Finland Stock Watch: Benjamin Rautiainen soaring offensively in Liiga

The second half of the season is already well on its way in Finnish hockey. Most Liiga teams have around 15 games left on their regular season calendars, with playoffs also coming closer and closer at the junior levels.

Of course, February will feature some extremely highly-anticipated international hockey in the form of the Olympic Games, but as per usual, there’s also a series of important junior-level tournaments next week.

In the meantime, let’s start this month’s rundown with the prospect who has already made history and is on the cusp of achieving even more great feats.

Stock Rising 📈

Benjamin Rautiainen, LW, Tappara (Tampa Bay Lightning)

I already touched on the season Benjamin Rautiainen is having during November’s edition of this series, but what he’s done since then has been nothing short of spectacular and deserves another recognition. With a four-point performance in his second-last match of January, he became the first Liiga skater to surpass the 60-point mark this season, requiring just 44 games to achieve this feat.

This kind of production remains extremely rare for a 20-year-old. He became the first U21-aged skater to eclipse 60 points in a season since Saku Koivu who attained it over 30 years ago. Koivu also holds the single-season U21 record with 74 points, meanwhile Rautiainen still has 15 games left and his current production pace would see him reach 82 points, which would be the third-highest mark in the entire Liiga history.

Rautiainen’s offensive skill level combined with the confidence and swagger he’s gained through all of the success has been incredibly pleasurable to witness. From a game report on his performance on January 5th:

His skill and sense were always main strengths for him, but they’ve really proven to be even better than I thought last year. He plays with a ton of mental pace, always being ahead of the opposition, but the concrete pace has also improved, thanks to the strides he’s taken from last year as a skater. The mechanics are looking a tad better, too, and he was now winning footraces and being used as a primary NZ carrier on the power play, for example. Despite being at his best as a playmaker, he’s not shying away from the net-front and has a knack for spinning away from boxouts just at the right time – he could’ve easily scored a few additional goals with the high-danger opportunities he had. At this point, I think I see legitimate top-nine NHL upside, and it’ll be very interesting to see how he does once he makes the jump to North America.

Kim Saarinen, G, HPK (Seattle Kraken)

It’s highly unfortunate that Kim Saarinen didn’t appear in a single game in either of the last two World Juniors, despite him being a more talented prospect than many of the starters for other teams. Petteri Rimpinen eating all of the games for the second year in a row didn’t have an impact on Saarinen’s domestic performances, though, as he was excellent throughout the entire January, allowing two or less goals in each six of his starts. His .951 save percentage was also the top mark in the whole league among goalies with at least two games played.

After a fantastic month, Saarinen’s stats for the whole season are looking better than ever. He has the second-best marks in both save percentage and goals against average, having saved over 16 goals above expected.

While Rimpinen was Finland’s top dog with the U20 national team, there’s a reason why he was drafted in the fifth round during his second year of eligibility, while Saarinen was a top-90 pick in his draft year. The 6-foot-4 netminder has the ideal combination of size and technical ability, and was signed to an ELC right after his draft. There’s a good chance he eventually turns into a regular for the Kraken.

Atte Vuori, C, Kiekko-Espoo U20 (2026 NHL Draft)

Every year there are Finnish prospects whose NHL upside is capped by their lack of size, but who project to put together better careers compared to many of their peers who get picked in the draft. Matias Vanhanen was the obvious one from last year’s cycle, and based on what I’ve seen so far, this year that player is Atte Vuori. The centreman started his season at the U18 level, but was quickly promoted to the U20 ranks and has established himself as an integral part of a good Kiekko-Espoo squad. He’s also worked himself into the national team circle, having made the team for the past three events.

Vuori combines a high-octane motor and high-frequency stride with intriguing playmaking touch and projectable hockey sense. He sees passing opportunities through layers and deceives regularly, but is also capable of overwhelming opponents with his pace. He’s an easy player to plug into any role and situation, as you can count on him to drive play and being able to make others around him better.

The way the draft has trended over the past few years, it’s highly likely that Vuori ends up getting passed over by NHL clubs. On the other hand, if I was a GM for a Liiga organization, this is very much a player who I’d be targeting as someone who could become a key player for my men’s team in a few years.

Honourable mentions: Jiko Laitinen (2026 NHL Draft), Paavo Fugleberg (2028 NHL Draft), Noel Pakarinen (2026 NHL Draft)

Stock Steady ↔️

Samu Alalauri, D, Pelicans U20 (2026 NHL Draft)

Samu Alalauri has kept his position as clearly the second-best Finnish blueliner of this draft class without much issue. The University of Massachusetts commit has added 24 points in 34 games with Pelicans’ U20 team, with him logging a goal and six assists throughout January’s nine outings. He was also a standout at the previous U18 Five Nations tournament near the end of December, getting to showcase the full extent of his skill set against weaker competition.

Alalauri’s projection continues to come down to his tools, as 6-foot-3 blueliners with an above-average skating ability and a booming shot don’t grow on every tree. His reads are still somewhat lagging behind, though he’s showing more and more flashes of OZ creation ability and has rock-solid defensive footwork against the rush that is the backbone of his defensive projection. The 61st-ranked prospect on our most recent board, he has easily potential to climb into the top-50 with good domestic and international showings in the upcoming months. 

Stock Falling 📉

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

Vilho Vanhatalo got to showcase his skills for eight Liiga games during November and December, and our scouting staff was left with a positive impression from those appearances. The power forward potential was palpable, and he even had moments as a playmaker, something that has not come to him all that naturally or consistently in the junior ranks.

At the U20 level, though, Vanhatalo continues to struggle and play significantly below his talent level. He added just a single goal and two points in eight games during January despite his top-six role and regular power play usage. In those games, he continued to waste offensive possessions through low-percentage volume shooting, and struggled to create advantages for others. He was still featured on our board at 68th due to his long-term potential as a big-bodied winger with physical skills and a heavy release, but he has to put together stronger performances domestically and shine internationally for him to maintain that ranking going forwards.

Miko Vatjus, C/LW, Lukko U20 (2026 NHL Draft)

On paper, Miko Vatjus has qualities to be a worthwhile prospect and an NHL draft pick. He’s a 6-foot-2 forward who brings positional versatility, forechecking skill, and also some skill as a passer, at his best being able to turn steals into slot passes with finesse.

He’s just not been able to string everything together into a productive package this season. He has just 14 points in 34 games with Lukko’s U20 team for the season, with January being a low point for him as he only managed a single assist on eight games while playing consistent top-six minutes. It speaks volumes that he wasn’t selected to Finland’s roster for the upcoming U18 Five Nations team, with multiple 2009-born forwards making the cut ahead of him. There’s still some long-term potential, but he needs to have a big-time stretch towards the end of the season to make the U18 Worlds roster and fight for serious draft consideration.