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Maple Leafs’ Roni Hirvonen Signs With Liiga’s Kärpät

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Maple Leafs center prospect Roni Hirvonen is returning home to Finland on a one-year contract with Liiga’s Kärpät, per a team announcement Monday. Hirvonen is a pending restricted free agent after completing his entry-level contract. Toronto can retain his NHL signing rights through the 2028-29 season if they issue him a qualifying offer.

A second-round pick by the Leafs in 2020, Hirvonen has been a serviceable middle-six forward in Finland and the AHL, but hasn’t seen much forward progression in his game. His point-per-game rates in his five seasons since being drafted are strikingly similar: 0.39 in 2020-21 with Ässät, 0.57 in 2021-22 and 0.49 in 2022-23 with HIFK, and 0.35 in 2023-24 and 0.36 in 2024-25 with Toronto’s AHL affiliate.

While the 5’10”, 179-lb Hirvonen is only 23 years old and likely still has upside as a fourth-line piece, the lack of offensive progression indicates nothing else in the tank. Unsurprisingly, his play style was always that of a more defensively-minded forward. Nonetheless, he’s dealt with some injuries. He hasn’t played close to a full AHL schedule since arriving in North America two years ago, posting a 17-17–34 scoring line for the Marlies while playing in 96 of 144 possible regular-season games.

Hirvonen likely wanted more opportunity to develop his two-way game and, as a result, will return to a more familiar environment and, ideally, more consistent playing time, before attempting a return to North America next offseason or further down the line. Notable players selected after Hirvonen in the 2020 draft include Will Cuylle (one spot after at No. 60 overall), Alex Laferriere (No. 83), and Nils Åman (No. 167).

Eetu Mäkiniemi Signs One-Year Deal With Liiga’s TPS

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Finnish goaltender Eetu Mäkiniemi is headed home on a one-year deal with TPS of the first-tier Liiga, per a club announcement. The Flyers’ fifth-stringer this season was a pending Group VI unrestricted free agent.

Mäkiniemi, 26, once had legitimate NHL upside but has been derailed by injuries in the past few years. That continued in 2024-25. He reported to AHL Lehigh Valley after being cut from training camp and, after posting a 3.03 GAA, .899 SV%, and a 3-0-2 record in five games, sustained a sports hernia in mid-November and never returned after undergoing surgery.

A fourth-round pick by the Hurricanes in 2017, Mäkiniemi signed his entry-level deal with Carolina and came to North America for the 2021-22 campaign. He impressed in limited action with AHL Chicago, posting a .922 SV% and 2.06 GAA in 14 appearances along with an 11-2-1 record. Buried among a bevy of strong netminding prospects in the Canes’ system, though, he was deemed expendable and traded to the Sharks the following summer in the deal that sent Brent Burns from San Jose to Carolina.

Mäkiniemi made his NHL debut the following season, posting a 1-0-1 record with a .906 SV% and 2.13 GAA in one start and one relief appearance for the lowly Sharks in a pair of contests in December 2022. He never made it back to the top level, though. After being demoted to ECHL Wichita for a time the following year, he reached Group VI UFA status for the first time and opted instead to latch on with the Flyers on a two-way deal last summer in hopes of climbing up their depth chart. While he had a decent AHL start and strong training camp, his injury derailed any chance of that.

He’ll now return to Liiga to rediscover some consistency and hopefully stay healthy. The 6’2″, 183-lb netminder last played in the top flight with Ilves in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons, recording a 2.43 GAA, .911 SV%, two shutouts, and a 15-14-11 record in 41 appearances. He’ll presumably be TPS’ starter ahead of 20-year-old World Juniors silver medalist Noa Vali, who struggled in his first full-time Liiga season in 2024-25 with a .887 SV% in 26 showings. A strong year for Mäkiniemi, particularly since he only signed a one-year deal, could land him another NHL contract in the summer of 2026.

Karson Kuhlman Signs With Sweden’s Rögle BK

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Former NHL winger Karson Kuhlman has signed a one-year contract with Rögle BK of the Swedish Hockey League, the club announced. There won’t be a return to North America in 2025-26 for the Minnesota native, who spent last year in Finland with Lukko.

Kuhlman, whose season in Finland this year was the first overseas one of his career, did well to rejuvenate his production. His most recent season stateside was an exceptionally difficult one. Kuhlman inked a two-way deal with the Islanders for 2023-24 but was buried in the minors for the entire season after clearing waivers, putting together a lowly 12-10–22 scoring line with a -29 rating in 72 games for AHL Bridgeport. That’s garish production for someone with nearly 150 games of NHL experience, even for a depth piece.

The former NCAA championship tournament MVP found much more offensive success in Finland. He served as an alternate captain for Lukko and led the club in scoring with a 21-25–46 line in 60 games, helping them finish atop the Liiga regular-season standings for the first time in four years. He was Liiga’s player of the month in December while posting the highest points per game rate of his professional career in any league.

Instead of searching for an NHL two-way deal this summer and battling it out for a roster spot in training camp, he’ll opt for more security in what will presumably be a top-six role with Rögle. The team has been a middle-of-the-pack one in the SHL for the past few years, but has been active this offseason, landing ex-NHLers Mark Friedman and Fredrik Olofsson in recent weeks. They’re still rather light on offensive firepower, though, and Kuhlman has a chance to play the same starring role for them as he did for Lukko.

Kuhlman, undrafted, last saw NHL action in the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs with the Jets. He has a 12-18–30 career scoring line in 147 games with Boston, Seattle, and Winnipeg.

Oilers Sign Viljami Marjala

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The Oilers have made another addition to their prospect pool.  The team announced that they have signed forward Viljami Marjala to a two-year, entry-level contract.  PuckPedia reports (Twitter link) that the deal will carry a cap hit of $872.5K and an AAV of $975K including his signing bonus and games-played bonus.

The 22-year-old was originally a fifth-round pick by Buffalo back in 2021, going 159th overall.  However, the Sabres elected not to sign him by last Sunday’s deadline, making Marjala an unrestricted free agent and Edmonton quickly pounced.

Marjala finished fifth in Finland’s Liiga in assists this season with 44, two ahead of defenseman Atro Leppanen, who also signed with the Oilers recently.  However, he had just eight goals with TPS Turku, less than half of the 17 he put up in 2023-24 which may have played a role in Buffalo letting him go.

Marjala signed with Karpat in Finland a little more than a month ago, inking a one-year deal plus an option that evidently contained an NHL out clause.  It’s possible that Edmonton will loan him back there for next season, or they could have him start with AHL Bakersfield to get his feet wet at that level.  It won’t be Marjala’s first taste of hockey in North America, however, as he spent two years in the QMJHL, the first of which helped get him originally drafted.

Liiga Forward Jesse Kiiskinen Offers Red Wings Upside

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The Detroit Red Wings acquired Finnish forward Jesse Kiiskinen and a second-round pick from the Nashville Predators ahead of last year’s draft, in a deal that sent shutdown defender Andrew Gibson back the other way. The Wings followed the deal up by flipping the second-round pick to the San Jose Sharks, as a sweetener to get the team to acquire NHL defenseman Jake Walman. Detroit acquired nothing of value in their ditching of Walman – and even then, their pre-draft swap of Kiiskinen and Gibson already appears to be paying dividends.

Kiiskinen was originally drafted by Nashville in the third-round of the 2023 NHL Draft, following a year where he ranked sixth in point-per-game scoring in Finland’s U20 league. He was a clear bet on frame – standing at six-foot-1 and 185-pounds in his draft year and playing a game centered around using a mix of speed and strength to create space. Kiiskinen played through his rookie season in the Liiga following his draft selection, but his early struggles quickly cast doubt on his upside. He scored just 10 points in 38 pro games – fewer points than most of his younger peers in the 2024 draft class. But Kiiskinen stepped up to the plate in Finland’s continental friendlies, and shined through a glimmer of hope with 16 points in seven games with the country’s U19 squad.

It was on the heels of those international performances that Nashville chose to trade the Finnish winger – surely hoping that they could bank on a few strong performances masking an otherwise quiet year. But, on top of their many blunders this year, Nashville was also forced to pay for their impatience with Kiiskinen – as he emerged as one of Finland’s top underage talents. The skillful winger broke out in full with 30 assists and 44 points in 46 Liiga games. That scoring stands as the most a U20 Liiga player has scored since Aleksi Heponiemi (46 points in 2018-19), Sebastian Aho (45 points, 2015-16), and Aleksander Barkov (48 points in 2012-13). In fact, 14 of the 15 names at the top of the Liiga’s U20 scoring leaderboards have gone on to play in the NHL. With this scoring output, Kiiskinen also joins peers like Teuvo Teravainen, Jani Nyman, Juuso Parssinen, and Kaapo Kakko.

Kiiskinen is still multiple steps – and an entry-level contract – away from contributing to the NHL; and the array of talent from his NHL peers ranges from superstar to healthy scratch. But there’s plenty to life from Kiiskinen’s season. He looked strong and in-control throughout the year, with quick feet and little hesitation to throw the body. He dominated possession through the neutral zone and on the outskirts of the offensive end, and used quick hands and cheeky passes to take advantage of tight lanes that opened in the defense. Kiiskinen also maintained his strong offense into international play, recording a team-leading six goals and seven points in seven games of the 2025 World Junior Championship. No other Finn managed more than three goals.

The Red Wings may not have a shiny new winger just yet, but they must be ecstatic about the upside Kiiskinen offers. He was a final cut for Finland’s World Championship squad, and will now entertain the possibility of returning to a top-end Liiga role or moving on to the AHL next season. If he pursues the latter, he’ll undoubtedly be following in the footsteps of top Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Ville Koivunen – who managed 56 points in 63 AHL games this year after scoring as many in 59 Liiga games last year. It’s a path that’s been trailed already, and one that could lead Kiiskinen to a quick NHL debut once he makes the decision to come over. While it’s certainly comparing apples to oranges, it’s hard not to be excited about that outcome – especially after acquiring it for a stout defender who scored just 24 points in 54 OHL games this season.

Photo courtesy of David Reginek-Imagn Images.

Blackhawks RFA Aku Raty Signs In Finland

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Blackhawks pending restricted free agent forward Aku Raty won’t be returning to the club next season. He’s inked a two-year contract with Karpat of his native Finland’s Liiga, the club announced today.

Chicago acquired Raty from the Mammoth in a minor trade-deadline deal, headlined by retired defenseman Shea Weber’s contract changing hands from Utah to the Hawks. The 23-year-old was a fifth-round pick by the Coyotes in 2019 and made his NHL debut in the franchise’s final game in 2023-24, recording an assist. That stands as his only NHL appearance to date. While he made the trip to Utah with all of his former Arizona teammates, he was assigned back to AHL Tucson at the beginning of the season and never got a call-up.

Raty’s minor-league showing in 2024-25 was also a steep regression from the prior year, which was his first in North America. The 6’0″ winger was among Tucson’s top scorers in his first taste of AHL hockey with a 15-29–44 scoring line in 55 games, more than earning a brief look in the Coyotes’ lineup. But Raty posted just four goals and 15 assists for 19 points in 50 games for Tucson this year, combined with a -12 rating, before being dealt to the Blackhawks. A change of scenery with Chicago’s affiliate in Rockford helped somewhat, posting six points in 15 outings down the stretch, but that evidently wasn’t enough for him to consider remaining in the Chicago organization.

Raty will return to Karpat, where he played most of his youth hockey and spent three Liiga seasons from 2019-20 to 2021-22. His breakout campaign overseas in 2022-23 came after he transferred to Ilves. The Blackhawks can still retain his signing rights through 2029 if they opt to issue him a qualifying offer.

Antti Raanta Signs In Finland

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Former NHL goaltender Antti Raanta is continuing his career overseas on a one-year deal with Finland’s Lukko, his hometown club, the Liiga club announced today.

Raanta was linked to Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League shortly after his season ended in March, but that didn’t come to fruition. Last year was Raanta’s first overseas in over a decade, ending his 11-year NHL career to sign with Geneve-Servette HC in Switzerland’s National League.

The stint in Switzerland marked somewhat of a bounce-back for the 36-year-old. While injury-prone and rarely capable of carrying a starter’s workload, Raanta always was one of the league’s best goalies statistically throughout his career. Things came crashing down in his final NHL season, though. He posted just a .872 SV% in 24 games for the Hurricanes in 2023-24 and conceded 9.3 goals above expected, per MoneyPuck.

With Geneve-Servette, the 6’0″ Finn improved his numbers to a 2.74 GAA, .902 SV%, one shutout, and an 11-10-0 record in 24 games. While not world-beating numbers, they were enough to prove the one-time Jennings Trophy winner can still play in a top-flight European league.

He’ll now get the chance to do so again with Luuko, where he played the entirety of his youth/junior hockey before making his Liiga debut with them in the 2009-10 season. He posted a 2.49 GAA, .915 SV%, three shutouts, and a 12-14-6 record in 35 appearances for the club across three seasons before spending two years as the starter for Assat, where his 2012-13 campaign for the record books earned the undrafted free agent an NHL contract with the Blackhawks for the following season.

Jakub Skarek Signs With Finland’s HIFK

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Islanders pending Group VI unrestricted free agent goaltender Jakub Skarek won’t return to the team – or the NHL – next season. He’s signed a one-year contract with Finland’s HIFK with a second-year option, the team announced.

Skarek has spent the better part of the last six years in North America. Selected by the Isles in the third round back in 2018, they kept waiting for the 25-year-old to take a significant step in his development, but it never came. Over six seasons with AHL Bridgeport, the Czech netminder never once posted a save percentage at or above .900, averaging a .890 mark with a 3.34 GAA and just five shutouts in 161 appearances. He compiled a 49-84-17 record as the Baby Isles made the Calder Cup Playoffs just once in his tenure.

The 6’4″, 211-lb netminder finally made his NHL debut late this season, with injuries taking No. 2 and No. 3 options Semyon Varlamov and Marcus Högberg out of the equation behind starter Ilya Sorokin. He allowed five goals on 39 shots for a .872 SV% across one start and one relief appearance.

Skarek now returns to Finland, where he had some success in the top-flight Liiga with Pelicans in 2018-19, his post-draft season. He logged a 2.45 GAA, .906 SV%, and a 6-8-7 record in 22 appearances there. He’ll now add to his Liiga resume in 2025-26 in Helsinki, positioned as the backup behind former Wild draft pick Niko Hovinen.

Devils Sign Lenni Hameenaho To Entry-Level Contract

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1:30 PM: The Devils have made this signing official. Hameenaho has inked his entry-level deal and will join the Devils’ North American ranks next season.

11:30 AM: The New Jersey Devils could receive a boost from Finland next season, as general manager Tom Fitzgerald shares that centerman Lenni Hameenaho is expected to move to North America, per Devils’ team reporter Amanda Stein. Fitzgerald told reporters that the team will announce Hameenaho’s move soon. Many believe that announcement will be coupled with news that Hameenaho has signed his entry-level contract, shares James Nichols of New Jersey Hockey Now.

New Jersey drafted Hameenaho midway through the 2023 second-round, on the heels of his rookie season in Finland’s Liiga. He scored 21 points in 51 games as a Liiga rookie, and added four points in eight postseason games. It was a modest showing, in line with many other first or second round draft picks in their rookie seasons. But Hameenaho showed he simply needed to find his footing at a pro flight, and he broke out with 31 points in 46 games as a league sophomore. That scoring was coupled with six points in seven World Junior Championship games – where Hameenaho proved his distinct ability to drive downhill and create space in all three zones. He continued to build on those strong traits with a top-line role in the Liiga this season, and finished the year with a dazzling 20 goals and 51 points in 58 games – good for second on Assat in scoring.

Hameenaho seemed like a strong prospect just months after his draft selection. Two years later, his 2024-25 scoring is the second-most the Liiga has seen from a 20-year-old since 2000, behind top Pittsburgh Penguins prospect Ville Koivunen. Hameenaho is sturdy centerman who’s strong on the puck and diligently responsible in all three zones. He’ll be a strong addition to New Jersey’s minor league ranks, and could even find his way into the NHL lineup throughout next season.

Oilers’ Roby Järventie Signs In Finland

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Oilers pending restricted free agent winger Roby Järventie has signed a three-year contract with Finland’s Tappara, the team announced.

An early second-round pick by the Senators in 2020 (No. 33), Edmonton acquired Järventie last summer in a swap sending 2021 first-rounder Xavier Bourgault the other way. Bourgault had failed to pop offensively in the minors in the Oilers’ system, while Järventie had injury troubles and hadn’t landed an NHL role despite some promising offensive trends in the minors.

Unfortunately for Järventie and the Oilers, he barely got a chance to play this season. He sustained an offseason knee injury that kept him out of training camp. Upon returning to health in late October, he reported to AHL Bakersfield but played just two games before sustaining another injury and remaining out for the season.

The offensive potential is still there with the 6’3″, 209-lb 22-year-old. He posted a pair of assists in his two games with Bakersfield and had 50 points in 62 AHL games in the Sens’ system over the prior two seasons. Still, he only has seven games of NHL experience – all with Ottawa, all in the 2023-24 season – recording an assist and a minus-five rating.

While Järventie won’t be signing in the Oilers organization next season, Edmonton can still retain his signing rights through the 2029-30 season if they issue him a qualifying offer. It’s clear he doesn’t factor into Edmonton’s immediate future, but it would be surprising to see them non-tender him because they’ll still hold his NHL signing rights when his contract with Tappara expires in 2028. If his pre-injury trajectory holds, he could very well be an NHL-caliber player at that time and could walk into a richer one-way deal with Edmonton down the road.

Järventie played 53 games across two seasons in Finland’s top-level Liiga, just not with Tappara. He suited up with Ilves in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 campaigns before touching down with the Sens in North America, scoring 15 goals and 26 points. The two-time World Juniors medalist will now reunite with his younger brother, Penguins prospect Emil Järventie, as well as former NHLers Daniel Brickley and Jyrki Jokipakka on Tappara’s roster next year.

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