Rookie watch: Kotkaniemi, youngest player in NHL, boosts Canadiens

Jesperi Kotkaniemi has made a believer out of teammates and coaches despite being the youngest player in the NHL this season.

It probably shouldn't come as a surprise that the Montreal Canadiens center has defied the odds to become a mainstay in the lineup as an 18-year-old. Kotkaniemi (6-foot-2, 184 pounds) did score 29 points (10 goals, 19 assists) in 57 games as the youngest player for Assat in Liiga, Finland's elite league, as a 17-year-old last season.
"I only went into the season expecting to play 30 games for Assat," Kotkaniemi said. "Playing 57 was a big accomplishment."
Consider his rookie season with the Canadiens an even bigger achievement: He has 12 points (three goals, nine assists) in 27 games.
Winnipeg Jets right wing Patrik Laine, who spent two seasons in Liiga with Tappara, never played against Kotkaniemi but has been impressed with his Finland countryman.
"I've been watching a few of their games," Laine said. "He's a pretty good skater, good with the puck and can protect it. He's 18, but a strong guy. It's great to see he's doing well and hopefully he can maintain that the rest of the season."
Kotkaniemi appears to be everything that general manager Marc Bergevin envisioned when the Canadiens selected the center No. 3 in the 2018 NHL Draft. The native of Pori, Finland, was the first of eight centers chosen in the first round.

Kotkaniemi was No. 6 on NHL Central Scouting's final ranking of International skaters for the 2018 draft behind Rasmus Dahlin (Buffalo Sabres; drafted No. 1), Adam Boqvist (Chicago Blackhawks, No. 8), Vitali Kravtsov (New York Rangers, No. 9), Martin Kaut (Colorado Avalanche, No. 16) and Adam Ginning (Philadelphia Flyers, No. 50).
"For us, [Kotkaniemi] was the ideal choice," Bergevin said. "Young centers with a lot of potential don't just come around. You have to draft them. It was something we couldn't pass up.
"He's a player that can eventually become a complete centerman and play in all types of situations. He's got a flair around the net and moves the puck well. He's not a big guy right now, but he's got a frame where he can fill in."
Kotkaniemi is succeeding in a third-line role and receiving time on the power play for coach Claude Julien. He's averaging 14:06 in ice time.
"I think he continues to evolve and is getting more confident in his play," Julien said. "In the beginning of the year, he was feeling his way through the League. That's not to say he was intimidated because he never looked intimidated. He's more confident, a little harder in certain areas and we knew from the get-go that his skill level was really good.
"It was just a matter of seeing how he would progress as the season went on and right now he's going in the right direction so there's no worries from our end. If anything, we're actually enjoying it and liking the direction that he's going in."

Kotkaniemi said he models his game after center Aleksander Barkov, who was 6-3, 209 pounds at the time he was chosen No. 1 in the 2013 NHL Draft by the Florida Panthers.
Barkov scored 24 points (eight goals, 16 assists) in 54 games for the Panthers in the season after being drafted in 2013-14. Florida controlled 52.08 percent of all shots attempted at even strength with Barkov on the ice in his rookie season. The Canadiens control 56.60 percent of all shots attempted at even strength with Kotkaniemi on the ice.
"The thing that's impressed all of us, is how he's been able to improve every game and continue to make strides to get better as an 18-year-old; sometimes that's the hardest thing," Canadiens forward Brendan Gallagher said. "He was really good from training camp but from there he's continued to take steps to become more of an important part of our team. He's shown the ability to learn from mistakes and make sure they don't happen again. When you see that in a young player, it's promising because it shows the potential with how good he can be later on."
Gallagher also appreciates the fact Kotkaniemi has 13 hits, 12 blocked shots and is second on the Canadiens in minor penalties drawn (10).
"He's not intimidated," Gallagher said. "I think he's enjoyed it, actually. He's kind of gotten into a couple of scrums and comes out laughing and that's good he enjoys that side of the game. I think that's an important side to have if you want success. You've got to be willing to battle at times and get into the dirty areas; the goals he's scored are usually right around the net."