Devils Elated Hameenaho Slipped Into Their Grasp | FEATURE

As the 2023 NHL Draft moved from the first round and into the second round, the Devils scouting staff starting to feel an eager hopefulness.

The club had Finnish forward Lenni Hameenaho ranked as a first round player. And while he continued to slip into the second round, the Devils tried to bend fate in their favor.

"To get a guy that we thought would be first round-talent with the pick, we were crossing any digit we could cross as the picks started counting down," said Devils chief scout Mark Dennehy.

Whether the crossed digits were responsible or not for the Devils' luck, Hameenaho slipped into the 58th spot and New Jersey didn't hesitate to announce his name.

"It's amazing. I was a little bit nervous waiting to hear my name," Hameenaho said. "I'm so happy that New Jersey picked me."

Hameenaho, 18, skated with Assat of the Finnish pro league. Not only did the youth play well against the much older and experienced competition in the league, but he saw his ice time rise as the year progressed.

"He played against men the whole year. That's really hard to do for an 18-year-old kid," Dennehy said. "But he did so. He kept earning more and more ice. When you get to that level, I don't want to say it's less about development and more about winning, but pro coaches get fired. So if you're not producing, you're not going to play. That's sometimes the risk of younger players playing in the men's league.

"The mere fact that he consistently played and his ice time improved was a huge factor in his development."

Hameenaho posted nine goals and 21 points in 51 games in Liiga, adding three goals and four points in eight playoff games. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound right-shot also notched two points (1g-1a) in five games during the World Junior Championship.

"We like his wall play. We like his intelligence. We think he shoots the puck (well)," Dennehy said. "We're really happy with Lenni."

Hameenaho described his own game as such: "I'm a smart player. I'm best with the puck in the offensive side. I like (tot have) the puck and create scoring chances for myself and my linemates. I want to most improve my skating, explosiveness, first step."

Hameenaho, who may attend the club's annual Development Camp starting July 10, will return to Finland next year. He may be a few years away before he's ready to make the jump to the NHL.

"I think I need a few more years to develop my physical side and skating," he said. "Then I think I will be ready. … That is the smartest move for me."

After chatting with all 32 NHL clubs at the NHL Combine in Buffalo, Hameenaho had a hunch he could end up in Jersey.

"We had a good chat in the Combine," Dennehy said. "When I heard New Jersey was next up I was just waiting. I'm so happy that I heard my name."