Devils Should Be Excited About Lenni Hämeenaho's Potential

Lenni Hämeenaho looks on the right path to improving a New Jersey Devils supporting cast that needs it.

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Arseniy Gritsyuk isn't the only New Jersey Devils top prospect coming to North America for 2025-26. Shortly after Tom Fitzgerald and Sheldon Keefe's end-of-season press conference ended, the organization announced they had signed Lenni Hämeenaho to a three-year entry-level contract, beginning in 2025-26.

Hämeenaho was one of the top scorers in the Finnish Liiga this season as a 20-year-old, finishing with 51 points in 58 games. The Liiga isn't the highest-scoring league in the world, but Hämeenaho still finished 15th in scoring among all skaters.

Gritsyuk is likely the more NHL-ready of the two prospects, given their ages, and that Gritsyuk played in a better league than Hämeenaho. But Devils fans should be excited for Hämeenaho, as he appears to have a bright future, too.

Hämeenaho's Impressive Development

The Devils drafted Hämeenaho in the second round of the 2023 draft. It was a solid selection then, as he finished his draft-eligible season with 21 points in 52 games for Ässät in the Liiga, impressive production for an 18-year-old in a decent pro league.

Although Hämeenaho was a good pick at the time, I'm not sure anyone could have seen coming the glowup he's had since then. He finished his draft+1 season with 14 goals and 31 points in 46 games and only built on it this past season in his draft+2 year.

In his January ranking of the Devils' top prospects, Scott Wheeler had a positive report on Hämeenaho's game, noting:

"When he has played against his peers, he has flashed one-on-one skill and confidence as well, showing more of an ability to dance defenders. He has built a successful track record at the pro level playing a very well-rounded game, but he’s got talent, he stays around it, he’s got some vision and knows how to use his linemates, he’s smart around the net and there is some soft skill to his game. I could envision him becoming a complementary winger in the NHL, but I don’t see him as either a driver, a checker or a skill guy, so I’ll be interested to see what niche/role he carves out for himself."

I don't doubt Wheeler when he says he doesn't see Hämeenaho as a driver. I'd be surprised if that's an outcome for him, but I could see him fitting into the top nine seamlessly.