Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi was loaned to Pori Assat of the Finnish elite league, Liiga on October 16th. He played 10 games in that span.
Due to the NHL season ending in early October and with no hockey in site for at least another several months, several players were loaned to European to get playing time prior to training camp. With the expectation and the NHL’s hope that the 2021-22 regular season may begin in early January, several of these loans are now coming to an end.
One such example is the young Montreal Canadiens forward Jesperi Kotkaniemi who spent time in his hometown of Pori, Finland with the team he played for prior to being drafted third overall in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft.
Upon video analyses, it was not the most impressive from the 20-year old, which was likely due to requiring an adjustment period; however, there were glimpses of his skills returning and signs of what would have been a promising time in Liiga had the loan not come to an end.
Nevertheless, there we both positives and negatives associated with Jesperi Kotkaniemi’s loan that are worth an extra glance.
How Did Jesperi Kotkaniemi Fare During His Loan to Porin Assat?
In 10 games played for Porin Assat, Jesperi Kotkaniemi took part in 10 games and in that span, the Montreal Canadiens forward registered 2 goals and 6 assists for a total of 8 points. At face value, it appears the forward was not far off from becoming a point-per-game player. While this is an impressive feat, it was not without bumps along the way there.
In his first four games played, Jesperi Kotkaniemi would finish of the month of October without registering a single point. Although he did not find his name on the scoresheet, he did have an effective game playing in the centre position with recorded a faceoff of at least 50 percent. Likewise, as those games progressed, Kotkaniemi began finishing on most of his passes. At this time, it was difficult to see the not points not arriving at some point in time.
The month of November would see an improvement for one of the youngest players on the Montreal Canadiens. Against JYP Jyväskylä, Jesperi Kotkaniemi received his first assist. The following game against the Hämeenlinnan Pallokerho, Kotkaniemi recorded another two assists.
It appeared that at this point, Kotkaniemi’s passing success was starting to pay dividends. Excluding matchups against Lukko and the Lahti Pelicans, this would hold to be true as Jesperi Kotkaniemi would go on to register assists three assists in his last two games.
Although Kotkaniemi’s playmaking did not translate to the scoresheet in two games, his game against the Pelicans would prove to be one of the best of his loan from the Montreal Canadiens. It took until November 18th for Jesperi Kotkaniemi to find his way into the goals scored column.
His first goal would be accompanied by a second as Kotkaniemi would score whilst Assat was short-handed. Likewise, this game would prove to be good when looking at Kotkaniemi’s underlying numbers as he completed all 14 of his passes and 8/14 faceoffs (57%). Unfortunately for Assat, this would prove to be another loss as they fell 5-3 to the Pelicans.
Was this Loan a Success?
A question that is on everyone’s mind is if Jesperi Kotkaniemi did enough for his loan from the Montreal Canadiens to be considered a success. Although he recorded 8 points in 10 games played, there were instances where he was unable to stand out amongst his teammates which many were expecting considering his two seasons in the NHL.
However, these 8 points came within a span of 6 games which showed that the young forward was improving an adapting to the European ice. This begs the question if whether or not it was the right timeto end the loan when there is still no definite date for the NHL’s resumption.
Just as Jesperi Kotkaniemi was beginning to increase his intensity, his loan was brought to a halt. Seeing as how there is no definite date and the prospect of a January starting date is wishful thinking, it is difficult to see training camp beginning as well. Had he spent a while longer playing for Assat, we have had a more definitive answer as to whether or not Kotkaniemi’s loan was a success.
As it stands, it was more an opportunity to shake off rust than anything but with no NHL hockey in sight, being called back so early may have made it pointless.