"Seven players from Finland, a country of 5.5 million, have been top 10 draft picks since 2013, and nearly all of them are playing significant roles on their NHL teams,"
writes the NYT's Andrew Knoll. They include:
- Winnipeg's Patrik Laine, the No. 2 pick in 2016, became the fourth-youngest player to reach 100 career goals in November and is already a legit superstar.
- Colorado's Mikko Rantanen,the No. 10 pick in 2015, ranks fifth in the league in points (76), trailing only Calgary's Johnny Gaudreau (78), Edmonton's Connor McDavid (82), Chicago's Patrick Kane (85) and Tampa Bay's Nikita Kucherov (92).
- Dallas' Miro Heiskanen, the No. 3 pick in 2017, made the All-Star game last month in his first NHL season and is already being compared to Hall of Fame defenseman Scott Niedermayer.
What's happening: Beginning in 2009, Finnish officials made "
considerable investments and sweeping changes" that emphasized player development.
- The result: A golden generation, led by the names we just mentioned, whose success is both a result of and a driving force behind Finland's suddenly dominant youth pipeline.
- Fun fact: Finland has won three of the last six world junior championships after winning just twice in the previous 40 years.
What they're saying:
"The Finnish player type used to be the very reliable, solid, two-way player who had a very successful career, maybe on lower lines. Now we have these individuals coming up with amazing skill, and I feel like there's something to that exposure and kids being able to see, copy and try on their own."
— Predators goalie, and Finland native, Pekka Rinne
What's next: "The Finnish pipeline shows no signs of drying up," writes Knoll. "Right wing Kaapo Kakko is expected to be a top 5 pick in the coming draft in June."