GAME REPORTS
David St-Louis: March 26th, 2023 - Ilves vs. Ässät - Liiga
Hämeenaho might be among the most interesting players in the draft. There is such a massive gap between hockey sense and straight skills in his game. He’s clearly a really intelligent player on the ice: He moves well away from the puck, finds pockets of space, makes the right plays with the puck, anticipates the flow of the game, pressures relatively well, but the skating projects as significantly below average. It prevents him from handling around the opposition, reaching passing lanes, and even from protecting the puck adequately. He works hard. He battles, but he’s all energy, handling skills, and sense right now. I’d still draft him in the top-60.
David St-Louis: March 26th, 2023 -. Ässät vs. Ilves - Liiga
Not a very eventful game from Hämeenaho. He did score by attacking down the wing and sniping a puck past the goalie. But the rest was quieter. He made a couple of nice breakout plays, battled around the net for rebounds and to screen the goalie, and also on the boards for pucks. His lower pace of play is still a problem for his projection. Even on his shot, another player would have made it an in-stride release, considering the space he had, but it wasn’t really possible for him with his mechanics. I think his potential is limited to a fourth-line role, but he could become one of these fourth-liners that play the penalty kill and speciality roles on the powerplay -- so a real role player, a defensive stalwart that still earns a lot of minutes, and that has upward mobility in the lineup as a complementary piece, but can’t really contribute all that much on the rush.
Lassi Alanen: March 4th, 2023 - Ässät vs. Lukko - Liiga
Not a particularly impressive game from Hämeenaho here. The flaws were on display, like how he struggles to create off the
rush as a puck-carrier, being relied on his hands alone, handling in front of the body and leaving the puck exposed in the process. The dekes just don’t work at a very high percentage, when he can’t really set them up properly and they’re easy to read. I’ll give him credit for one slick between-the-legs move in-zone after receiving the puck in the high slot, using it to gain enough space to get his shot off from in tight but couldn’t beat the goalie by trying to go high from up close. Skating stride remains the biggest issue (lacks ankle flexion, knee bend, clunky stride overall) that extends to other areas as well, as I’ve written previously. In this one, he couldn’t really show his strengths that much either.
Lassi Alanen: February 18th, 2023 - Ässät vs. TPS - Liiga
Another demonstration of Hämeenaho’s off-puck smarts, his ability to find pockets of space and time his movements to the slot and establish body positioning at the net-front. That’s how he generates his value at this moment in time. Scored a beautiful goal off the rush just this way, sneaking his way open at the slot at the right time, then finishing with a slick two-touch shot that couldn’t have been placed any better, just over the goalie’s shoulder. He’s not doing much in terms of play-driving, though. Most of his rush sequences involve him opting for rather low-percentage shot attempts. I haven’t seen notable delay game off the rush, the playmaking and skill are limited because of the skating. His defensive game is a selling point given how he reads the play and positions, but could be even better with improved posture and quickness.
Lassi Alanen: February 10th, 2023 - Ässät vs. Lukko - Liiga
It’s the skating that’s holding Hämeenaho back. He’s unable to find separation off the rush, tries to use some crossover patterns to approach defenders but the lack of quickness or outside edge proficiency forces him to resort to low-percentage dekes or dump-ins. One of those deke attempts was successful, though, as he was able to slip past the defender using the inside for a scoring chance. That was the highlight of the game for Hämeenaho in this one, aside the beautiful cross-lane stretch pass that opened his linemate up for a partial breakaway. The skating does limit his cycle game somewhat, too, as he’s not able to employ pockets of space quickly enough to make give-and-gos work.
Lassi Alanen: February 1st, 2023 - Ässät vs. Jukurit - Liiga
Hämeenaho has better moments here than in the previous viewings. For one, he finally returned on the scoresheet, entering
the zone on 3v2, then launching a powerful wrister from the top of the circle, cleverly using the defender as a screen while circumventing his shinpads at the same time. He had another similar rush where he cut to the middle and went for a same-side slip pass instead – the idea was really good but the execution was just slightly off. The playmaking results from this season aren’t very good but I still think he’s a smart playmaker overall, even if finishing plays is his calling card. Continued to struggle a fair bit in transition, though.
Lassi Alanen: January 18th, 2023 - Ässät vs. SaiPa - Liiga
Another really bland Hämeenaho viewing in a row. Failed to make an impact in any noticeable way, other than a few nice passes to the middle to beat pressure in the defensive zone. More often than not, though, he didn’t have answers against pressure in transition and was forced to dump the puck out or in. When he tried to enter the OZ with control, his attempts got shut down, not having enough quickness or handling skill. Even as he would’ve gotten a scoring chance off the rush after driving the middle and receiving the pass at the top of the circle, he fumbled the pass reception and couldn’t get a proper shot off. Not having nearly as many impressive moments as he did in some of the earlier viewings this season. He’s a pick, but probably in the late second to early third range.
Lassi Alanen: January 14th, 2023 - Ässät vs. Kärpät - Liiga
Hämeenaho added a secondary assist on the power play, entering the zone, passing under defender’s stick, then relocating
to the net-front and screening the goalie for the shot that went in. Other than that, it was a very quiet game from him. The mechanical limitations were very clear from skating and even handling perspective, and he even had trouble connecting on more basic plays or receiving passes from teammates. A lot of time spent defending and holding the point, but also didn’t have an notable defensive highlights.
David St-Louis: December 27th, 2022 - Finland vs Slovakia - WJ20
Hämeenaho looked better as the game went on. He transformed a couple of steals into scoring chances in the third period by reading the puck carrier and getting his stick on passes as they were launched. The technical ability still looks limited; he evades stick but can’t separate. He’s an adaptable passer, but can’t really turn around rapidly to hit targets. His lack of speed forces him into bad decisions, but the off-puck game continues to shine. He anticipates pockets of space and controls his skating to remain a good option for teammates.
David St-Louis: December 1st, 2022 - Sport vs. Ässät - Liiga
Hämeenaho looks defensively responsible, based on his tendency to want to help teammates and the effort he puts in to join battles on the wall and cover his man on the backcheck. Of course, his lack of speed and acceleration is a problem in that facet of the game, too. Even his handling looks limited. But the off-puck game remains a strength. He knows how to rotate, where
to position. He also has some playmaking ideas, holding the puck, cutting laterally to buy time for teammates to get in scoring position, and then passing deceptively. The hockey sense looks high-grade, but the technical abilities low-grade.
David St-Louis: November 30th, 2022 - Ässät vs. SaiPa - Liiga
I’m really impressed with Hämeenaho’s off-puck reads. This guy plays chess on the ice. He’s always well positioned to get a puck, with the right body angle, and at the right timing. He surveys the plays and complements it by linking passing plays and deflecting shots near the net and also by positioning for one-timers. He protects the puck well with his hands, but is limited by a clearly below-average posture and stride along the walls and in open ice. The skating will be a huge hurdle, but he looks like a smart player.
Lassi Alanen: November 16th, 2022 - Ässät vs. JYP - Liiga
Not really much to write about here from Hämeenaho’s perspective. His line was behind on the play consistently, leading him not getting many puck touches in the OZ even if he knows how to occupy pockets of space at the right time and anticipate the play really well. The ones he got didn’t result in anything either. He’s not really a controlled transition player with his current skating, being too easy to close in on and almost every time being forced to dump the puck in. I still have a lot of respect for his defensive details, too, but he did let him man to gain body positioning and a high-danger chance as he did lean his weight on the wrong side for a second and doesn’t have nearly enough quickness to recover once he gets behind the play.
Lassi Alanen: November 13th, 2022 - Czechia U20 vs. Finland U20 - U20 Five Nations
Hämeenaho’s game is slightly limited and he’s not doing a whole lot of high-end stuff, but his basic game will still rack up points, even at this level. Scored from the slot right after the power play had expired, again doing a good job at getting open at the right time. Made some solid small-area passes with slips under sticks and looked for give-and-gos. Some passes were on the inaccurate side, but the ideas were mostly good. Kept up with the pace and applied pressure to the puck-carrier on the forecheck.
Lassi Alanen: November 12th, 2022 - Sweden U20 vs. Finland U20 - U20 Five Nations
Hämeenaho scored on the power play, displaying his off-puck instincts and ability to find pucks in the net-front. Moved away, then established body positioning while moving back in, sealing the puck away from the defender’s reach and scoring from a rebound. Also got another high-danger look at 5v5 by the way of smart movement in the OZ, getting lost from the defender and timing his move into space. Skating looked a bit better in this one pace-wise, a bit more explosiveness and top speed, though the stride form is still not flattering and causes problems. Didn’t showcase a lot of notable skill or playmaking, but at this level, his game is likely going to rely on his off-puck instincts, keeping plays alive and giving an honest effort defensively, which he did.
Lassi Alanen: October 29th, 2022 - KooKoo vs. Ässät - Liiga
Hämeenaho finally found his way to the scoresheet, scoring two big goals in the third period. Followed the shot off the rush and scored on the rebound, then later read the play perfectly, intercepted a breakout pass and clinically finished five-hole. Hämeenaho’s transition plays were cleaner than in previous viewings, moving the puck immediately when the opportunity was there and cut back if he didn’t find an opening. The skating still inhibits his on-puck offence and he has to rely on his smarts to create offence from broken plays and with his off-puck instincts. It so happens that those are some of his biggest strengths.
Lassi Alanen: October 22th, 2022 - Ässät vs. Lukko - Liiga
Another pretty quiet showing from Hämeenaho despite getting a ton of ice time, having established himself as a clear-cut top-9 forward on this team. He struggles to hold on to the puck at this level, often being forced to dump pucks out when he could just wait a bit longer and make a controlled play. On OZ retrievals, he also tries to move the puck with the first touch, sometimes being successful. Some straight-line rushes where he tried to get to shooting location via outside lane, but failed to do so most of the time. One nice cross-ice passing play off the rush, but even that was a bit fluky as it bounced off the skate of the defender. The posture hurts his leverage in puck battles quite a bit.
Lassi Alanen: October 8th, 2022 - Ässät vs. TPS - Liiga
A more quieter showing from Hämeenaho compared to my previous viewing. His line wasn’t able to establish much in the form of offensive zone control. Hämeenaho’s skating flaws were more prevalent when he couldn’t escape as effectively along the boards if he didn’t have any passing options available. Instead he was forced to dump the puck out a lot from his own zone. Some pretty simple handling errors here and there, too.
Lassi Alanen: September 24th, 2022 - KalPa vs. Ässät - Liiga
Actually a very solid showing from Hämeenaho here, adding a secondary assist on the power play. The stride remains grim and limits him in certain aspects, but it didn’t prevent him from doing cool stuff. His playmaking shined in multiple situations, making a couple of crafty feeds from below the goal line. In another situation, he was able to pass immediately upon receiving the puck on the forecheck and create a scoring chance as of result. Also drew two penalties near the boards. Was forced to dump out the puck a few times unnecessarily, but also made some slick passes in transition, favouring the middle. Liked his work rate away from the puck, too. Not surprised his role has increased since his debut.
Lassi Alanen: September 13th, 2022 - Ässät vs. Ilves - Liiga
Hämeenaho was able to play his way to Ässät’s opening night lineup and made his Liiga debut on the fourth line, which is a testament to his performances throughout the preseason. There might have been a bit of nerves in this one since he missed quite a few pass receptions on breakouts that he should have been able to handle. Not a whole lot of puck touches offensively as Ilves was clearly the dominant team throughout the game. Was able to intercept a few passes in the NZ with good reads and hand-eye coordination. Skating hasn’t gotten any better from last season, though, at least in terms of technique. Still very hunched over all the time, lacking almost any ankle flexion and tilting from the hips. It’s going to be hard projecting him to the NHL because of it.
Lassi Alanen: April 23th - May 1st, 2022 - U18s
Hämeenaho played the entire tournament on the third line and played the bumper role on the second power play. He didn’t
put up huge point totals, but sneakily was one of the better offensive creators at 5-on-5, finishing top-1 in expected primary assists and top-4 in expected primary points among forwards on the team. Hämeenaho’s skating is an issue that needs serious work over the next year, but he’s got a lot of desirable qualities. I’ve known him more of as a net-front finisher and a shooter, but he was showcasing a lot of solid playmaking habits during this tournament, setting up his linemate Uronen up with some clever ideas. Defensive side is also a work in progress, but there’s definite upside with Hämeenaho. Recently signed a long pro extension with Ässät.
Lassi Alanen: February 4th, 2022 - HIFK vs. Ässät - U20 SM-sarja
Hämeenaho is clearly a talented player. He opened the scoring early with a beautiful curl-and-drag wrister off the rush, taking advantage of the diving HIFK defenceman. Later on, he got a primary assist on the power play when his shot’s rebound was buried from the net-front. I was particularly impressed by his ability to string together handling sequences into shots, ie. the curl-and-drags, quick fake shots to beat the forechecker before an actual release. He has a rather high turnover rate, often trying to go for the fancy play in transition or in the OZ. He’d be a lot more effective if he was able to execute on those plays with a
bit more consistency. I have to say that he was also getting the puck back a ton, whether it was from recoveries after shots, forechecking or backchecking. It’s pretty interesting how effective he can be in this regard despite being a clearly below-average skater in terms of his stride.
Lassi Alanen: November 20th, 2021 - Tappara vs. Ässät - U20 SM-sarja
Hämeenaho’s skating is a problem, and is going to affect his projection massively unless he improves a lot in the next 1,5 years. The current stride is just ugly, there’s no getting around that. Despite it, though, Hämeenaho has started the season rather productively in the U20 league. This wasn’t one of his better performances, but he still made a few good plays. His off-puck savvy is probably the biggest asset. I liked how he tried to establish body position by cutting defenders at their hips, even if
his skating flaws prevent him from doing it more effectively. Should have scored on a grade A chance after backdoor pass, but somehow wasn’t able to finish.
Lassi Alanen: November 12th, 2021 - U18 Five Nations, Switzerland
Hämeenaho started the tournament on the third line, but his role fluctuated and he ended up being the 13th forward in the latter games. I don’t really agree with that decision as I thought that he played pretty well in his first game (also first appearance with any national team). Hämeenaho’s smarts are very good. He’s got a knack for loose pucks, and scored the opening goal in the second game of the tournament from the net-front. He has good awareness of his surroundings and can dish smart passes in transition. The lack of footspeed was very apparent as he’s clearly a below-average skater with lack of knee and ankle flexion.
