Finland Stock Watch: Topias Hynninen emerging as a top re-entry for 2025 Draft

It's been a season of surprises at the top level of Finnish hockey. SaiPa, the team that finished dead-last during the previous regular season and managed to carve out just five regulation wins from 60 games, is currently sitting at the top of the standings, ahead of regular powerhouses like Tappara, HIFK and Ilves. The team is spearheaded by a bunch of young talent, too, including former Seattle Kraken signee Ville Petman and former Detroit Red Wings prospect Otto Kivenmäki.

Meanwhile, Kärpät and Pelicans -- teams with some of the biggest roster budgets in the league -- have struggled mightily and comfortably sit near the bottom of the leaderboard. And we're not talking about a short fluky stretch, given we're right around the halfway point of the season.

Similarly at the U20 level, teams like Tappara, HIFK and TPS have had their fair share of struggles this season despite having historically wielded some of the strongest rosters around. On the other hand, a smaller club Sport has only lost two out of 23 total games during regulation.

Worth to keep in mind, though, that the turnover rates in the U20 ranks between seasons are notable, leading to season-to-season variance. Still, a team like Tappara hasn't finished the regular season outside of the top-five in five years but at this point, they're almost bound to unless they have an amazing second half.

However, individuals can still have plenty of success even on the weakest of teams. We start with one such example.

Stock Rising 📈

Topias Hynninen, C, Jukurit (2025 NHL Draft, re-entry)

Last season, Topias Hynninen took over games during his U20 league appearances and already held his own against Liiga competition. Still, while we had a lot of respect for his game and ranked him towards the end of our board, it wasn't exactly all that surprising that the 5-foot-11, 170-pound forward ended up slipping through his first year for eligibility.

The lack of size is still holding Hynninen back as an NHL prospect, but he's progressing through the Liiga ranks at such a quick speed that teams are forced to circle back on him. Since the start of November, he sits fifth in league-wide scoring with 13 points in 11 games, having taken over the top-line centre duties for the bottom-feeding Jukurit squad. His last five games include four multi-point performances, including a four-point showing against Pelicans on November 27th.

Hynninen's recipe for success? A high-level motor and skating that makes him a consistent threat on the forecheck and as a counter-attack, combined with playmaking skill that has translated to the Liiga level faster than I would've expected. While playing on weaker team has its downsides, it has also allowed Hynninen to quickly climb to the role of top forward on his team after showing early promise. Expect him to continue to play big minutes during the upcoming World Juniors.

Benjamin Rautiainen, LW, Tappara (2025 NHL Draft, re-entry)

Tappara has had a lot of success recently by slowly developing talent at the U20 level, and then integrating it seamlessly to their Liiga lineup once they've shown they're beyond the junior ranks. Oiva Keskinen was that player last year, while Benjamin Rautiainen has been able to triumph to similar extent this year after having torched the U20 circuit in 2023–2024.

Rautiainen sits third behind Hynninen and Jesse Kiiskinen in league-wide scoring among U20 skaters, having added 15 points in 29 outings while playing relatively moderate minutes on a top team. He also maintained a point-per-game pace during November's Five Nations tournament, being one of the top performers for Finland at the event.

Rautiainen isn't the quickest of skaters and his pace can vary throughout the game, but the talent level with the puck is undeniable, showing in the way he handles and passes through defenders. While Finland has a good amount of options up front for World Juniors, Rautiainen's first half of the season likely makes him one of the strongest candidates to pick up a roster spot among non-locked names.

Roope Vesterinen, LW, HPK (2025 NHL Draft, re-entry)

Roope Vesterinen has had a bounceback season to remember. Last season, he struggled a lot between injuries and his own play, with his production at the U20 level regressing compared to his draft-minus-one output. It seemed like the best-case scenario for this year would've been establishing himself as a top player at the U20 level, but Vesterinen had other plans.

Again, playing on a weaker team definitely helped him get a Liiga opportunity, but Vesterinen has also taken full advantage of it, having added 11 points in 21 games and posted some very strong underlying metrics when adjusted for his usage. Skating and pace continue as his calling cards, but he's also made necessary adjustments to how he plays through his teammates and deals with physical pressure along the wall.

Vesterinen was far from my radar as far as potential World Juniors picks were considered before the season, but now, he's looking like a very possible inclusion; his energetic style makes him fit for a bottom-six role who can bring some secondary scoring if things break right. 

Honourable mentions: Niklas Nykyri (2025 NHL Draft, re-entry), Atte Joki (2025 NHL Draft).

Stock Steady ↔️

Lenni Hämeenaho, RW, Ässät (New Jersey Devils)

Lenni Hämeenaho's production has remained steady after we touched on his early success during October's Stock Watch. Since the start of November, he's added seven points in 10 games, bringing him to 23 points in 27 games in total. This means a jump to a 0.85 points-per-game average from last year's 0.67 mark.

However, Hämeenaho's underlying metrics are more mixed. His chance creation numbers at 5-on-5 remain almost identical to last season, but his transition results have actually regressed. He's also creating fewer advantages for his teammates and bringing fewer pucks successfully to the middle from the perimeter. Whether that changes during the second half of the season is the main thing to watch for with Hämeenaho.

Otto Salin, D, TPS (Los Angeles Kings)

Another player whose early success was featured in October's Stock Watch, Otto Salin has continued his breakout season with TPS. Having added five points in seven games since the start of November, Salin is already up to 17 points in 25 games, sitting in the top 10 in blueliner scoring. He also moves a few spots up if you adjust for usage.

Salin's offensive talents have always been evident, but certain smaller improvements – mostly relating to his activation timings and skating – combined with a steady top-four role have allowed him to translate those talents in more pronounced ways. With his Liiga contract expiring after the season, don't be surprised if he ends up taking a crack at the AHL next year.

Stock Falling 📉

Rasmus Kumpulainen, C, Pelicans (Minnesota Wild)

Rasmus Kumpulainen returned to Liiga for his draft-plus-two season with hefty expectations. While he started the year decently in a big role, things have gone downhill over the past few months. Since the start of November, Kumpulainen has only added two assists in 11 games, with his average ice time also dwindling compared to the first month of the season. 

While he scored five points in four games, it's hard to say that he dominated at November's Five Nations tournament, either. He's still very much a lock to make the team as a returning member, but the skating issues are still pronounced and he's having hard time getting in favourable positions with the puck. A big World Juniors showing would be needed to put his season back on track.