Kasper Halttunen
| Kasper Halttunen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Halttunen with the San Jose Barracuda in 2026 | |||
| Born |
7 June 2005 Helsinki, Finland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm) | ||
| Weight | 215 lb (98 kg; 15 st 5 lb) | ||
| Position | Winger | ||
| Shoots | Right | ||
| NHL team (P) Cur. team Former teams |
Ottawa Senators Belleville Senators (AHL) HIFK | ||
| NHL draft |
36th overall, 2023 San Jose Sharks | ||
| Playing career | 2022–present | ||
Kasper Halttunen (born 7 June 2005) is a Finnish professional ice hockey player who is a winger for the Belleville Senators of the American Hockey League (AHL) as a prospect under contract to the Ottawa Senators of the National Hockey League (NHL).[1] Halttunen was drafted 36th overall by the Sharks in the second round of the 2023 NHL entry draft.[2]
Playing career
[edit]Halttunen made his professional debut for IFK Helsingfors on 24 September 2022, in a game against KooKoo Kouvola.[3][4] Following his selection by the Sharks, as the first Finnish prospect chosen in the 2023 NHL entry draft, Halttunen was signed to a three-year, entry-level contract with San Jose on 12 July 2023.[5] In August 2023, he signed for the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League.[6] In the 2024 playoffs Halttunen led the OHL in playoff goals as the Knights won the J. Ross Robertson Cup.[7] As OHL champions, the Knights played in the 2024 Memorial Cup in Saginaw, where they reached the championship game but were defeated 4–3 by the host Saginaw Spirit, in a rematch of the teams' semi-final series during the OHL playoffs.[8] Halttunen was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star Team.[9]
After participating in the San Jose Sharks' training camp, Halttunen was assigned to play with San Jose's American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the San Jose Barracuda, to begin the 2024–25 season. He had four points in six games before being sent back to the OHL for the remainder of the season.[10] The London Knights won their second consecutive Robertson Cup, with Halttunen recording 21 points. He scored nine goals in the championship series against the Oshawa Generals, the most for an OHL player in the playoff finals since Jonathan Cheechoo in 1999. In recognition of this, Halttunen received the Wayne Gretzky 99 Award as the most valuable player of the postseason.[11] The Knights went on to compete at the 2025 Memorial Cup, ultimately defeating the Medicine Hat Tigers for the title.[12]
On 23 June 2026, Halttunen was traded to the Ottawa Senators alongside forwards William Eklund and Brandon Svoboda for a 2026 first-round pick.[13]
International play
[edit]| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
Representing  Finland | ||
| World Junior Championships | ||
 | 2025 Canada | |
| IIHF World U18 Championships | ||
 | 2022 Germany | |
Halttunen represented Finland under-18 team at the 2022 World U18 Championships where he recorded three goals and two assists in six games and won a bronze medal. He also won a silver medal at the 2025 World Junior Championships while representing the Finland junior team. He recorded one goal and three assists in the tournament.
Career statistics
[edit]Bold indicates led league
Regular season and playoffs
[edit]| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2021–22 | Jokerit | U20 | 41 | 24 | 14 | 38 | 75 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | ||
| 2022–23 | HIFK | U20 | 18 | 18 | 6 | 24 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | HIFK | Liiga | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | Kiekko-Vantaa | Mestis | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 2023–24 | London Knights | OHL | 57 | 32 | 29 | 61 | 61 | 18 | 17 | 9 | 26 | 14 | ||
| 2024–25 | London Knights | OHL | 38 | 21 | 20 | 41 | 38 | 17 | 15 | 6 | 21 | 18 | ||
| 2024–25 | San Jose Barracuda | AHL | 6 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2025–26 | San Jose Barracuda | AHL | 69 | 16 | 19 | 35 | 45 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| Liiga totals | 27 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||||
International
[edit]| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Finland | HG18 | 4th | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | |
| 2022 | Finland | U18 |  |
6 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Finland | HG18 | |
5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 2023 | Finland | U18 | 5th | 5 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 6 | |
| 2024 | Finland | WJC | 4th | 7 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 4 | |
| 2025 | Finland | WJC |  |
7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 | |
| Junior totals | 35 | 14 | 14 | 28 | 26 | ||||
Awards and honours
[edit]| Award | Year | Ref |
|---|---|---|
| CHL | ||
| Memorial Cup All-Star Team | 2024 | [9] |
| Memorial Cup champion | 2025 | [12] |
| OHL | ||
| J. Ross Robertson Cup champion | 2024, 2025 | [7][11] |
| Wayne Gretzky 99 Award | 2025 | [11] |
References
[edit]- ↑ "Kasper Halttunen at eliteprospects.com". eliteprospects.com. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ↑ "Kasper Halttunen huudettiin ensimmäisenä suomalaisena NHL:n varaustilaisuudessa". Yle Urheilu (in Finnish). 17 January 2023. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ↑ "Liiga". liiga.fi. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ↑ Pulkkinen, Aki-Petteri (24 September 2022). "HIFK:lla ja HPK:lla nuoret debytantit SM-liigassa – 16-vuotias lupaus kovaan paikkaan Kärppiä vastaan". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 29 June 2023.
- ↑ "San Jose Sharks sign forward Kasper Halttunen to entry-level contract". San Jose Sharks. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 12 July 2023.
- ↑ "Knights sind import pick Halttunen". London Knights. 9 August 2023. Retrieved 9 August 2023.
- 1 2 "Tournament field set for 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow". chl.ca. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
- ↑ Alter, David (3 June 2024). "Maple Leafs Prospect Easton Cowan and London Knights Fall Short in Heartbreaking Memorial Cup Final to Saginaw Spirit". The Hockey News. Retrieved 3 June 2024.
- 1 2 Séguin, Christopher (3 June 2023). "Spirit win their first-ever CHL championship title by defeating the Knights 4-3 in the final of the 2024 Memorial Cup presented by Dow". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ↑ Pashelka, Curtis (18 November 2024). "Sharks return second-round draft pick to junior hockey". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- 1 2 3 "London Knights win second straight J. Ross Robertson Cup as OHL Champions". Canadian Hockey League. 15 May 2025. Retrieved 16 May 2025.
- 1 2 Séguin, Christopher (2 June 2025). "London Knights edge Medicine Hat Tigers to secure a historic third Memorial Cup title". Canadian Hockey League. Retrieved 2 June 2025.
- ↑ "Ottawa Senators acquire William Eklund and two prospects from the San Jose Sharks in exchange for a first-round pick in 2026". NHL.com. 23 June 2026. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
External links
[edit]- Biographical information and career statistics from NHL.com, or Eliteprospects.com, or Eurohockey.com, or The Internet Hockey Database