Most exciting current Finland-born NHL player debated

Hockey Day in Finland takes place this weekend in Tampere, Finland, celebrating all things good about the sport and the contributions by the country to the NHL game.

On site in the city, there will be skills competitions and training, free skating, hockey activations, and e-gaming. Also, on Saturday, the Stanley Cup will be present and an alumni showcase will take place, as well as a youth hockey tournament. There will also be a viewing party for the Colorado Avalanche game against the Detroit Red Wings (1 p.m. ET; NHLN, SN1, BSDET, ALT, ESPN+, SN NOW).
There have been 255 Finland-born players who have appeared in at least one game in NHL history (regular season or playoffs), including 51 this season.
As we celebrate the first Hockey Day in Finland, a group of NHL.com staffers debated who is the most exciting Finnish player currently in the NHL.
Here are their answers in alphabetical order.
Sebastian Aho, Carolina Hurricanes
Not only is Aho the most exciting Finnish player in the NHL right now, the 25-year-old is also the most underrated. This guy does it all for the Hurricanes -- scores goals (27), wins face-offs (51.4 percent) and kills penalties. But this question is about excitement, and though Aho is certainly not a flashy player, he is exciting because any time the puck is on his stick, something big could happen. That's a credit to his speed and his incredible skating ability. He's also clutch, as his seven game-winning goals are second among Finland-born players to Mikko Rantanen of the Colorado Avalanche (nine). He's also scored three short-handed goals, tied with Roope Hintz of the Dallas Stars for first among all Finns. Aho plays excellent defense and is one of best two-way centers in the game. -- Bill Price, Editor-in-Chief
Aleksander Barkov, Florida Panthers
OK, I know his numbers are down, 58 points (17 goals, 41 assists) in 54 games this season compared to 88 points (39 goals, 49 assists) in 67 games last season. But the forward is nevertheless always a scoring threat. He's clutch, leading the Panthers with five game-winning goals this season. Coming off a knee injury, which kept him out for three games, Barkov scored the fastest hat trick to start a game in team history (15:22) when Florida defeated the Montreal Canadiens 7-2 on Dec. 29. And he's got a great two-way game, as evidenced by his winning the Selke Trophy as the League's best defensive forward in 2020-21. A key part of the Panthers core (he was their No. 2 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft), Barkov is trying to get the Panthers into the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. -- Tracey Myers, staff writer
Miro Heiskanen, Dallas Stars
Heiskanen wanted to have bigger role on the offensive side of the ice this season, and the 23-year-old defenseman hasn't disappointed, having set NHL career-highs in assists (47), points (57) and power-play points (25) in his fifth NHL season. He's the best Finland-born defenseman in the NHL and, outside of forward Jason Robertson and goalie Jake Oettinger, might be the most valuable player for the Stars. The up-tempo style that coach Peter DeBoer implements and the departure of John Klingberg via free agency prior to the season have really benefitted him. While he's certainly one of the better skaters among NHL defensemen, it's his hockey IQ that sets him apart and elevates him to elite-level status. Heiskanen doesn't receive enough credit for the way he defends, particularly against top players on a nightly basis. He's the second-highest scoring defenseman from the 2017 NHL Draft behind Cale Makar of the Colorado Avalanche and leads the Stars in average ice time per game (25:32). -- Mike G. Morreale, staff writer
Patrik Laine, Columbus Blue Jackets
Is the forward as good as we thought he would be after he was selected at No. 2 behind Auston Matthews by the Winnipeg Jets in 2016? No. Is he still among the most exciting players in the game? Yes. On many nights, Laine puts his breathtaking skills together and becomes worth the price of admission alone. The 6-foot-5 forward has an intoxicating blend of speed and power that puts defensemen on their heels and makes goalies nervous. He has 198 goals in 459 NHL regular-season games, second most from his draft class behind Matthews (290). His ability to make something out of nothing can still bring you out of your seat, which is the very definition of exciting.-- Shawn P. Roarke, senior director of editorial
Mikko Rantanen, Colorado Avalanche
Exciting? I'm going to see all those players and raise you Rantanen. The forward has been an under-the-radar Hart Trophy candidate as the NHL's MVP this season, carrying the reigning Stanley Cup champion Avalanche through the slew of injuries that have marred this season. He has 82 points (45 goals, 37 assists) and, as mentioned, nine game-winning goals. Rantanen is able to use his size (6-foot-4, 215 pounds) and strength to his advantage, adding to the other dynamic parts of his game, the skating and vision and smarts. He's a true power forward playing on a team that can score an opponent out of the building. And while he still might not get the credit of some of his teammates do (Makar and Nathan MacKinnon come to mind), he's absolutely a guy that you want to keep your eye on when you're watching the Avalanche.-- Amalie Benjamin, staff writer
Back in 2016, during an informal conversation with Sidney Crosby in Pittsburgh about his buddy and fellow Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia, native MacKinnon, the Penguins captain was more interested in another Avalanche forward. "That Rantanen kid has really impressed me," Crosby said. "He's one heck of a player. It's not going to take long for everyone to see that." Consider us convinced. More importantly, consider his native Finland convinced. During the opener of the two-game Global Series between the Avalanche and Blue Jackets in Tampere, Finland, on Nov. 4, Rantanen, playing his first regular-season NHL game in his native country, had a hat trick in a 6-3 Colorado victory. As he celebrated his third goal, the capacity crowd of 12,882 at Nokia Arena began singing his name … "Mikko Rantanen, Mikko Rantanen!" "Gave me a few chills," he said after the game, his eyes welling up. It seems Crosby and the Finnish fans are sold on the excitement Rantanen brings to the table, so who am I to argue with them? -- Mike Zeisberger, staff writer
Juuse Saros, Nashville Predators
Following in the footsteps of fellow Finland native Pekka Rinne with the Predators, Saros has established himself as one of the best goalies in the NHL the past three seasons. But Saros does it differently than Rinne, who retired in 2021, and most goalies in the League. Saros (5-11, 180) is not the typical big goalie who relies heavily on his size and technique. The 27-year-old makes up for his lack of size with his athleticism and ability to scramble into position to stop shots, which often results in highlight-reel saves. That style can frustrate opponents and works well for Saros, who was a finalist for the Vezina Trophy as the NHL's top goaltender when he was 38-25-3 with a 2.64 goals-against average, .918 save percentage and four shutouts to help Nashville qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs last season. This season, Saros was selected to represent the Predators at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game and has them contending for a playoff berth again despite being sellers before the NHL Trade Deadline on March 3. In 51 games this season, he is 26-19-6 with a 2.73 GAA, .917 save percentage and one shutout. -- Tom Gulitti, staff writer