Jiko Laitinen – 2026 NHL Draft Prospect Profile – The Hockey Writers – NHL Prospects

Jiko Laitinen

2025-26 Team: Ilves (Liiga) / Ilves U20 (U20 SM-sarja)
Date of Birth: April 16, 2008
Place of Birth: Tampere, FIN
Ht: 6-foot-0
Wt: 163 pounds
Shoots: L
Position: C
NHL Draft Eligibility: 2026 first-year eligible

Rankings

When Jiko Laitinen scored in his Liiga debut on Oct. 17, 2025, Ilves’ social media team had the graphic ready: Matti Kaario and Jiko Laitinen, the first grandfather-grandson duo in Ilves’ (Liiga) history. Kaario captained Ilves to a Finnish championship in 1985 as a defenseman and spent his entire career in Tampere.

Forty years later, his grandson scored in his first top-level game at Nokia Arena, the 13,000-seat venue that replaced the old Tampereen jäähalli where Kaario once played, tying a playoff-race game against TPS at 3-3 before Ilves won in overtime. But for Laitinen, the story goes beyond bloodlines. He worked hard to earn the call-up.

Laitinen’s 2025-26 season was a genuine breakout. After a modest 14 points in 32 games with Ilves U20 in the SM-sarja in 2024-25, he hit a point-per-game pace this season, posting 19 goals and 41 points in 41 contests. That jump in production, from 0.44 points per game to 1.00, is the kind of year-over-year improvement that gets scouts’ attention, particularly when it comes alongside Liiga callups against professional competition.

Laitinen was playing professional hockey before his Liiga debut, appearing in the Champions Hockey League (CHL) for Ilves, again scoring in his debut, a 5-0 win against HC Kometa Brno. At 17 years, five months, and 22 days old, he became the youngest goal scorer in Ilves’ CHL history.

That goal, followed by his Liiga debut marker just weeks later, established him as a legitimate player. He received the puck from Iivari Heikkinen in front of the net and lifted it past TPS goaltender Aatu Niittymäki to tie the game at 48:00 of the third period, showing the kind of net-front composure that defines his offensive game.

Finland’s national program also trusted him with meaningful minutes at the international level. Laitinen represented Finland at the U18 level throughout the season, with six goals and 10 points in 14 games across Five Nations tournaments and the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship in Slovakia. He was on the roster at the U18 Worlds alongside fellow 2026 draft-eligible Finns Oliver Suvanto, Samu Alalauri, Vilho Vanhatalo, and Juho Piiparinen, a group that forms the core of Finland’s talent in this draft class.

Elite Prospects’ scouting reports point to Laitinen’s hockey sense as his defining attribute, noting that he was a standout at the November Five Nations tournament in Sweden and described his understanding of the game as, ‘he simply gets it.’ His processing speed and positional awareness allow him to stay a step ahead of opponents despite missing elite foot speed. He reads plays before they develop, finds soft spots in coverage, and makes quick, effective decisions with the puck.

His limitations are straightforward. At 6-feet and 163 pounds, Laitinen needs to add significant strength to his frame before he can handle the physicality of the NHL game on a nightly basis. His skating, while functional and smart, does not project to be part of his skill set at the top level. He lacks the explosive first strides that separate high-end NHL centers from depth options. His U20 SM-sarja production is strong, but the league is not as competitive as Liiga, the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), or even the top Canadian Hockey League circuits.

There is also the matter of sample size at the men’s level. He played a small number of Liiga and CHL games this season. Those appearances were impressive, but a handful of call-up shifts do not constitute a solid body of work against professional competition. The real test comes next season, when he is expected to push for a regular Liiga role. Ilves signed him to a contract extension in April 2026, signaling they see him as part of the club’s future.

Jiko Laitinen – NHL Draft Projection

Laitinen projects as a fifth to seventh-round selection, a hockey-IQ-first center whose game sense and production spike will appeal to teams that prioritize smarts over raw tools. His NHL Central Scouting ranking of 48th among European skaters places him on the fringe of the draft, but his combination of hockey lineage, Liiga exposure, international minutes with Finland’s U18 program, and a legitimate breakout season gives him a floor that many late-round candidates do not have. A team with the patience to wait on physical maturity and skating development could find a capable two-way forward here.

Quotables

“There’s no getting around the fact that Laitinen just gets the game of hockey.” – Elite Prospects scouting report

“Laitinen was a standout for me when I last saw him at the November Five Nations tournament in Sweden.” – Elite Prospects scouting report

Strengths

• Elite hockey sense and anticipation; reads plays before they develop
• Significant year-over-year production spike (0.44 to 1.00 points per game in U20 SM-sarja)
• Scored in both his first CHL and first Liiga appearances, demonstrating composure against older competition
• Strong net-front presence and finishing ability in tight spaces
• Trusted with meaningful minutes in Finland’s U18 international program
• Comes from a deep hockey family within the Ilves system; organizational familiarity runs generations deep

Under Construction – Needs Improvement

• Undersized at 6-feet, 163 pounds; needs to add considerable muscle to compete physically at the NHL level
• Skating lacks the explosive burst needed to separate at higher levels of play
• Limited men’s league sample size; Liiga and CHL appearances were brief callups, not sustained roles
• U20 SM-sarja production, while strong, does not carry the same draft weight as Liiga, SHL, or the top CHL league output

NHL Potential

Laitinen’s path to the NHL runs through Liiga. He needs to secure a regular roster spot with Ilves, produce in a middle-six role, and continue adding to his frame. If his skating develops even modestly and his hockey IQ continues to translate against tougher competition, there is a realistic chance for him to become a depth center who can kill penalties and contribute offensively in a third-line role.

His tools are not flashy, but his instincts are real, and his production arc is pointed sharply upward. For the Ilves organization, the fact that Matti Kaario’s grandson is now scoring goals in the Liiga is more than nostalgia. It is a validation that their development pipeline is producing NHL-caliber candidates.

Risk-Reward Analysis

Risk: 4/5, Reward: 2/5

Fantasy Hockey Potential

Offense: 4/10, Defense: 5/10

Awards/Achievements

• Scored in his Liiga debut for Ilves against TPS on Oct. 17, 2025
• Youngest goal scorer in Ilves’ Champions Hockey League history (17 years, five months, 22 days)
• Represented Finland at the 2026 IIHF U18 World Championship (Top Division) in Slovakia
• First grandfather-grandson pair in Ilves Liiga history (alongside Matti Kaario)
• Point-per-game pace in the U20 SM-sarja in 2025-26 (41 points in 41 games)
• Signed contract extension with Ilves in April 2026

Interviews/Links

Jiko Laitinen Stats

Videos