The Montreal Canadiens’ second-round pick at the 2021 NHL Draft has flown under the radar amongst Habs’ fans. Although Oliver Kapanen has been brilliant on the international stage and has been developing in the Finnish Liiga, names like Owen Beck and Filip Mesar have garnered the most hype.
Kapanen is arguably ahead of both players in his development, if not at par with them. He is responsible defensively (face-offs, backchecking and killing plays). His quick stride also allow him to transition pucks through the neutral zone and pose an offensive threat.
He was the number-one centre for his home country Finland during the World Juniors tournament. A team that he also captained while scoring two goals and three points. He posted 12 goals, and 15 assists for 27 points through 55 games with Kalpa in Liiga.
Kapanen’s plans for 2023
The 19-year-old Kapanen is likely going to play his 2023-24 season with Kalpa and try to improve on his solid numbers from the 2022-23 campaign. However, should he surprise at camp, it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t at least get a nine-game stint to see how he performs at the NHL level. Liiga has been great for the young centre’s development thus far, and with one more season there, I think he will be ready to come to North America.
Kapanen is uber-competitive and has shown an ability to be a leader when given the opportunity. His ability to capitalize on plays, by burning defenders or drawing in a defender before sneaking a nifty pass to a teammate looks translatable. He is poised and knows how to use his linemates out on the ice to throw off defenders.
At almost half a point per game as a 19-year-old in the top Finnish men’s League, I don’t see why or how his production doesn’t increase. He is set to turn 20 in a couple of weeks, and with the experience from last season, he could very well be a top producer for his team. Assuming he stays healthy, I think it’s a reasonable prediction to say he can score 20 goals and 20-25 assists.
After one more season in Finland, I think it would be ideal for Kapanen to come over to North American space to adjust to the different style of the game. After playing two full seasons, plus a handful of games in 2021-22, Kapanen should be more than ready for the physical aspect of playing against men on a nightly basis.
If Kapanen can adjust to the speed of the game, while playing in Laval, he could provide the Canadiens with another option to slot in at centre before too long. His defensive game will translate anywhere in the world, it is now just a question of how much offense can he bring when he arrives in the NHL.
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