Prospect Scouting Report: Jani Karppinen

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Jani Karppinen (S85 Defenseman)

It was a tough transition to the VHLM for Jani Karppinen, coming over from his name Finland to play in North America was his dream. He first came over signing with the Ottawa Lynx, and immediately got off to a hot start, posting 3 points including his first career goal in his first 4 games in the VHLM. The success would be short lived however, and Karppinen would score a measly 2 points in the remaining 15 games of the season, both of which came as secondary assists. His first ever playoff run would also be a talked about point for all the wrong reasons. Karppinen put up just one point in 12 playoff contests, as the Lynx were bounced in 6 games in the semi-finals. Heading into the offseason, he knew the defensive side of the game was there, it was about finding his rhythm on offense. Karppinen worked hard in the offseason and his efforts would be rewarded, as he was drafted 14th overall in the VHLM dispersal draft by the Houston Bulls. He knew right away that being "the guy" in Houston was his goal, and so he grinded in the offseason to work on his defensive play especially, as he would be tasked with PP and PK duties for the first time in his career.

 

Karppinen has seen solid success in a small sample size this season with the bulls. He's quickly becoming the #1 D on the team leading both the powerplay and penalty kill, and leading the team in ice time thus far. The Bulls are .500 so far 4 games into the season behind Karppinen's 3 assists from the blueline. The next milestone to look forward to however is the upcoming VHL Entry Draft. Karppinen is quickly climbing his way up the ladder and passing some notable names such as Tater Tottingham, Halvar Torbjorn, and Scottie House. He is currently ranked as the #9 best player available, however the draft is expected to be very heavy on goaltending talent, so there is a very real possibility that Karppinen could be a top 5 prospect, or even hear his name called in the top 3, as only one defenseman is ranked higher than him, that being Phil Strasmore. It will be interesting to see how Karppinen's season progresses. So far he is a league talent in blocking shots as well as leading in plus/minus. However a notable downside recently for Karppinen has been his offensive play. Will he become a top talent? Or will he blow his chances?