The London Knights have signed potential 2027 lottery pick Luca Santala to a deal
Finnish forward Luca Santala has signed a Scholarship and Development Agreement with the London Knights, the team has announced.
Santala, a 16-year-old forward out of Finland, was selected by London with their first pick of the 2026 CHL Import Draft, 40th overall.
A projected first round pick in the 2027 NHL Entry Draft, Santala spent last season in Finland's U20 team Kiekko-Espoo, having seven goals and 12 points in 25 games, with 12 goals and 22 points in 17 games with the team's U18 squad.
Santala has appeared internationally for Finland at both the U17 and U18 level, including at the U18 World Championships, having six points in five games.
Santala was one of two important draft picks in 2026 by London. The Knights selected defenseman Juho Piiparainen with their second pick, another Finn.
Piiparinen was selected in the first round of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft by the Vegas Golden Knights, 29th overall. Vegas signed Piiparainen to an entry-level contract on Wednesday.
In a recent ranking by Daily Faceoff for the 2027 NHL Draft, Steven Ellis ranked Santala 12th.
A two-way forward, Santala is capable of playing both as a center and on the wing. He's a high level goalscoring threat with strong puck accuracy and defensively reliable.
Santala signing fills London's third and final import slot, with defenseman and Flyers prospect Maksim Sokolovskii expected to return for another season before joining the University of Maine. Defenseman Linus Funck, a prospect of Colorado, is also expected to return.
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