[Sandman]

Draft Thoughts (Goalie Edition, Vol. 11):

LCG Petteri Rimpinen (6'0",176lbs)
Kiekko-Espoo (Liiga): 40 gp/ 16-9-4, 2.35 GAA, .912 SV%

19 year-old neminder Petteri Rimpinen (ranked # 8 EU Goalies) led Team Finland to a Silver Medal at the 2025 edition of the World Junior Championship, losing 4-3 in OT to the Americans in the Gold-Medal Game, and was named as the tournament's Best Goaltender, with a 5-2-0 record, to go with a 2.34 GAA, and a .933 SV%. In league play this season, Rimpinen was 2nd-overall in SV%, 7th in GAA, and 4th in TOI (2421 min), for a middling Kiekko-Espoo squad in Finland's top men's league, and went 2-3-0 in the playoffs, sporting a 2.71 GAA (13th), and a .920 SV% (6th). There was never any real doubt that Rimpinen had ability between the pipes, but he was left off the NHL draft-board in 2024, mostly due to size concerns- but he most likely won't be left undrafted this summer, after the season he had in 2024-25. Last year, in 2023-24, his draft-year was highlighted by his stellar play in the Mestis, Finland's second-tier men's league, where he posted a 6-4-3 record with Kiekko-Espoo, with a 1.94 GAA (1st-overall), and a .925 SV% (1st). His amazing performance continued in the playoffs, going 5-5-0, with a 1.82 GAA, and a .926 SV%. His big-game performances, as well as his superb athleticism and reflexes, have garnered him plenty of attention, and scouts might be loosening up their views on shorter goalies somewhat when it comes to him; some have him pegged for the 2nd, or 3rd-round.

Rimpinen makes up for a lack of ideal size with his high activity rate in the crease, his superior athleticism, as well as his high-end hockey sense and anticipation. He covers a lot of ground in the blue-paint with astonishing quickness, going side-to-side in a flash, and playing a lot at the top of his crease to challenge shooters, cut down angles, and make himself look larger. A butterfly goalie, he doesn't have the capability of covering his net like a lot of his contemporaries, so he relies on his high-end reflexes to either flash the glove to snag the puck out of mid-air, or blocker the shot to the corner- and his pads are uncommonly fast. When down in the butterfly, he is incredibly flexible in stretching out his long legs to make kick-saves, and he moves about expeditiously on his knees to seal off the bottom of his net; he recovers fluidly to a set position after being down on the ice in the butterfly. There are still issues at times with keeping pucks out of the top of the net. Rimpinen is extremely competitive, and many say that he has had to dial-back his intensity, and learn more control, both in his mobility in his crease, and in the highs and lows of his emotions in goal. He is more patient this year, and is letting the play come to him, rather than trying to be over-aggressive- he is looking much calmer, and more poised, which is contagious to his teammates. His play-tracking abilities are elite, and he reads the play at an advanced level, which gives him the anticipation to be in the right spot to make the save- almost proactively. This contributes to his virtually spotless positioning, that enables him to always be square to the puck, and always in the right position in his crease to make the stop. He also exerts keen timing to poke-check attackers who come too close to his net, which frustrates his opponents.

Though perhaps not infallible, he exhibits fairly well-developed rebound control; he absorbs shots well, and doesn't give up too many egregious second-chance opportunities, but when he does- he usually swallows them up. In scramble scenarios, he is tenacious, and gives multiple efforts to recover the puck. Rimpinen makes highlight-reel saves often, and can make them look routine, with many of them changing the momentum of the game. He stops a high number of grade "A" chances, and plays well against high-danger opportunities with his focus, and high-level compete. When keeping it simple, he is a fairly good puck-handler, and a steady passer, who helps to turn defense into offense by contributing to his team's breakout. In times of extreme pressure, he can rim the boards to relieve his teammates, and can clear the puck from the zone in penalty-kill situations. Size is still likely a concern, but there's plenty of upside here- I think he could be picked in the 4th, or 5th-round.