Jump to content
Hockey Wilderness

  • Aron Kiviharju Is Out To Prove the Doubters Wrong

    Image courtesy of IIHF YouTube screenshot
    Luke Sims

    By Luke Sims -

    Hockey Wilderness is counting down the Minnesota Wild’s Top-10 Prospects, as voted by our staff. Today, we give you everything you need to know about our No. 9 prospect, Aron Kiviharju.

    Sometimes, prospects go viral for the wrong reasons. But that wasn’t the case for Aron Kiviharju. 

    The confidence and swagger Kiviharju displayed last June rallied fan support for the Minnesota Wild’s fourth-round draft pick. But experts pegged Kiviharju as one of the year's top prospects before this season. 

    Bleacher Report’s mock draft before the season had Kiviharju selected eighth overall, the third defenseman off the board. Kiviharju had all the hype. He was a smooth skater, an offensive playmaker, and an intelligent hockey player. The guy was logging over 20 minutes a night routinely in U20s in Finland as a 17-year-old. 

    So what happened to him? Why did he slide to pick 122? 

    Kiviharju suffered a significant injury in his draft year. He missed six months due to a leg injury. It was detrimental to his draft stock because scouts didn’t have much film on him in his draft year. His knee injury was pretty substantial. Kiviharju said he almost had to learn to walk again, making it hard for scouts to project him. 

    The Wild took defenseman Zeev Buium out of Denver with their first pick in this year’s draft. Buium projects as a puck-moving offensive defenseman. They doubled down on offensive defensemen when they took Kiviharju with their third pick in the draft. 

    “He runs the power plays. He’s got incredible hockey sense. He’s got character,” ” Wild director of Amateur Scouting Judd Brackett said. “He’s got drive. He competes. He’s got everything. It’s in a smaller package, and with an injury this year, it hurt him in the draft. But we’re hoping we’re the ones that got lucky because of it, because he’s a really accomplished player at this point.”

    Kiviharju and Buium add an element needed to the Wild’s defensive prospect pipeline. The Wild have big guys and players who can defend. However, their system lacked elite puck-moving and high-end offensive ability. 

    The Athletic’s Corey Pronman has Kiviharju ranked 13th in the Wild’s prospect rankings. 

    Kiviharju has been on the prospect radar for several years after playing up age groups. That length of time watching him is relevant as he missed almost his entire draft season due to a lower-body injury. 

    He’s a very smart puck-mover. He sees the ice at a high level and always has his head up looking to make a play. He is a highly skilled puck handler who can make the toughest passes seem routine. The big issue with Kiviharju will be his defensive play. 

    As a junior, he defends well. As an NHL player, it will be a question. He’s notably undersized, and while he competes well, he’s not physical. He skates well but doesn’t have the elite small-guy feet that make you think he will translate seamlessly to the NHL. I think he plays the game, but he may need to be used in a very specific way by a coach to the point it will be tough to get him regular minutes.

    Below is a table of where Kiviharju ranked according to various scouting sources ahead of the 2024 NHL Draft: 

    image.png

    “Once it got by the second round, I thought third round will probably be my place,” Kiviharju said. “So by the time we got to late in the fourth round, I was pretty stressed and just wanted to let Mr. Guerin know I’m a better player than that. But honestly, first round, second round, third round, fourth round, seventh round, it doesn’t matter for me. Obviously, when I got my name called, it was an unreal feeling. I waited a while, but I really loved it. But yes, I wanted him to know I’m better than that and feel I’m a first- or second-rounder.”

    While Pronman doesn’t give Kiviharju a glowing review, other NHL scouts think he should have gone higher than he did. Kiviharju will need some time to come back from the injury. Who knows how he’ll look in his post-draft season? But with his swagger, Wild fans will be watching him closely.  

    The young defender will return to Finland this next season. The Wild are in no rush to get him to North America, allowing him ample time to get healthy and get his game back. 

    “You see now why we would,” Guerin said. “The combo of his skill level and his hockey sense, and now you see he has the confidence and the character that goes along with it.”

    Kiviharju grew up as a Wild fan as his dad was friends with Mikko Koivu’s brother, and now he’ll get a chance to make an impact for them as early as 2026.

    All stats and data via HockeyDB, Elite Prospects, and CapWages unless otherwise noted. 

    By Luke Sims  

    Think you could write a story like this? Hockey Wilderness wants you to develop your voice, find an audience, and we'll pay you to do it. Just fill out this form.

    • Like 4
    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    Featured Comments

    Citizen Strife

    I mean, if Guerin is looking for people with "FU" in their game, it sounds like he has that, if nothing else.  Main things is if his injury isn't serious, his size isn't too much a burden, and he's willing to be coachable.

    • Like 3
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Mateo3xm

    “The Wild have big guys and players who can defend.”

     I don’t think we have enough big guys. Especially on defense where it’s most important in my opinion. We have a lot of D prospects that are 6ft and only a few that are above that. Besides Buium and maybe Hunt as a 3rd pair I don’t see a lot of our D prospects working out honestly. Maybe Lambos if he breaks out but I don’t see it right now. We will see over time but this team needs to realize that having big defenders makes them much harder to play against. In this modern nhl you don’t see playoff teams with a lot of undersized D. It just doesn’t work out in the playoffs.

    • Like 4
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Up North Guy
    23 minutes ago, Mateo3xm said:

    “The Wild have big guys and players who can defend.”

     I don’t think we have enough big guys. Especially on defense where it’s most important in my opinion. We have a lot of D prospects that are 6ft and only a few that are above that. Besides Buium and maybe Hunt as a 3rd pair I don’t see a lot of our D prospects working out honestly. Maybe Lambos if he breaks out but I don’t see it right now. We will see over time but this team needs to realize that having big defenders makes them much harder to play against. In this modern nhl you don’t see playoff teams with a lot of undersized D. It just doesn’t work out in the playoffs.

    MnFan is that you?

    • Haha 6
    • Confused 1
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Imyourhuckleberry
    Quote

    Kiviharju grew up as a Wild fan as his dad was friends with Mikko Koivu’s brother, and now he’ll get a chance to make an impact for them as early as 2026.

    I'd pump the brakes a bit on that 2026 suggestion. Spurgeon played some at age 21, but I don't think a lot of undersized defensemen who were drafted outside of the top 50 are making NHL ice within 2 years of their draft.

    The Wild have Faber, Spurgeon, Brodin, and Middleton already signed through 26-27, and Buium will join that group soon.

    Hunt and Lambos likely aren't far from NHL ice. Spacek and Masters are already 21 years old on ELCs, so could be ahead of him for likelihood of joining the Wild in 2026. I like him as a prospect, but I'd anticipate Kiviharju developing in Finland until at least 2027.

    The Wild apparently have been really bad at drafting D since 2012(Dumba). They had mostly ignored the position(aside from wasting a 1st on Filip Johansson, who is headed back to the Swedish Hockey League after toiling in the AHL for the Canucks last year) since 2012, until Guerin took over. Carson Soucy(2013 5th round) is the last defenseman drafted by the Wild who has played in 75+ NHL games for an entire career.

    Lambos(2021) could get 75+ NHL games as a defenseman drafted by the Wild, but I'd expect Buium to be the next to accomplish that for the Wild.

    • Like 3
    • Thanks 1
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    mnfaninnc
    Quote

    The Wild have big guys and players who can defend. However, their system lacked elite puck-moving and high-end offensive ability. 

    Come on Luke, you're a better writer than this. Obviously there is better way to say this. How about we list the puck moving defenders vs. the big monsters in the organization, or how about we just list the big monster defenders in the organization? Those would be guys 6'3" or higher projected to be 220+. Soini and Leskovar are the only 2 players in the organization who match such a description and Soini needs to grow an inch.

    I think we need to recall some guys in quality control because this is obviously not a true statement. I'm calling on a Boar's head recall for that statement. Apologies need to be made, and if we have a woodshed, Luke needs to make an appointment to be taken there. 

    Now, let's get down to true statements, the only guys that Judd likes to draft on defense are undersized, puck moving defenders and we are packed with the same type of player. That wouldn't be bad if the goal was to just keep producing them and trading them for what we need, but there seems to be little interest in the A for actually doing this. Yes, this is broken, and let's face it, we need to Pump, Pump, Pump them up!

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Protec

    Word is out that Laine squashed a deal to come to MN. Apparently Guerin had tried. 

    Some guessing Guerin is the problem. Laine will not return to become a 40-goal scorer IMO. His baggage is enogh that I'm glad he didn't waive a no-trade list spot in MN. If you asked me, he doesn't wanna play in the Central cause it's tough. I think he's a classic Euro primadonna. 

    If AK proves to be a utility Finn who never breaks down while firing 30-caliber, steel-case ammo, MN will have got a nice result for way lower cost. 

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Pewterschmidt
    12 hours ago, Protec said:

    Word is out that Laine squashed a deal to come to MN. Apparently Guerin had tried. 

    The way I read it they approached Laine after coming to terms on a deal.  Wonder what that package looked like considering what MTL received after taking entire AAV.  
    we must have offered a whole bunch of our spare parts (gudreau, nojo, Gus) + Rossi to be able to take on $8M.   Laine saved Guerin from himself.  
    #GDS

    • Like 3
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    mnfaninnc
    2 hours ago, Pewterschmidt said:

    The way I read it they approached Laine after coming to terms on a deal.  Wonder what that package looked like considering what MTL received after taking entire AAV.  
    we must have offered a whole bunch of our spare parts (gudreau, nojo, Gus) + Rossi to be able to take on $8M.   Laine saved Guerin from himself.  
    #GDS

    Where was this reported?

    Based upon the return that CBJ got for Laine, I would say only Gaudreau and Johansson were NHLers in the deal. Columbus would retain money, but, Columbus would also get the draft pick, not give it up. Goose and Rossi would have been safe.

    But, let's also face it, Gaudreau and Johansson would have been barely useful pieces for Evason who could help him install his system. But for us, they would merely be salary dumps. I'm thinking Peart + Bankier may have been the prospects, as reported, 2nd tier prospects of the club, and we probably have better 2nd tier prospects than most. 

    I really don't think that Guerin was the problem here, but I do think that Guerin was going to demand a little more from Laine, perhaps more than Laine was willing to give. My thinking is that Guerin should have brought Koivu with him to the meeting regardless of if Koivu is employed by the organization. He's still alumni, and I believe has an informal place within the organization. I also believe he should have a formal place.

    Let me expound on this idea a little more. Koivu should have been an annual Selke candidate. He exemplifies the 200' complete game and is well known in Finland for that specific style along with his brother Saku. They played a very useful style, but it is time for a knowledge transfer. A Koivu/Modano look at the forward position is organizationally a huge win for the Wild. It's different, yet, it has the same voice. 

    Here's the main point: The primary goal of Des Moines is to feed St. Paul with competent young players ready to stay in St. Paul. I do not believe they are doing this. Regardless of if they are in St. Paul or not, at the very least they can be used as trade bait for what we need. Any team out there can use 200' forwards with scoring potential. Any team out there can use puck moving defenders. But we do not do this. We weed them out instead. What if we created pipelines where we could fill in other players that we do not have using our efforts here as currency? 

    My stance is simple, until we address this part of the organization, it will be extremely difficult for this organization to become contenders, and stay that way. Sure, you might get an annual run, but contenders stick around for years. Now what this entails is a complete revamping of the player development department into something that really has never been done before. However, fortune favors the bold.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

×
×
  • Create New...