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Aleksi Heponiemi

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Aleksi Heponiemi
Born (1999-01-09) 9 January 1999 (age 25)
Tampere, Finland
Height 5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight 148 lb (67 kg; 10 st 8 lb)
Position Centre
Shoots Left
NHL team
Former teams		 Florida Panthers
Oulun Kärpät
NHL draft 40th overall, 2017
Florida Panthers
Playing career 2018–present

Aleksi Heponiemi (born 9 January 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for the Florida Panthers of the National Hockey League (NHL). Heponiemi was selected in the second round (40th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Panthers.

Playing career

After being selected 10th overall by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2016 CHL Import Draft, Heponiemi began his junior career for the Broncos in the 2016–17 WHL season. Early in the season, Heponiemi began to rise in draft rankings and became an offensive leader for the Broncos. He adjusted quickly to the playing style of the WHL and was named WHL Rookie of the Year, producing the most points and assists out of any rookie in the season with 86.[1]

Despite his statistics, Heponiemi's final scout ranking for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft was 26 by the NHL Central Scouting.[2] Scouts mainly praised Heponiemi for his efficient point producing, his creativeness, and his speed. Heponiemi was selected in the second round, 40th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers.[3] Due to his point-producing skill in his rookie season in the WHL, some think Heponiemi was a steal because of how late he was selected in the second round by the Panthers.[4]

Heponiemi had a career year during the 2017–18 season, where he accumulated 118 points in 57 regular season games. For his efforts, at the conclusion of the regular season he was named the Pattison Agriculture King of the Road, the Second Star of the season,[5] and the Eastern Conference Most Sportsmanlike Player.[6]

Following the conclusion of the season, Heponiemi turned professional and signed with Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga.[7] In the 2018–19 season, Heponiemi as a rookie appeared in 50 games for Kärpät producing 16 goals and 46 points. He led all Liiga rookies in points, while finishing second on Kärpät in points and tying for first on the club in assists. In the playoffs, Heponiemi tallied three goals in 17 games.

On 16 May 2019, Heponiemi was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers.[8]

With the 2020–21 North American season delayed until November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Heponiemi was loaned by the Panthers to Swedish second-tier club, Modo Hockey of the Allsvenskan, on 9 August 2020.[9] Heponiemi made his NHL debut on 30 January 2021, scoring an overtime goal in the Panthers' 3–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He became the fourth player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in his NHL debut.[10]

International play

Medal record
Representing  Finland
Ice hockey
World Junior Championships
Gold medal – first place 2019 Canada

Heponiemi played in the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, a tournament not regulated by the International Ice Hockey Federation but still considered an important tournament for under-18 players. He played 4 games for Finland in the tournament, recording 5 assists as Finland finished in 3rd place.[11] Heponiemi also participated and was named to Team Finland in the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where Finland finished 6th and Heponiemi scored 2 goals in 5 games with the team.[12]

Personal life

Heponiemi began playing hockey when he was four years old, and has two older brothers, Valtteri and Ville. Aleksi and his brother Ville both played for the Ilves youth junior team and in the 2015–16 season both brothers won the championship together. His brother, Valtteri current plays for the Pirkkala Penguins, a third division team in Pirkkala, Finland along with Ville who also plays for the Penguins, along with Valtteri.[13]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2015–16 Ilves Jr. A 7 2 2 4 2 7 1 0 1 2
2016–17 Swift Current Broncos WHL 72 28 58 86 18 14 0 8 8 8
2017–18 Swift Current Broncos WHL 57 28 90 118 28 26 5 25 30 2
2018–19 Oulun Kärpät FIN 50 16 30 46 8 17 3 0 3 8
2019–20 Springfield Thunderbirds AHL 49 3 11 14 16 — — — — —
2020–21 Modo Hockey SWE.2 16 6 8 14 22 — — — — —
Liiga totals 50 16 30 46 8 17 3 0 3 8

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM
2015 Finland U17 5th 5 0 0 0 0
2016 Finland IH18 6th 4 0 5 5 0
2018 Finland WJC 6th 5 2 0 2 0
2019 Finland WJC 1st place, gold medalist(s) 7 3 6 9 4
Junior totals 21 5 11 16 4

Awards and honours

Award Year
WHL
Jim Piggott Trophy 2017
First All-Star Team 2018
Brad Hornung Trophy 2018
CHL Sportsman of the Year 2018

References

  1. ^ "Heponiemi named WHL Rookie of the Year; Steenbergen named Most Sportsmanlike". swbooster.com. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  2. ^ "157 CHL Players in Final 2017 NHL Central Scouting Draft Rankings – CHL". chl.ca. Retrieved 26 April 2017.
  3. ^ "Heponiemi Selected by Florida Panthers at 2017 NHL Draft". scbroncos.com. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  4. ^ "Meet The Steal of the 2017 NHL Draft". thehockeywriters.com. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
  5. ^ "Broncos Announce 2017/18 Awards Winners". scbroncos.com. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  6. ^ "Aleksi Heponiemi named WHL Eastern Conference Most Sportsmanlike Player". scbroncos.com. 21 March 2018. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
  7. ^ "Heponiemi headed home after signing deal in Finnish Elite League". scbroncos.com. 28 May 2018. Retrieved 19 September 2018.
  8. ^ "Florida Panthers agree to terms with Aleksi Heponiemi on three-year contract". Florida Panthers. 16 May 2019. Retrieved 16 May 2019.
  9. ^ "Aleksi Heponiemi to Modo Hockey" (in Swedish). Modo Hockey. 9 August 2020. Retrieved 9 August 2020.
  10. ^ McPherson, Jordan (30 January 2021). "Florida Panthers rookie caps NHL debut with game-winner in overtime against Detroit". Miami Herald. Retrieved 1 February 2021. Heponiemi is just the fourth player to score an overtime goal in his NHL debut. The others: Kirill Kaprizov for the Minnesota Wild (Jan. 14), Tim Sweeney for the Calgary Flames (Oct. 4, 1990) and Nick Knott for the Brooklyn Americans (Nov. 2, 1941).
  11. ^ "Aleksi Heponiemi to suit up for Team Finland at 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup". scbroncos.com. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  12. ^ Olive, Jameson (26 December 2017). "2018 IIHF World Junior Championship Kicks Off". NHL.com. Retrieved 25 February 2018.
  13. ^ "Heponiemi, leader of WHL's marketplace, is now the leader of the World Cup". jatkoaika.com (in Finnish). Retrieved 25 February 2018.
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