Get excited about Aron Kiviharju, one of the 2024 NHL Draft’s premier defensemen

Credit: Steven Ellis/Daily Faceoff

It seems like with every draft class, we’re hearing more and more about players at an earlier age.

One of the first real mentions about Connor Bedard came in 2018 when The Hockey News did a feature on the “Future of Hockey.” Not too long after, an HFBoards thread appeared, discussing his exploits back home. The rest, they say, is history.

But Aron Kiviharju has to have one of the more extreme cases of early online buzz. The first thread all about the Finnish defender appeared online in 2017 – back when he was just 11 years old.

That’s a bit nuts, but it seems the hype was warranted. Here we are six years later, and Kiviharju is still among the best.

The European hockey model of signing kids to development deals to play throughout a team’s system before eventually turning pro allows players to be spotted early. Kiviharju was dominant against older competition from a young age before cracking the Finnish U-16 ranks at 13. The talent was evident early on.

Kiviharju is 17 now and is considered one of the top prospects for the 2024 NHL Draft. He was slotted seventh in Daily Faceoff’s initial draft ranking in July, the third defenseman behind Michigan State’s Artyom Levshunov and London Knights stalwart Sam Dickinson. It’s a stacked draft for blueliners, with Henry Mews, Cole Hutson, Zayne Parekh, Adam Jiricek, Charlie Elick and Zeev Buium all being quality candidates to go early.

Kiviharju is coming off an interesting season with some considerable ups and downs. He split the year between TPS’ Liiga and U-20 teams, recording three points against pros and 20 points at the junior level. His hockey IQ allowed him to dominate against his own age group, but his lack of size at 5-foot-10 caused issues against pros. Still, it’s a lot to ask from a 16-year-old to be playing against men consistently.

Kiviharju was a surprising cut from Finland’s world junior team, which, in hindsight, could have used his offensive stylings from the point. But he capped the year off by being Finland’s top player at the U-18 Worlds, playing more than 24 minutes a night the whole way.

It’s not uncommon for an underaged player to receive significant ice time. But the Finnish coaching staff put Kiviharju on the ice in all situations, even over older players with more experience. With 24:58 in average ice time, only Slovakia’s Maxim Strbak (25:44) played more during the U-18s, and Strbak was needed much more on that weaker Slovakian blueline. Finland had a much stronger D-corps, and yet Kiviharju was far and away the best Finnish skater. He finished with seven assists, with six of them being primary.

“It’s nice that the coaches trust me,” Kiviharju said during the tournament. “It’s a nice challenge, and I like to think I can handle it.”

The more Kiviharju plays, the more engaged he looks. His ice time fluctuated quite often in Liiga but never dipped below eight minutes. That’s not a luxury most U-17 defensemen get playing European pro, with some players waiting weeks between games. But Kiviharju earned his chances.

His smaller frame is a cause for concern, especially when there’s no shortage of puck-moving defensemen with size available next June. Kiviharju can be easily pushed around, and he doesn’t put much power behind his shot. But he has an innate ability to get himself out of trouble with the puck. He’s an excellent skater, especially under pressure along the blueline. He’s manipulative with the puck in the same way that makes Lane Hutson so difficult to read as an attacker.

“He’s not going to blow you away with speed, but he knows how to use his skating to his advantage,” said a Finnish scout. “He’s an active puck-mover that NHL teams crave these days. And that can make him prone to mistakes rushing in, but coaches like to see players willing to take risks with the puck, and he does it so effectively.”

Aron Kiviharju, #33 (Video via TSN)

At a basic level, few players in the 2024 draft class move the puck like Kiviharju. He’s so smart with his decision-making, whether it be waiting for the right pass or electing to do the work in close himself. Scouts describe him as a “proactive” defenseman that takes away time and space with little difficulty. Physically, he was in a better spot at the recent World Junior Summer Showcase than he was at, say, the start of 2022-23. But it’s still not a strength, and Kiviharju knows that.

“The biggest differences between the junior and adult levels are the speed and corner battles,” Kiviharju said. “The guys are so much bigger and they’re pretty skillful. Every move you make with or without the uck, you need to be sure with what you’re doing.”

Scouts have compared Kiviharju to Adam Fox, who isn’t a big defender at 5-foot-11. It happens to be Kiviharju’s favorite player due to how he thinks the game and distributes the puck. Fox just completed his second 70-point season with the New York Rangers, so if Kiviharju can unlock that offensive prowess, watch out.

With so much competition on the blueline for 2024, Kiviharju will have to stand out against men if he’s going to be the first one selected next summer. The talent is there, but it’s all about execution. He’ll get to prove his worth with Finland at the World Junior Championship and potentially participate in his third U-18 World Championship.

There will be plenty of chances for Kiviharju to put his game on display. Let see if the hype holds up.

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Get excited about Aron Kiviharju, one of the 2024 NHL Draft’s premier defensemen

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