Prospect Info: Aleksi Heponiemi (2017, #40 overall), Kärpät (Liiga)

[FLpanthers16]

Very nice to see him producing like he is in a mens league.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

I'll be repeating myself but I love the way he reads the play and how he puts himself into the perfect spot. Saw a hole in the defence, moved really fast to the front of the net (enemy defence fell asleep?), hit a pass that came through the air, very nice shot, goalie had almost no chance.

He also played center again, got over eighteen minutes of icetime, was nearly 54% in the FO circle, had 5 SOG.

 

[Desert Panther]

Very high.
There's no direct way to find this info (it could be calculated, as the average TOI/GP is on Liiga's website, but I don't have the patience for that). There could be guys who are playing third line minutes and have more points/minute.
To "shortcut" the process, I went by top .ppg guys and then looked at their minutes. Considering only the top producers (think top80, top100 in points), I found just one guy with more points per minute played than Heponiemi.

Went ahead and did the quick calculation. Hepo ranks 2nd in "pts/60" at 3.59. Started with the top 80 or so. Only showing anyone over 3.0 pts/60 which is the top 13

name	Team	Pos	GP	G	A	P	PIM	TOI / GP	Min	Sec	TOI/GP	Total Minutes	Pts/60
Kangasniemi, Iikka	HIFK	RW	30	20	14	34	8	16:41	16	41	16.68	500.50	4.08
Heponiemi, Aleksi *	Kärpät	RW	39	13	23	36	6	15:26	15	26	15.43	601.90	3.59
Leskinen, Ville	Kärpät	RW	47	24	22	46	12	17:21	17	21	17.35	815.45	3.38
Copper, Rasmus +	Kärpät	C	34	10	18	28	26	14:41	14	41	14.68	499.23	3.37
Strömwall, Malte	KooKoo	RW	45	20	23	43	46	17:07	17	7	17.12	770.25	3.35
Kalapud, Antti	Sport	C	45	11	28	39	8	16:09	16	9	16.15	726.75	3.22
Filppula, Ilari +	TPS	C	35	12	21	33	24	18:09	18	9	18.15	635.25	3.12
Turunen, Teemu	HPK	RW	47	18	28	46	16	18:51	18	51	18.85	885.95	3.12
Lucenius, Niclas	HPK	C	29	13	15	28	6	18:39	18	39	18.65	540.85	3.11
Thorell, Erik	HIFK	LW	36	15	17	32	4	17:11	17	11	17.18	618.60	3.10
Zohorna, Hynek +	Pelicans	RW	45	14	25	39	12	17:16	17	16	17.27	777.00	3.01
Prayer, Oula	TPS	C	40	15	20	35	55	17:26	17	26	17.43	697.33	3.01
Vauhkonen, Olavi	Sport	RW	45	15	22	37	16	16:28	16	28	16.47	741.00	3.00

[TBODY] [/TBODY]

 

[Kaako Kappo]

1+2 tonight. That's 40 points in 42 games for Heponiemi. He reads the game exceptionally well and i hope he can translate his play to NHL.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

Scored the GWG too. Now 9-10th in Liiga in points despite the games missed due to the U20 WJC.

Clips:

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Scored the GWG too. Now 9-10th in Liiga in points despite the games missed due to the U20 WJC.

Clips:

Is there any reason for him to stay with Karpat next year?
Think he needs to adjust to maybe a more physical style of game over here in AHL going forward.
SPR can use more skill and offense, adding both him and Tippett would not only help the team but hopefully build some chemistry between them, becoming a playmaker and sniper duo.

 

[letsgrowcactus]

Is there any reason for him to stay with Karpat next year?
Think he needs to adjust to maybe a more physical style of game over here in AHL going forward.
SPR can use more skill and offense, adding both him and Tippett would not only help the team but hopefully build some chemistry between them, becoming a playmaker and sniper duo.

Not sure.
This year in Finland has definitely been the right call and he has improved a lot. I suppose you could let him dominate the league, continue growing and building confidence?
Will be interesting to see how he does in the playoffs.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

Not sure.
This year in Finland has definitely been the right call and he has improved a lot. I suppose you could let him dominate the league, continue growing and building confidence?
Will be interesting to see how he does in the playoffs.

Karpat is basically the team to beat this year no? So a championship would pretty much be the cherry on top to his season. Dont really see the need for the extra year, feel he needs to get familiar with some of his future teammates in the AHL as well as the smaller rink and more physical game.

Should be the rookie of the year for Liiga, not much left to dominate. Needs a new challenge until he faces some adversity and he may find it with SPR. Hoping he can add another couple pounds and continue to work on his skating. Just my .02 cents.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

No reason for him to stay in Finland after this season. Liiga has nothing to give him. Next season he needs to learn to use his vision faster, when there's not that much time to think about your next move. He doesn't even need to get bigger, just faster.

And yes, Kärpät will almost certainly win the Liiga championship. Their team is ridiculous.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

No reason for him to stay in Finland after this season. Liiga has nothing to give him. Next season he needs to learn to use his vision faster, when there's not that much time to think about your next move. He doesn't even need to get bigger, just faster.

And yes, Kärpät will almost certainly win the Liiga championship. Their team is ridiculous.

Jussi Jokinen turning back time, guy has been a good addition to the team. Nearly 2 pts a game, 1 goal and 12 pts in 7 games.

 

[Mogo]

Jussi Jokinen turning back time, guy has been a good addition to the team. Nearly 2 pts a game, 1 goal and 12 pts in 7 games.

I think that's more of a statement how much FEL level of players has come down

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

I think that's more of a statement how much FEL level of players has come down

So you'd agree Heponiemi should get "better" competition in the AHL next year?

 

[letsgrowcactus]

I think that's more of a statement how much FEL level of players has come down

Or the issue of sample size. We're talking seven games here - plenty of guys looked excellent over such a short period of time.
Plus Jokinen was a pretty decent player before his injuries. If he's healthy and rested, could be playing closer to that level again.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

I think that's more of a statement how much FEL level of players has come down

No , i don't think so. It's just a statement about how Kärpät are absolutely filled with talent. Jokinen is an NHL pro and it's not that long ago he put up nice numbers with Vancouver.

 

[Mogo]

So you'd agree Heponiemi should get "better" competition in the AHL next year?

I'm not sure. He might get destroyed there unless he gets some size.

 

[Mara]

It's interesting that Jokinen isn't scoring much himself. Granted he's playing with a very solid(aka offensively limited) two-way center which is probably hurting his scoring and making him the set-up guy, but still. That quality of play which made it possible to play 1000 games in the NHL is definitely visible, even if he's still getting into shape. On the other hand Heponiemi has six goals in the last eight games after scoring very inconsistently throughout the season, which could be a sign that he's developing into a much more consistent scorer.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

I'm not sure. He might get destroyed there unless he gets some size.

Hes already 20 so probably not going to get any taller, an extra 5-7lbs of lean muscle would help with the dirty areas but think it's time to sink or swim with him in the AHL. Theres other "smaller" players in the league having success and he's always had to look over his shoulder growing through the ranks. Time to get SPR and FLA into the playoffs the same year.

 

[Jean Luc Discard]

Hes already 20 so probably not going to get any taller, an extra 5-7lbs of lean muscle would help with the dirty areas but think it's time to sink or swim with him in the AHL. Theres other "smaller" players in the league having success and he's always had to look over his shoulder growing through the ranks. Time to get SPR and FLA into the playoffs the same year.

There is plenty of smaller players in the NHL indeed but Hepo needs to either bulk up or get a lot faster if he wants to make a successful jump into the AHL/NHL. He's just going to get squashed if he's not prepared to make drastic adjustments. For an instance in comparison to Vatrano, who's a bit taller than Hepo, has 50lbs on Hepo so that almost makes them totally two different players. Even if Hepo would focus on building muscle then that would probably amount to something like 5lbs per year and thus he has a long road ahead of himself. It's good that he's finding success in the Finnish league where a player has time and space to be creative but he's still at least a 2-3 year project in regards to Panther hockey.

 

[TheImpatientPanther]

There is plenty of smaller players in the NHL indeed but Hepo needs to either bulk up or get a lot faster if he wants to make a successful jump into the AHL/NHL. He's just going to get squashed if he's not prepared to make drastic adjustments. For an instance in comparison to Vatrano, who's a bit taller than Hepo, has 50lbs on Hepo so that almost makes them totally two different players. Even if Hepo would focus on building muscle then that would probably amount to something like 5lbs per year and thus he has a long road ahead of himself. It's good that he's finding success in the Finnish league where a player has time and space to be creative but he's still at least a 2-3 year project in regards to Panther hockey.

That's a disappointment if he's more than 2 years away from NHL play.
Only one way to find out if he can take the heavier NA game. Take off the bubblewrap and throw the training wheels in the garbage. Should be signed the end of this year imo

 

[Chaos2k7]

He already played in the most physical junior league in the Dub.

His size will always be judged, so far he can hang with men, no reason to think he cannot take on the AHL.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

That's a disappointment if he's more than 2 years away from NHL play.
Only one way to find out if he can take the heavier NA game. Take off the bubblewrap and throw the training wheels in the garbage. Should be signed the end of this year imo

Small guys can play in the NHL just fine nowadays. He has hockey IQ to succeed, easily. People are being too conservative with their predictions. If you asked me, i think he should get his 9 games next year and go from there.

 

[KW]

Small guys can play in the NHL just fine nowadays. He has hockey IQ to succeed, easily. People are being too conservative with their predictions. If you asked me, i think he should get his 9 games next year and go from there.

He needs to get faster and stronger. He’s got great IQ but that’s not enough.

 

[Kaako Kappo]

He needs to get faster and stronger. He’s got great IQ but that’s not enough.

That is what the offseason is for.

 

[SoupyFIN]

Small guys can play in the NHL just fine nowadays. He has hockey IQ to succeed, easily. People are being too conservative with their predictions. If you asked me, i think he should get his 9 games next year and go from there.

If Hepo were to sign his ELC for next season, the amount of games, nor where he plays for that matter, won't make a difference. Entry-level slide covers 18 and 19yo's, Hepo is currently on his 19yo season.

Only way to post-pone the year his ELC ends is if he stays with Kärpät (next season) and doesn't sign yet.

 

[vendetta]

Hepo needs to improve his physical explosiveness and he will be fine in the ahl next year.