In a rather unexpected move, the Vegas Golden Knights have brought Juho Piiparinen to North America right after drafting him 29th overall this past summer.
Piiparinen, an 18-year-old defenseman, started the 2026-27 season with Tappara in the Finnish Liiga, but now, according to CBS Sports, the Golden Knights have recalled him and state that he will attend training camp later this month.
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Piiparinen didn’t necessarily tear things up with Tappara last season, but playing in Finland’s top-tier league at such a young age is an impressive feat in its own right. Elite Prospects compared him to Adam Larsson in their 2026 Draft Guide and stated, “While he doesn’t have any game-breaking tools or qualities, he does a lot of things very welland doesn’t have clear flaws, partly why he’s always been able to climb up the ranks quickly.”
Victor Nuno of DobberProspects shared a similar sentiment. ” His experience against professional competition has accelerated his defensive development, and he consistently demonstrates strong positioning, gap control, and poise under pressure,” he wrote back in July. “There is enough puck-moving ability to contribute offensively, but his greatest strengths remain his reliability and decision-making.
Overall, Piiparinen has often been referred to as Finland’s best blue line prospect since Miro Heiskanen back in 2017, which is massively high praise from the scouting community.
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In the lower tiers of Finnish hockey, Piiparinen was known for scoring at a very high rate. His offensive contribution has suffered mightily during his short time in Liiga, but he was still an effective player on a nightly basis. Last season, he registered three assists for Tappara and was a +6 in 29 games. While it was nothing Earth-shattering, it was impressive given his age.
The Golden Knights’ plan for Piiparinen moving forward isn’t necessarily clear at this stage, as they have some options on how to approach things. Of course, it’s possible that they loan him back to Finland after he participates in their NHL training camp, but that would seemingly defeat the entire purpose.
The London Knights do currently hold Piiparinen’s rights in the Canadian Hockey League, so it’s possible that he goes into the Major Junior pipeline in order to adapt to the North American style of play as well. This option would likely allow the young defenseman to shine offensively. If he goes to London, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him produce at a similar rate to what he did in the Finnish youth system.
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Given the fact that he was drafted out of Europe, the Golden Knights also have the option to send Piiparinen directly into their farm system as well. Depending on how they view their blue line with the Henderson Silver Knights this season, they may have decided that he could be of use at that level. This would be the highest level of competition that he’s ready for at this stage, and it would allow him to play in one of the world’s toughest leagues.
There’s also always the NCAA route available as well, but given how late it is into the summer, that would be difficult to pull off at this stage with no prior commitments.
Regardless of how Vegas General Manager Kelly McCrimmon decides to approach this situation, he has plenty of options and all of them have their benefits and their drawbacks.
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