Finland Stock Watch: Benjamin Rautiainen looking like smart bet by Tampa Bay Lightning

As the Finnish circuit shuts down for this week’s international tournaments, we are starting to have enough data from the notable leagues to draw more definitive conclusions about teams and players.

In Liiga, the first third of the season has been full of surprises and narratives. Teams like Ässät and JYP have exceeded expectations and are leading the league, while presumed top dogs like Ilves, Kärpät, and HIFK continue to struggle. All the signs are also pointing towards significant incoming changes regarding how Liiga is structured as a league.

One of the more notable storylines has been the rise of multiple young stars who are both leading their teams to strong results and battling for the scoring title.

Let’s start this month’s edition with one of those players.

Stock Rising 📈

Benjamin Rautiainen, LW, Tappara (Tampa Bay Lightning)

The Tampa Bay Lightning’s call to draft Benjamin Rautiainen as a double over-ager in the fourth round of the 2025 draft is starting to look better by the day. Already coming off a 33-point campaign, he’s taken his game to a whole new level this season, having added 22 points in the first 19 games and sitting in a striking distance from the league scoring title. In the last 10 days of the month, he had three multi-point efforts, including a hat-trick and a four-point showing against Pelicans on the 22nd of October.

Rautiainen’s offensive talents were always a known quantity, but the playmaking ability has really shined this season. He’s as crafty of a passer as ever, recognizing lanes through multiple layers and having the passing skill to take advantage of them. He varies his pace, cuts back and hits open trailer options with difficult feeds through sticks and skates. The skating and physical side of his game continue to slowly improve, too.

During October, it was announced that Rautiainen had signed a one-year extension with Tappara. It makes sense from the Lightning’s perspective, as slow-rolling him makes a lot of sense from a development perspective. Becoming even more capable of fighting and making plays through contact while preferably continuing to add more gears as a skater would serve his long-term NHL chances well.

Kasper Kulonummi, D, Kiekko-Espoo (Nashville Predators)

Kasper Kulonummi’s rise to the role of a top Liiga defenceman did take its time. He spent two post-draft seasons with Tappara, but was never able to break through to a notable role with their Liiga squad. Afterwards, he made the wise decision to switch to Kiekko-Espoo, a team where bigger minutes were easier to come by. As a result, he had his first full Liiga season in a sizeable role, being the third-most productive blueliner on the team.

Now, Kulonummi has seemingly taken another big step. At the time of writing this, he’s sitting third in scoring amongst all Liiga defencemen, having added 14 points in his first 19 games of the season. He was able to maintain a point-per-game pace during the month of October, only being held pointless in two games out of nine.

Kulonummi’s mobility, ability to generate value in transition with his feet, and orchestrate plays from the point were always bound to translate, and he’s become more consistent with his defensive reads, too. One of the only players drafted during the first three rounds from his class currently without an ELC, it now seems like a lock that he’s going to sign with the Nashville Predators after this season.

Alberts Šmits, D, Jukurit (2026 NHL Draft)

Alberts Šmits was already mentioned in this category last month, but his play has made including him for the second time in a row necessary. During October, he ended up leading the entire Liiga in goals among defenceman, adding five tallies in 12 games while maintaining a +7 goal share during his even-strength minutes. He also went on to score another goal in the first game of November, bringing his total to six goals and 10 points in 19 games for the season.

No draft-eligible defenceman has been able to maintain a half a point per game pace in over 40 years. While Šmits still has a lot of work left achieving that feat provided he stays healthy and continues to play, it’s well within his reach. He continues to get better by the week, showcasing more and more confidence and ability offensively. He has already surely entered the top-10 conversation for many teams; right now, the real question is whether he becomes a legitimate top-five candidate by the end of the season.

Honourable mentions: Jiko Laitinen (2026 NHL Draft), Atte Joki (Dallas Stars), Lasse Boelius (Anaheim Ducks), Rasmus Miilunpohja (2027 NHL Draft), Frans Karjalahti (2028 NHL Draft)

Stock Steady ↔️

Jesse Kiiskinen, RW, HPK (Detroit Red Wings)

Jesse Kiiskinen already looked AHL bound last season following his almost point-per-game campaign with HPK, but decided to return for another season in Liiga instead of crossing the pond. It did take eight games for him to score his first goal of the year and he’s still behind his scoring pace from last season, but has arguably been rather unlucky with the bounces while still leading his team in points with 13 in 20 games.

As such, there’s no reason to be overly disappointed or scared. Kiiskinen’s projected value at the NHL level never came down to pure scoring, instead profiling as more of a potential bottom-six winger who’d bring secondary scoring but also energy on the forecheck and some defensive value, too. In many ways, his last season’s production might have raised the expectations unneccessarily high. He’s still a solid prospect, but we’ll have to wait to see him in the AHL to get a better sense of his NHL outlook. 

Vilho Vanhatalo, RW, Tappara U20 (2026 NHL Draft)

One of Finland’s top names in the 2026 class, Vilho Vanhatalo’s first months of the season have gone according to our expectations. He’s yet to truly break out as a top-of-the-league force, but he still leads Tappara’s U20 program in both goals and points, having buried nine pucks in 18 games and been one of the most dangerous power play contributors in the league. He’s also sneakily been very effective penalty killer, fitting the mark of a true special teams expert.

With Vanhatalo, the appeal continues to come down to the combination of size, shooting skill, and budding power forward qualities. To take his effectiveness and production to the next level, he’ll want to flex his playmaking chops more, in addition to further honing his rush patterns and off-puck routes. He’s expected to be due for another strong international showing in the upcoming U18 Five Nations.

Stock Falling 📉

Šimon Katolický, RW, Tappara U20 (2026 NHL Draft)

Despite having to miss time during the summer and the start of the season, Šimon Katolický entered his draft year with plenty of hype following his productive campaign between his strong U18 league play and impressive international showings. So far, though, the results haven’t been up to par with the expectations. He added four points in his first four games with Tappara’s U20 squad, but has since logged just two points in the following 11 matches. It’s not been due to a lack of opportunities, either, as he’s continued to play in a top-line role and gotten prime minutes on the man-advantage, too.

On paper, Katolický should have the tools to be way more impactful. He’s a big-bodied winger who skates and handles well enough, and has flashes of shooting and passing skill, too. The biggest hurdle seems to be his hockey sense, as he doesn’t put himself in positions to maximize his touches and lacks the foresight to see offensive plays developing. Based on his play selections, it’s also clear he’s lacking confidence due to his scoring drought. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he turned things around at some point this season, but before that happens, his draft stock will continue to plummet.