Montreal Canadiens: Otto Leskinen Off To Hot Start in Finland
Montreal Canadiens prospect Otto Leskinen has been loaned to Finland and is making the most of his opportunity.
The Montreal Canadiens signed Otto Leskinen out of Kalpa, in Finland just before the 2019-20 season.
To that point, he had played for Kalpa in Liiga, which is the top pro league in Finland. In his final season with Kalpa, Leskinen put up eight goals and 31 points in 57 games. Not bad production for a defenceman who can take care of business in his own end as well.
The 23 year old left shot blue liner is off to a great start in Finland this season after being loaned back to Kalpa. He played last season in North America, suiting up for 52 games with the Laval Rocket where he scored five goals and 22 points and he also joined the Canadiens for a five game stretch.
After six games with Kalap, Leskinen is proving to be a dominant force in Liiga. He was held scoreless in his first two games, but averaged 18:40 per game. In has last four games, the defenceman has been lighting it up offensively with a goal and four assists for five points. His last game saw him play over 20 minutes for the first time this season and he is second on his team in average time on ice.
Leskinen is playing the right side on the top defence pairing for Kalpa who are 5-1-0 in their six games thus far.
Liiga is a long way from the NHL, but Leskinen is showing early on this season he may have potential to be a regular contributor at the top level in the world. He is still just 23 years old and has looked great at both ends of the ice this season.
The Canadiens have a pretty crowded blue line, especially on the left side with the additions of Joel Edmundson and Alexander Romanov. But, with the ability to play the right side, which is where he has been all season for Kalpa, might crack the door open for him on the Habs sooner than later.
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I wouldn’t expect Leskinen to be in the opening night lineup for the Habs whenever the 2020-21 season begins. However, if he can keep dominating at Liiga, he should be one of the first players called up from Laval to Montreal the injuries inevitably hit next season.