Aleksi Heponiemi Explained

Aleksi Heponiemi
Birth Date:9 January 1999
Birth Place:Tampere, Finland
Height Ft:5
Height In:10
Weight Lb:154
Position:Centre
Shoots:Left
League:NL
Team:EHC Biel
Former Teams:Oulun Kärpät
Florida Panthers
Draft:40th overall
Draft Year:2017
Draft Team:Florida Panthers
Career Start:2018

Aleksi Heponiemi (born 9 January 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward currently playing for EHC Biel in the National League (NL), with his National Hockey League (NHL) rights held by Florida Panthers. Heponiemi was selected in the second round (40th overall) in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Panthers.

Playing career

After being selected 10th overall by the Swift Current Broncos in the 2016 CHL Import Draft, Heponiemi began his junior career for the Broncos in the 2016–17 WHL season. Early in the season, Heponiemi began to rise in draft rankings and became an offensive leader for the Broncos. He adjusted quickly to the playing style of the WHL and was named WHL Rookie of the Year, producing the most points and assists out of any rookie in the season with 86.[1]

Despite his statistics, Heponiemi's final scout ranking for the 2017 NHL Entry Draft was 26 by the NHL Central Scouting.[2] Scouts mainly praised Heponiemi for his efficient point producing, his creativeness, and his speed. Heponiemi was selected in the second round, 40th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft by the Florida Panthers.[3] Due to his point-producing skill in his rookie season in the WHL, some think Heponiemi was a steal because of how late he was selected in the second round by the Panthers.[4]

Heponiemi had a career year during the 2017–18 season, where he accumulated 118 points in 57 regular season games. For his efforts, at the conclusion of the regular season he was named the Pattison Agriculture King of the Road, the Second Star of the season,[5] and the Eastern Conference Most Sportsmanlike Player.[6]

Following the conclusion of the season, Heponiemi turned professional and signed with Oulun Kärpät of the Liiga.[7] In the 2018–19 season, Heponiemi as a rookie appeared in 50 games for Kärpät producing 16 goals and 46 points. He led all Liiga rookies in points, while finishing second on Kärpät in points and tying for first on the club in assists. In the playoffs, Heponiemi tallied three goals in 17 games.

On 16 May 2019, Heponiemi was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with the Florida Panthers.[8]

With the 2020–21 North American season delayed until November due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Heponiemi was loaned by the Panthers to Swedish second-tier club, Modo Hockey of the Allsvenskan, on 9 August 2020.[9] Heponiemi made his NHL debut on 30 January 2021, scoring an overtime goal in the Panthers' 3–2 win over the Detroit Red Wings. He became the fourth player in NHL history to score an overtime goal in his NHL debut.[10]

Following his fourth season with the Florida Panthers, Heponiemi was unable to earn a full-time role with the Panthers and opted to return to Europe. Heponiemi subsequently secured a one-year contract with Swiss club EHC Biel-Bienne of the NL on 21 July 2023.[11]

International play

Heponiemi played in the 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, a tournament not regulated by the International Ice Hockey Federation but still considered an important tournament for under-18 players. He played 4 games for Finland in the tournament, recording 5 assists as Finland finished in 3rd place.[12] Heponiemi also participated and was named to Team Finland in the 2018 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships where Finland finished 6th and Heponiemi scored 2 goals in 5 games with the team.[13]

Personal life

Heponiemi began playing hockey when he was four years old, and has two older brothers, Valtteri and Ville. Aleksi and his brother Ville both played for the Ilves youth junior team and in the 2015–16 season both brothers won the championship together. His brother, Valtteri current plays for the Pirkkala Penguins, a third division team in Pirkkala, Finland along with Ville who also plays for the Penguins, along with Valtteri.[14]

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular seasonPlayoffs
SeasonTeamLeagueGPGAPtsPIMGPGAPtsPIM
2015–16IlvesJr. A7 2 2 4 27 1 0 1 2
2016–17Swift Current BroncosWHL72 28 58 86 1814 0 8 8 8
2017–18Swift Current BroncosWHL57 28 90 118 2826 5 25 30 2
2018–19Oulun KärpätLiiga50 16 30 46 817 3 0 3 8
2019–20Springfield ThunderbirdsAHL49 3 11 14 16
2020–21Modo HockeyAllsv16 6 8 14 22
2020–21Florida PanthersNHL9 1 1 2 2
2020–21Syracuse CrunchAHL6 0 6 6 6
2021–22Charlotte CheckersAHL56 9 30 39 287 1 3 4 14
2021–22Florida PanthersNHL6 0 1 1 2
2022–23Charlotte CheckersAHL62 12 31 43 127 1 6 7 0
2022–23Florida PanthersNHL10 1 2 3 2
Liiga totals50 16 30 46 817 3 0 3 8
NHL totals25 2 4 6 6

International

YearTeamEventResultGPGAPtsPIM
2015FinlandU175th5 0 0 0 0
2016FinlandIH186th4 0 5 5 0
2018FinlandWJC6th5 2 0 2 0
2019FinlandWJC7 3 6 9 4
Junior totals21 5 11 16 4

Awards and honours

AwardYear
WHL
Jim Piggott Trophy2017
First All-Star Team2018
Brad Hornung Trophy2018
CHL Sportsman of the Year2018

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Heponiemi named WHL Rookie of the Year; Steenbergen named Most Sportsmanlike. swbooster.com. en-US. 2018-02-24.
  2. Web site: 157 CHL Players in Final 2017 NHL Central Scouting Draft Rankings – CHL. chl.ca. 11 April 2017 . en-CA. 2017-04-26.
  3. Web site: Heponiemi Selected by Florida Panthers at 2017 NHL Draft. scbroncos.com. en-US. 2018-02-24.
  4. Web site: Meet The Steal of the 2017 NHL Draft. thehockeywriters.com. 12 February 2018 . en-US. 2018-02-24.
  5. Web site: Broncos Announce 2017/18 Awards Winners. scbroncos.com. 25 April 2018. 18 March 2018.
  6. Web site: Aleksi Heponiemi named WHL Eastern Conference Most Sportsmanlike Player. scbroncos.com. 25 April 2018. 21 March 2018.
  7. Web site: Heponiemi headed home after signing deal in Finnish Elite League . scbroncos.com . 19 September 2018 . 28 May 2018.
  8. Web site: Florida Panthers agree to terms with Aleksi Heponiemi on three-year contract . . 16 May 2019 . 16 May 2019.
  9. Web site: Aleksi Heponiemi to Modo Hockey . . 9 August 2020 . 9 August 2020 . Swedish.
  10. Web site: McPherson . Jordan . Florida Panthers rookie caps NHL debut with game-winner in overtime against Detroit . Miami Herald . 1 February 2021 . 30 January 2021 . Heponiemi is just the fourth player to score an overtime goal in his NHL debut. The others: Kirill Kaprizov for the Minnesota Wild (Jan. 14), Tim Sweeney for the Calgary Flames (Oct. 4, 1990) and Nick Knott for the Brooklyn Americans (Nov. 2, 1941)..
  11. Web site: EHC Biel sign Finnish forward Aleksi Heponiemi . . 21 July 2023 . 21 July 2023 . German.
  12. Web site: Aleksi Heponiemi to suit up for Team Finland at 2016 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Cup . scbroncos.com. en-US. 2018-02-25.
  13. Web site: 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship Kicks Off. Olive. Jameson . 2017-12-26. NHL.com. 2018-02-25.
  14. Web site: Heponiemi, leader of WHL's marketplace, is now the leader of the World Cup. jatkoaika.com. 24 December 2017 . finnish. 2018-02-25.