Finland Stock Watch: 2025 NHL Draft prospect Lasse Boelius bouncing back

February was a busy month in Finnish hockey. The regular season is nearing its end at every level, with each team having just a handful of games left in both Liiga and the U20 level. In the second-tier Mestis, playoffs are set to begin today. In certain cases, these are the last opportunities for scouts to get viewings on a player before next season. 

There was also a group of international tournaments held in the first half of the month, with Finland having an exceptional run across different age brackets. They finished first in all major junior events (U20, U18, U17, U16), with the U18 Five Nations win being a particularly pleasant surprise, given how the team has struggled earlier in the season.

We'll highlight many of the top performers from these tournaments in this edition of the Stock Watch. In fact, let's start with the most relevant of them all.

Stock Rising 📈

Lasse Boelius, D, Ässät U20 (2025 NHL Draft)

It was only a month ago when Lasse Boelius featured in this series as a player whose stock was on a decline. Credit where credit is due, Boelius managed to turn things around during the past month. First of all, he was pivotal to Finland's win at the U18 Five Nations, playing top minutes in every game and being the kind of driver from the backend the team needed to take down opponents who boasted stronger rosters. In my mind, he performed better than any Swedish defenceman at this event.

Boelius didn't look good just internationally, though, but also carried the momentum to his U20 league play. In five games, he added seven points and three multi-point appearances. In one of the games, he helped his team to secure an extra point during the shootout by scoring on three attempts in a row – not something you see every day from a defenceman. 

While I've been critical of Boelius across the season and many of the weak points haven't exactly disappeared, it's close to impossible to argue that he's not the top Finnish prospect in the draft class. A good ending to the season would certainly help him climb on our board, too.

Oscar Hemming, RW, Kiekko-Espoo U18 (U20 SM-sarja)

The younger brother of Dallas Stars first-rounder Emil Hemming, Oscar Hemming could very well be on a similar path as a prospect. He's had a very productive season across league and international play, leading the U18 league with a two points-per-game average and already having also shown promise whenever he's got the chance to showcase his skills at the U20 level.

In the U17 Five Nations tournament held in Finland, Hemming added five points in four games, tying for the top mark on the team. During February, he also added 10 points in four games with Kiekko-Espoo's U18 team and four points in three games with the club's U20 squad.

Already standing a few inches taller, Hemming shares many qualities with his brother, including the small-area handling skill and the shooting prowess, particularly through powerful yet crafty outside leg wristers. His first steps can afford to get more explosive and overall agility will have to improve, but he's certainly looking like one of the more intriguing Finnish prospects to watch in the 2026 draft class.

Luca Santala, C, Kiekko-Espoo U18 (U18 SM-sarja)

If Hemming is Kiekko-Espoo's crown jewel for the 2026 draft, Luca Santala fits the bill as far as the 2027 draft is considered. At this moment, there might not be a more exciting Finnish prospect in the 2009-born age group.

Earlier in the season, Santala was named the most valuable player at the Pohjola camp (a marquee event from where the first national team is selected for each age group) and has lived up to the hype internationally. In February's tournament, he finished with seven points in four games, bringing him to 25 points in 11 games for the season. He also tied for the U18 league lead in points for the duration of February, adding 10 points in five games.

A skilled offensive centre, Santala has a strong foundation to build upon. He stands out due to his instincts, offensive awareness and the ability to make the right reads quickly, but he's also a fluid mover and flashes dynamic skill in 1-on-1 situations. Given how good he's looked this year, I'd expect him to already have significant success at the U20 level next season.

Honourable mentions: Vertti Svensk (2026 NHL Draft), Jasu Mensonen (2025 NHL Draft)

Stock Steady ↔️

Patrik Kerkola, G, KalPa U20 (2025 NHL Draft)

Patrik Kerkola entered the season with a lot of hype behind him, but has struggled to live up to the hefty expectations. That being said, February's was arguably his best month of the season, giving him a much-needed boost.

Kerkola allowed just eight goals in his four starts with KalPa's U20 team, including two strong performances during the last week of the month that helped his team to secure two important victories. He was also loaned for a single Mestis game, saving 22 out of 25 shots in IPK's overtime loss.

While Kerkola has started to lose his previously strong grip of the starting role with the U18 national team, he had a solid showing throughout Finland's tournament-winning run at February's Five Nations. His 33-save performance against Sweden was a particularly crucial one, and likely helped his stock regarding the upcoming U18s, too. 

Stock Falling 📉

Jesse Pulkkinen, D, JYP (New York Islanders)

Our bullish stance on Jesse Pulkkinen has not been a secret. He was our most-highly ranked over-ager on our 2024 draft board, and we thought that the New York Islanders made a wise bet at taking him in the second round. Given how enticing his development curve looked coming into the season, I was truly expecting him to break out as one of the top defencemen in the entire Liiga, in addition to projecting him to make his men's national team debut sooner rather than later.

However, neither of those two projections has been even close to coming to reality. It was reasonable to cut him some slack earlier in the season as he was returning from an injury, but things have never picked up since then. He was even sent down for one weekend at the U20 level to regain his confidence, but has only added a single point in seven games since then.

Pulkkinen still has many unique qualities as a prospect, and whether or not this is just a temporary period of stagnation before another big developmental leap remains to be seen. One thing is for certain, though: His season has been a major disappointment.

Rasmus Kumpulainen, C, Pelicans (Minnesota Wild)

This is not the first time Rasmus Kumpulainen has featured in this section of the Stock Watch, but his play doesn't really give me many options. The Minnesota Wild second-rounder added two points in seven games during February, which barely places him in the top-30 among all U23 Liiga skaters for the month. When adjusted for his ice time (which hasn't wavered that much), his placement would be even lower.

After a promising start, Kumpulainen is now up to just 14 points in 44 games for the season. The underlying results aren't particularly encouraging, either, with Pelicans having been clearly out-shot, out-chanced, and out-scored with him on the ice at even-strength. Already having signed his ELC and returned to Liiga on a loan, it's difficult to see him remaining with Pelicans for another season.