Jesperi Kotkaniemi heads back to North America
After playing 10 games with Porin Assat in his hometown of Pori, Finland, Jesperi Kotkaniemi of the Montreal Canadiens is headed back to North American. The loan to the Finnish elite league team ended on Monday. While the NHL is still hoping for a January 1st start to the upcoming season, nothing has been officially announced yet.
Kotkaniemi, who the Habs are hoping will have a break out season in 2020-21, got off to a slow start in Europe, failing to hit the score sheet in his first four games. However, he went on a bit of a tear in his final six games, managing two goals and six assists for eight points.
The 20-year-old spent some time in the AHL last season after struggling in his sophomore year, but returned for the playoffs and looked much better at both ends of the ice, essentially becoming the team's second line centre. Montreal is hoping that can continue as it looks to its youth to bolster its lineup, along with some offseason additions.
Kotkaniemi was the third overall pick in the 2018 entry draft.
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