I’m checking back in with Oliver Kapanen; his season in the SHL just gets better and better. I think loaning him there was smart and the Canadiens continue to get dividends on that decision.
The first thing I noticed was the difference in shots per game. He went from 3.1 to 3.5. That’s a big improvement from just over a month ago. It’s led to more goals. Last time, he had 16 points in 17 games and now he has 28 in 29 games. 13 of them were goals.
His face-off percentage, 50% is a tad off and his puck battle percentage is 50% according to InStat, again, mostly in line with the last time I checked in. That’s consistency.
Kapanen is fifth on Timra IK in scoring. At 21, he’s the youngest top scorer on the team. His power-play TOI used to be 1:30 and now it’s up to 2:14. His time on the penalty kill is up to 50 seconds on average up from:23 seconds. When the coaching staff has more confidence in a player, that’s what happens. Getting over 16 minutes of ice time on average is solid.
Next year, I would loan him again. It’s unlikely he would get this kind of usage with the Canadiens and the development has been good for him. This is how you develop. If you know a player can’t get these kinds of minutes and opportunities then you place him in a situation where he does. After that, the Canadiens can give him another look and my guess is they would see a better player who has the tools to handle the NHL.