Vegas Golden Knights prospect Arttu Karki is looking to have a big first professional season in Liiga with Tappara.
The Golden Knights’ 2023 third-round pick enjoyed a stellar season with the Soo Greyhounds of the OHL. His season saw him score 21 goals and 45 points in 59 games, which was the fifth most on his team in both statistical categories.
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The impressiveness of his season doesn’t end just there. He finished inside the top 20 in points and top five in goals by a defenseman. Very impressive number and extremely rare for an 18/19-year-old in his first season in North America.
Despite his success during the 2023-24 campaign, Karki is heading back to Finland to play his first professional season. His time in Finland before the Golden Knights drafted him was spent in the junior leagues.
Listed at 6’2, 181 lbs, Karki will need to add weight to fill out his frame but the groundwork is there. His smooth skating and offensive instincts make him a threat whenever he’s on the ice and his play style could be very effective on European-sized ice.
With the Greyhounds Karki played on the right half-wall and scored many goals by one-timing it past the opposition’s goaltenders. It’s rare to see a defenseman in today’s game play any where else other than as the quarterback on the power play but Karki was such a threat from that spot he stayed there for the entirety of the season.
If the 19-year-old continues his upward trajectory, he could find himself signing his entry-level contract at some point and possibly playing AHL games at the end of the 2024-25 season. He’ll play a larger role with Finland at the World Juniors and will be given the opportunity to show what he is capable of on both sides of the puck.
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