The Vegas Golden Knights are giving 2026 first-round pick Arttu Piiparinen an early opportunity to experience NHL training camp and learn firsthand what it will take to reach the league.
Arttu Piiparinen may not be ready for the NHL just yet, but the Vegas Golden Knights are giving their 2026 first-round pick an early glimpse at what it will take to get there.
Piiparinen, selected 29th overall in June's NHL Draft, has been invited to join the Golden Knights for training camp after beginning the 2026-27 season with Tappara in Liiga.
The move shouldn't necessarily come as a surprise, even if some might view it as an early look for an 18-year-old defenseman who is still developing. Vegas wouldn't have invested a first-round pick in Piiparinen without believing there was significant potential to work with, and bringing him into camp gives the organization an opportunity to begin that process firsthand.
More importantly, it gives Piiparinen an opportunity to experience the NHL environment before he's expected to make the jump permanently.
He has already appeared in one game for Tappara this season after recording three assists, eight penalty minutes and a plus-6 rating across 29 regular-season appearances with the club last year. His numbers are hardly the most important part of this particular opportunity; the real value comes from spending time around an NHL organization and seeing what the next level actually looks like.
That includes working alongside players such as Jack Eichel, Ivan Barbashev and Mark Stone, veterans who have spent years learning how to prepare, recover and maintain themselves through the demands of an NHL season.
Piiparinen isn't going to become a finished product simply by spending a few weeks around those players, but the lessons can extend well beyond the ice. How veterans approach nutrition, recovery, off days, preparation and the daily grind of an 84-game season can provide a young player with an education that isn't available in a traditional development setting.
For Piiparinen, however, the biggest lesson may come from the pace of the game itself.
The defenseman has earned attention for his ability to move the puck and help his team exit the defensive zone under pressure, but NHL forechecking presents an entirely different challenge. The forwards closing in will be faster, stronger and more experienced, leaving less time to identify an outlet, make a decision and execute the play. Don't make the play in time and risk getting crushed.
That is precisely the type of pressure Piiparinen needs to experience.
He won't make the Opening Night roster, but the training camp experience can give him a much clearer understanding of the standard required to eventually become an NHL regular. Every practice, shift and conversation provides another piece of information he can take back to Finland and incorporate into his development.
There is no need for Vegas to rush him.
At this stage, the opportunity itself is what matters.
