Jesperi Kotkaniemi (; born 6 July 2000) is a
Finnish
Finnish may refer to:
* Something or someone from, or related to Finland
* Culture of Finland
* Finnish people or Finns, the primary ethnic group in Finland
* Finnish language, the national language of the Finnish people
* Finnish cuisine
See also ...
professional
ice hockey
Ice hockey (or simply hockey) is a team sport played on ice skates, usually on an ice skating rink with lines and markings specific to the sport. It belongs to a family of sports called hockey. In ice hockey, two opposing teams use ice hock ...
center
Center or centre may refer to:
Mathematics
*Center (geometry), the middle of an object
* Center (algebra), used in various contexts
** Center (group theory)
** Center (ring theory)
* Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentrici ...
currently playing for the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
of the
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...
(NHL). He was drafted third overall by the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
in the
2018 NHL Entry Draft. In October 2018, he became the first player born in the 2000s to play in one of the
, when he appeared on the Canadiens opening night roster.
Personal life
Kotkaniemi was raised in
Pori, the son of Mikael and Kati Kotkaniemi. Mikael, a former professional hockey player and current coach, and native of
Helsinki
Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the Capital city, capital, primate city, primate, and List of cities and towns in Finland, most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of U ...
, settled in Pori after meeting Kati, a Pori area native, while he was playing for
Ässät Ässät or Ässä may refer to:
* HC Ässät Pori Oy, Finnish sports club
** Porin Ässät (men's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (women's ice hockey)
** Porin Ässät (men's football)
** PATA (esports)
*, Finnish band from Oulu
*S Group, Finnish Con ...
. Kotkaniemi has one brother,
Kasperi, who is sixteen months his senior and plays as a
goaltender
In ice hockey, the goaltender (commonly referred to as the goalie) is the player responsible for preventing the hockey puck from entering their team's net, thus preventing the opposing team from scoring. The goaltender mostly plays in or near t ...
. Because the two brothers were so close in age, Jesperi would play with players in Kasperi's age group (1999 born). Mikael took a job as an assistant coach in Ässät's under-20 team in 2006 (eventually working his way up to head coach of the men's team), which allowed Jesperi and Kasperi unlimited access to the club's facilities, so they spent most of their time on the ice as children.
Upon being drafted by the Canadiens, Kotkaniemi began studying
French.
Playing career
Finland
Kotkaniemi began his youth career playing with hometown club,
Porin Ässät
Porin may refer to:
* Porin (protein), a transmembrane protein
* ''Porin'' (opera), a Croatian grand opera, first performed in 1897
* Porin (music award)
Porin is a Croatian music award founded by Croatian Phonographic Association, Croatian Mus ...
, as a 14-year old at the under-16 level in 2014. Having progressed through the junior ranks and showing offensive potential, Kotkaniemi made his Liiga debut with Ässät to start the
2017–18 season, on 9 September 2017 where he scored his first professional
goal
A goal is an idea of the future or desired result that a person or a group of people envision, plan and commit to achieve. People endeavour to reach goals within a finite time by setting deadlines.
A goal is roughly similar to a purpose or ai ...
. As a 17-year old rookie, Kotkaniemi posted impressive offensive totals, collecting 10 goals and 29
points in 57 games.
Montreal Canadiens
On 22 June 2018, having been touted amongst the top players by the NHL Central Scouting service, Kotkaniemi was drafted third overall in the
2018 NHL Entry Draft by the
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal CanadiensEven in English, the French spelling is always used instead of ''Canadians''. The French spelling of ''Montréal'' is also sometimes used in the English media. (french: link=no, Les Canadiens de Montréal), officially ...
. After attending the club's development camp, he was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract on 2 July 2018.
On 3 October 2018, Kotkaniemi made his NHL debut against the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
; he earned one
assist
Assist or ASSIST may refer to:
Sports
Several sports have a statistic known as an "assist", generally relating to action by a player leading to a score by another player on their team:
*Assist (basketball), a pass by a player that facilitates a ba ...
in the loss. He thus became the first person born in the year 2000 to play in one of the
Big Four professional sports leagues in North America.
Kotkaniemi scored his first and second NHL goals on 1 November 2018 against the
Washington Capitals
The Washington Capitals (colloquially known as the Caps) are a professional ice hockey team based in Washington, D.C. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference (NHL) ...
.
At 18 years, 118 days old, he became the second youngest goal scorer in Canadiens' history behind
Mario Tremblay
Joseph Daniel Mario Tremblay (born September 2, 1956) is a former professional ice hockey player and former coach in the National Hockey League (NHL). As a player, he was a five-time Stanley Cup winner with the Montreal Canadiens.
He was honou ...
, who tallied his first goal at age 18 years, 75 days on 16 November 1974 against the
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference. The team plays its home ...
at the
Forum
Forum or The Forum (plural forums or fora) may refer to:
Common uses
* Forum (legal), designated space for public expression in the United States
*Forum (Roman), open public space within a Roman city
**Roman Forum, most famous example
*Internet ...
.
Kotkaniemi added a second goal in the third period of the same game, tying the score at 4–4 en route to a 6–4 Montreal victory,
and becoming the youngest player in NHL history not born in North America to score at least twice in one NHL game. He surpassed fellow Finn
Patrik Laine
Patrik Laine (; born 19 April 1998) is a Finnish professional ice hockey winger who currently plays for the Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League. Laine formerly played in his native Finland with Tappara in the Finnish Liiga befor ...
, who, at 18 years, 183 days, recorded a hat trick for the
Winnipeg Jets
The Winnipeg Jets are a professional ice hockey team based in Winnipeg. The team competes in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and is owned by True North Sports & Entertainment, p ...
in a 5–4 win against the
Toronto Maple Leafs
The Toronto Maple Leafs (officially the Toronto Maple Leaf Hockey Club and often referred to as the Leafs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Toronto. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Atlantic Div ...
on 19 October 2016.
On 6 January 2019, during a game against the
Nashville Predators
The Nashville Predators (commonly referred to as the Preds) are a professional ice hockey team based in Nashville, Tennessee. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference, and ha ...
, Kotkaniemi became the third Canadiens player to score 20 points before the age of 19. A month later on 5 February, Kotkaniemi set a new Canadiens record by becoming the first player to score goals in three straight games before the age of 19. He ultimately scored 34 points in 79 games in his rookie season.
After the season concluded, Kotkaniemi underwent knee surgery to repair a chronic minor injury. He scored his first goal of the
2019–20 season in Montreal's season opener, a 4–3
shootout
A shootout, also called a firefight or gunfight, is a fight between armed combatants using firearms. The term can be used to describe any such fight, though it is typically used to describe those that do not involve military forces or only invo ...
loss against the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
. However, on 5 December 2019, he suffered a
concussion
A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...
in a game against the
Colorado Avalanche
The Colorado Avalanche (colloquially known as the Avs) are a professional ice hockey team based in Denver. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Central Division in the Western Conference. The Avalanche play thei ...
, resulting in eight games lost. Kotkaniemi was reassigned to the
Laval Rocket
The Laval Rocket (french: Rocket de Laval) are a professional ice hockey team playing in the American Hockey League (AHL) as an affiliate of the National Hockey League (NHL)'s Montreal Canadiens. Based in Laval, Quebec, Canada, the Rocket play th ...
, the Canadiens'
AHL affiliate, on 1 February 2020.
With the 2020–21 season delayed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
, Kotkaniemi was loaned to Ässät until the start of NHL training camp.
Carolina Hurricanes
On 28 August 2021, Kotkaniemi signed a one-year, $6.1 million
offer sheet In North American professional sports, an offer sheet is a contract offered to a restricted free agent by a team other than the one for which he played during the prior season. Different leagues have different ways to handle offer sheets.
NHL
In t ...
with the
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes (colloquially known as the Canes) are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina. They compete in the National Hockey League (NHL) as a member of the Metropolitan Division in the Eastern Conference ...
. Seven days later, the Canadiens decided not to match the offer sheet, sending Kotkaniemi to Carolina with Montreal receiving their first and third-round picks in the
2022 NHL Entry Draft as compensation. Kotkaniemi was the first NHL player to be successfully acquired via offer sheet since
Dustin Penner
Dustin Penner (born September 28, 1982) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey forward who played in the National Hockey League (NHL) for the Anaheim Ducks, Edmonton Oilers, Los Angeles Kings and Washington Capitals. Undrafted by any NHL ...
in 2007. The Kotkaniemi affair drew parallels to an offer sheet the Canadiens offered Hurricanes forward
Sebastian Aho two years prior. Kotkaniemi's contract with the Hurricanes included a $20 signing bonus, a reference to the number Aho wears with Carolina, and statements issued by Hurricanes management poked fun at the Canadiens by being verbatim of statements issues by Montreal management after offer sheeting Aho.
On March 21, 2022, the Hurricanes and Kotkaniemi agreed to an eight-year, $38.5 million dollar extension, worth an annual value of $4.82 million. Kotkaniemi and Carolina had be rumored to be inking a lengthy contract worth less than his offer sheet agreement since the initial deal was signed.
International play
Kotkaniemi made his junior international debut for
Finland
Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
at the
2017 World U18 Championships in
Slovakia
Slovakia (; sk, Slovensko ), officially the Slovak Republic ( sk, Slovenská republika, links=no ), is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the s ...
, he amassed 6 points in 7 games to help claim a silver medal.
He returned for the following
2018 World U18 Championships in Russia, centering the top-line in recording 9 points in 7 tournament contests, helping Finland secure the gold medal over
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
. He was also recognized as a top 3 on team Finland by the
IIHF
The International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF; french: Fédération internationale de hockey sur glace; german: Internationale Eishockey-Föderation) is a worldwide governing body for ice hockey. It is based in Zurich, Switzerland, and has 83 m ...
.
Career statistics
Regular season and playoffs
International
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kotkaniemi, Jesperi
2000 births
Living people
Ässät players
Carolina Hurricanes players
Ice hockey players at the 2016 Winter Youth Olympics
Finnish ice hockey centres
Laval Rocket players
Montreal Canadiens draft picks
Montreal Canadiens players
National Hockey League first-round draft picks
People from Pori