Finnish center Henri Nikkanen, 23, has signed a two-year contract with SaiPa Lappeenranta, the Finnish Liiga club announced this weekend.
Nikkanen was under contract with the Winnipeg Jets until Thursday, when the NHL club placed him on waivers for the purpose of terminating his contract. Nikkanen had previously played in the top Finnish circuit from 2019 to 2022.
“I’m coming to SaiPa with a very positive mindset – it’s nice to be back in the Liiga after a break of a couple of years,” said Nikkanen. “There are several familiar guys on the team, which is of course a nice thing. I’ll definitely bring more strong two-way play to the team.”
“It’s great that we’re getting a domestic player who has experience in both the Liiga and North America,” said SaiPa sports director Harri Aho. “He’s a hard-working center who will also help us offensively. I’m very pleased that we reached an agreement with Henri that will continue next season.”
Originally from Mikkeli, Finland, Nikkanen came up through the ranks of the local Jukurit club and turned pro with that team, scoring two goals in nine Liiga games as a 17-year-old in 2018-19. Overall, the 6-foot-5, 216-pound center has 37 points and 28 penalty minutes in 146 Liiga games with Jukurit and the Lahti Pelicans.
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Nikkanen was taken in the fourth round, 113th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Playing for the Manitoba Moose since 2022, he has 32 points and 48 penalty minutes in 148 AHL regular-season and playoff games. This season, he had four points in 13 games before being waived.
Nikkanen joins a SaiPa team that currently sits first overall in the Liiga standings with 61 points in 31 games and enjoyed an incredible 14-game winning streak – 12 of them in regulation – from Oct. 19 until Dec. 7. SaiPa’s roster includes veteran goaltender Michael Hutchinson and former NHL journeyman defenseman Mark Pysyk, but is otherwise a rather annonymous group for those outside of Finland, led in scoring by Ville Petman’s 30 points in 30 games.
“It’s been nice to watch the team’s success in the early season – I can’t wait to get involved myself soon,” said Nikkanen.
SaiPa’s next game is Dec. 18 against the Pelicans in Lahti.