Winnipeg Jets: Henri Nikkanen Off to a Good Start in Finland
As we look how Winnipeg Jets prospects and loanees are doing in games overseas, Henri Nikkanen has gotten off to a good start in Finland.
Back in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the Winnipeg Jets selected a tall Finnish centerman named Henri Nikkanen. Many fans did not know much about the six foot four inch forward since his whole hockey career has been played in Finland, but his early season performances are worthy of attention for Jets fans.
Nikkanen currently plays for Jukurit, who play in Liiga. Liiga is the top division of Finland’s hockey pyramid. Unfortunately, Jukurit is currently in second to last place in the league with only eight points in 10 games. The good thing for them is the season is young and they have plenty of time to make up ground on the standings.
One bright spot for the struggling team has been Henri Nikkanen. Nikkanen is coming into this campaign after splitting 2019-2020 with Jukurit’s under-twenty team and senior team.
Last year Nikkanen averaged a point per game with the under twenty’s. He had 13 goals and 15 assists in 28 games, but it was a different story at the senior level. In 27 games in Ligga, Nikkanen only had three points and amassed a -7 plus/minus.
This year has been quite the contrary for Nikkanen. So far this season he has one goal and three assists in seven games played. He has already broken his point total from last season and things are looking up for the young prospect.
The only thing that is of concern for Nikkanen is his plus/minus. Nikkanen is -4 so far this year. Everyone knows how tough it is for a player on a team at the bottom of the standings to have a positive plus/minus, so there is no need to read too much into this statistic.
It is great to see how Nikkanen is performing in the early stages for Jukurit. He is definitely one prospect to keep an eye on over the next couple of months.
The Jets have still yet to sign Nikkanen to an entry level deal. If he keeps on performing like this, it is fair to say that a contract may be coming his way in the near future.
Winnipeg Jets Fans: Do you think we will see Henri Nikkanen applying his trade for the Winnipeg Jets in the coming years? Leave your comments below!
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*All Stats Provided by Liiga*