Lenni Killinen
Another one of the many Finnish players drafted by the Canes in recent years, Lenni Killinen is another kid who inspires confidence. Drafted in the 4th round (104th overall) in 2018, Killinen is an honest player with a high floor, but maybe a low ceiling. And how great of a hockey name is LENNI KILLINEN!?
After posting 41 points in 38 games in the Finnish junior league and making 10 appearances for in the Mestis league, the Canes tapped Killinen as a guy who has developmental upside. A 200-foot player, he can be effective all over the ice.
Killinen is very tenacious, and he can be an absolute pain to play against. He’s a rather large kid, currently listed at 6’2″ and 190lbs. His game is rather raw as a prospect, but one thing you can never question is his effort level. He’s relentless, and has some decent offensive qualities as well. He’s a force on the cycle, and he’s got a pretty quick release.
As far as his development is going, Killinen has been playing in Liiga for the past 2 seasons – for Ässat Pori. Despite battling through some injury troubles, he managed to contribute 3 goals and 11 points in 32 games last year as an 18-year old, which is pretty impressive.
He’s taken another leap forward this year. His stats haven’t really blossomed much (4 goals, 6 assists in 27 games) but his overall play has taken strides. He’s spent time on the team’s first line, and has earned his coach’s trust.
His fine play resulted in Killinen getting the nod for the Finnish squad at the World Junior Championships last month, where he recorded 2 assists in 7 games and spent some time on their top powerplay unit. Killinen does a lot of dirty work around the crease, and that’s often his sweet spot for goal scoring:
https://twitter.com/smliiga/status/1047784865867993088?s=21
Looking ahead, it’s likely Killinen will play out the rest of his contract with Assat, which expires in the summer of 2021. The Finnish league is high-quality competition, and a fine place for a local kid to develop. When his contract expires, the Hurricanes will likely hope to bring Killinen overseas to acclimate himself and his game to smaller North American ice.
I haven’t had the chance to watch him a ton, but based on limited viewings and well as various scouting reports I think a reasonable comparable for him is a Jordan Martinook-type player with untapped offensive upside. He plays a tough, energetic style of game and has raw offensive skills that may or may not progress.
Regardless, Killinen seems like the type of player that will become a fan favourite. The rugged style he plays with will be well-received by Caniacs – assuming he finds himself in the NHL at some point. It really does seem like his skill set could find him a grinding, hard-nosed NHL role someday, but I’m not sure I would count on him being anything more than a bottom-6 forward.