Petteri Rimpine has reserved for the NHL next June at the 2025 booking event. ZumaWire / MVPHOTOS
Petteri Rimpinen is having a great season in the SM league. The 18-year-old defender from Kiekko-Espoo was also seen in the rink in Finland’s first two matches at the Under-20 World Championships in Ottawa.
Rimpi was not reserved for the NHL last summer, even though the youngster was of reserve age. There will be a change in the matter next June.
– It’s a surefire thing that scouts [NHL-seurojen kykyjenetsijät] have noticed his performance both in Kiekko-Espoo and here in the opening game of the World Cup, Jarmo Kekäläinen estimated on Friday.
Having worked for different NHL organizations for 29 years, Kekäläinen knows that the under-20 World Cup tournament is a great showcase for young players.
– These are the best possible situations to show that you can make good performances in tough pressure situations. Rimpinen did exactly that in the World Cup opening game. The big arena was full of people, it was Canada and the pressure was intense. And the game was played in Canada, says Kekäläinen.
– In addition, Rimpinen really made a lot of big saves in the opening set, and of course throughout the game.
The best in Finland
Jarmo Kekäläinen praises Petteri Rimpinen’s performances this season. AOP / PASI SAARELAINEN
Finland lost its opening game of the tournament to Canada at the Canadian Tire Center in Ottawa with a score of 0–4.
Kekäläinen, who has been the general manager of the Columbus Blue Jackets for about eleven years, saw the game on the spot.
– Rimpinen was the best player in Finland, by far. I’m not a goalkeeper analyst, so I don’t want to analyze his game more deeply.
Apart from the goalkeeper, it is difficult to praise the Finnish players based on the opening game.
– There weren’t a lot of successful outfield players. It’s hard to say about the attackers when they couldn’t score a single goal. There was quite a lot of superiority there, from which the goal could have been scored. Finland didn’t quite get to the proper launch sectors, Kekäläinen commented bluntly.
In the final set, Finland raised its level.
– For example, Konsta Helenius fired all the shots into the opponent’s knee pads in the first set. Later, he did challenge his opponent clearly more courageously. Correspondingly, Canada had a lot of blocks, of course they have to be mentioned, Kekäläinen thinks.
A couple of kits
Kingston Frontenacs’ Emil Pieniniemi gets Jarmo Kekäläinen’s praise for the opening game. Jussi Nukari / AOP
Two of the Young Lions’ defensemen will receive the mention of a long-term NHL boss.
– A little from the most experienced packs Emil Pieniniemi and Aron Kiviharju dare to pass the puck at this level, you can see it. Otherwise, it was time to inject, says Kekäläinen.
– Canada was clearly better in the opening game.
The experienced puck boss works as an expert for the Finnish TV5 in the 20-year-old World Championships.
All games of the World Cup tournament will be played in Ottawa, the capital of Canada.
In last year’s tournament, Finland was fourth. The defending age group world champion is the United States.
The World Cup final is scheduled for January 5.