Kärpät just a few days ago was an absolute beauty. Near side, top shelf, pop the bottle. Can hardly get better for your first Liiga goal!
Overall, things are in decent shape. Kumpulainen is looking very promising and a challenger for rookie scoring title early on, and has earned himself a top-6 spot. How he does over a full season is another question, but I don't see any signs of this being a mere flash in the pan; rather, he's bound to improve as he gets more experience vs. men. Let's hope the team does, too.
As for our defensemen... to quote a famous documentary about life in Kouvola, "Not great, not terrible". In other words, roughly what one can feasibly expect given the circumstances. It should also be noted that our D are playing for very good teams in HIFK & Ilves, both looking like strong contenders early in the season. As such, playing time for 18-year old defensemen is more difficult to come by than it would be in, say, middle of the pack or lower-ranked team (as is the case with Kumpulainen, though older and in a vastly different position). Plus side is that if you can break into those rosters (as Kiviharju has already done), it goes to show that you're not only at required level to survive in the league, but trusted to contribute for a winning team with realistic championship aspirations.
Finally, Rasmus Kumpulainen and Aron Kiviharju are featured this season in Red Bull Läpimurto (Breakthrough) video series, which focuses on Liiga's U20 players. They are joined by Petteri Rimpinen of Kiekko-Espoo and one young lad in TPS by the name of Aatos Koivu.
First episode is already out, with Kiviharju and Koivu in spotlight. Sadly, subtitles are unavailable thus far, something unlikely to change at least in YouTube. However, I trust you lot to have at least basic grasp of Finnish by now. It's Finnesota, after all! Plus, our language's like... super easy.
