Breaking into the NHL is never an easy thing, no matter what age you are. Coming into the league as the youngest player at that time makes things even harder, as you're bound to be under the microscope. That's exactly what happened with Montreal Canadiens' Jesperi Kotkaniemi in 2018-2019. At just 18 years old, he managed a very respectable 11 goals and 34 points, all while averaging just 14 minutes a game. Now 19, Kotkaniemi says he's looking forward to taking the next step and increasing his offensive output.
“I'm just trying to be a bit more selfish, I guess,” Kotkaniemi told Sportsnet during the recent NHL/NHLPA European Player Media Tour. “I think last year I had many good scoring chances and I didn't use those too much. I tried to pass too often and find the passing lane. This year I hopefully will score a little bit more.”
Kotkaniemi dressed for 79 games last season, only getting scratched a couple of times down the stretch as the Habs were coming very close to making the playoffs and the grind of the regular season seemed to be slowing him down a bit. The third overall pick in 2018, who looks to be bulkier than he was last season, says he hopes for more ice time this year to show what he can do.
“We haven't talked about that yet, but hopefully if I play well enough I will get more ice time,” said Kotkaniemi.
While he did have minor arthroscopic knee surgery in May, Kotkaniemi seems ready and anxious to get back to Montreal and to get the 2019-2020 season going.
“Finally,” he told Sportsnet. “The summer, I hate this. It's too long.”
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