Teemu Kivihalme at eliteprospects.com
The Journey: Scandinavian Super Sleepers | DobberHockey – Fantasy NHL Projections and Analysis
Teemu Kivihalme – FA
This one is a bit of a longshot at this point, but I still think he's still worth highlighting. Despite what you may think when you hear his name, Kivihalme was born in Minnesota to a Finnish father and American mother and has represented both country at the international level. Kivihalme was drafted way back in 2013 by the Nashville Predators after starring for Burnsville High in Minnesota, alongside
Brock Boeser, where he served as captain. Following his draft year, the blue liner played one season for the Fargo Force in the USHL, posting 12 points, and then headed to Colorado College where he played three seasons on some truly awful teams. Things started out rough from the get go for the freshman. He posted five goals and half a dozen helpers but was a minus-19. But to put that in context his teammate
Jaccob Slavin, whom some consider one of the best defensive d-men in the NHL, was a team-worst minus-28. There was some positive to his first year as he tied for third on the team in power play points with eight of his 11 points coming with the man advantage. Things got both bad and worse in his sophomore year. Kivihalme led all Colorado College defensemen in points with 15 and led the team in assists, power-play assists and power-play points but was on the ice for 52 goals against at even strength which was the second-worst mark in the NCAA. So was his minus-33. As a junior he once again led the team’s blue liners in points with 10 and posted a downright sparkling, comparatively speaking, minus-8. No doubt sick of all the losing Kivihalme decided to forego his senior year and begin his professional career but it wasn’t with the team that drafted him. Instead he decided to head to the land of his heritage and came to terms with Karpat in the Liiga. So far so good for the rookie as he’s tallied three goals and 15 assists in 38 games for Karpat while averaging nearly 18 minutes per night. Most notably, he is on the positive side of the ledger sporting a plus-17 mark. Karpat is a powerhouse team, 19 points ahead of their nearest competition in the standings and has scored 15% more goals than any other team. That may factor in in his numbers being fairly strong. He’s currently been sidelined for the last few weeks with a lower body injury.
A guy who finished his college career with a mark of minus-60 doesn’t exactly scream future NHL defenseman so why is he worth your attention? First off, he’s an excellent skater with an offensively tilted mindset and isn’t shy about shooting the puck. And despite what the numbers suggest he has come a long way defensively. Signed through the 2018-19 season it will be interesting to see if he catches the eye of any NHL suitors. He’s a name to stash away and keep an eye on.