We’re closing in on the top 10 of Fear the Fin’s Top 25 Under 25 San Jose Sharks prospects, and Kasper Halttunen is coming in at number 11. The 2023 second-round draft pick continues to impress in his first year post-draft, making a fairly easy transition from professional hockey in Finland to hockey in North America.
Position: Forward
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 207 lbs.
Age: 19
Date of Birth: June 7, 2005
Draft Year: 2023 (36th overall by the San Jose Sharks)
Shoots: Right
2024-25 Team: London Knights (OHL)/San Jose Barracuda
Halttunen played in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this past season, becoming a power play specialist for the London Knights. The Knights, with Halttunen playing a key role, won the J. Ross Robertson Cup at the end of the OHL tournament. The team was also a finalist in the Memorial Cup, ultimately losing in the championship game to the Saginaw Spirit.
Halttunen had 61 points in 57 games with the London Knights in the regular season, including 32 goals. In the postseason, he had ramped up his point-per-game production, scoring 26 points in 18 games. He had back-to-back hat tricks, helping him to 17 goals in the postseason.
What we like
A lot of Halttunen’s point production has to do with his shot. Halttunen has a “bullet shot,” according to Corey Pronman of The Athletic.
Other scouts and analysts have said that Halttunen has the best shot outside of the NHL. He’s an elite shooter, especially on the power play when there are more open lanes.
Areas of improvement
The trouble for Halttunen is that beyond his shot, it’s hard to say if he has many other positive attributes that will help turn him into a full-time NHL player.
Yes, Halttunen is a sniper from the top of the circle, and that will get him some goals, but the other aspects of his game need some work. Many of his goals came on the power play, and as our own Lakshya Jain reported at the close of this past season, that likely isn’t enough.
“His even-strength play and production alike left a lot to be desired,” wrote Jain. “He’s a very raw prospect who will likely need considerable seasoning in the AHL before making the NHL, though his pure goalscoring instincts mean that he will almost certainly get a crack at the top level eventually. He’s significantly bigger than the majority of players in the OHL, but his size advantage will fade as he gets to the NHL.”
While The Athletic’s Pronman found that Halttunen was more “consistent” this past season, “he’s still not the quickest player or the smartest playmaker.”
Ouch.
What’s next for Halttunen?
That said, his shot alone will get him some looks and even some consideration for the Barracuda roster this season. Halttunen is a transfer from Europe that played in the CHL, which means the rules for transferring to the professional level are a little different. Because he signed with the Sharks and then the London Knights, he can play for the Barracuda even though he’s under the normal 20 years of age cutoff.
Look for Halttunen to potentially start with the ‘Cuda, though the Sharks likely won’t be afraid to send him back to the Knights if he’s struggling against larger, more savvy players.
Halttunen is going to take some time to develop in spite of his shot. General Manager Mike Grier appears to value players who can add on both offense and defense, whether it’s on the man advantage or penalty kill. Recent signings like Collin Graf, Alex Wennberg and Tyler Toffoli indicate that it’s not just about a player’s ability to score but also to backcheck and make smart plays.
Halttunen will not be tossed into situations at the highest level until he can prove that he has a better handle on these attributes of his game. As we have reported before, there’s a considerable number of forwards already competing for one of the 12 forward spots on the opening night roster for the Sharks. Players like Filip Bystedt, the aforementioned Graf, Ethan Cardwell and Danil Gushchin are more likely to be called up before Halttunen even gets a thought.
Highlights
The speed and finesse of Halttunen’s shot is impressive.
Average Kasper Halttunen missile#SJSharks pic.twitter.com/RV1TNCsRTY
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) May 11, 2024
And thanks to the London Knights social media team for throwing together this compilation of Halttunen goals.
One minute of Kasper Halttunen having the best shot in junior hockey#SJSharks | #Knights pic.twitter.com/AYJrNPeTDl
— London Knights (@LondonKnights) July 18, 2024