The Montreal Canadiens are entering this upcoming season with several promising young players. One specific prospect who fans should be keeping a very close eye on during the 2025-26 season is forward Oliver Kapanen. This is because the 22-year-old forward has the potential to blossom into a solid part of the Canadiens’ roster.
Kapanen took a nice step forward in his development this past season in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Timra IK. In 36 games with the SHL club on the year, the 6-foot-2 forward recorded new career highs with 14 goals and 35 points in 36 games. This was after he had 14 goals and 34 points in 51 games with KalPa of the SHL in 2023-24. Thus, his offensive production went up in less games this past season, which is very encouraging.
Kapanen also played in his first 18 career NHL regular-season games with the Canadiens this past campaign, posting two assists. He also recorded one assist in three games for the Canadiens during the playoffs. Overall, while he did not make the most impact offensively while playing with Montreal in 2024-25, he did not look out of place and showed promise.
Now, Kapanen will be looking to take that next step with the Canadiens this upcoming season. He is one of the many Canadiens youngsters fighting for a spot on their NHL roster and is easily among their breakout candidates for the new year.
Read the full article here