Heponiemi Headed Home After Signing Deal in Finnish Elite League
May 28, 2018 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Swift Current Broncos News Release
The Swift Current Broncos have announced on Monday that Finnish Import forward Aleksi Heponiemi has signed a multi-year contract with the Oulun Karpat hockey club of the Finnish Elite League.
Heponiemi joined the Broncos after being selected as the 10th overall pick in the 2016 CHL Import Draft and enjoyed two remarkable seasons in Swift Current. A product of Tampere, Finland, Heponiemi recorded 204 points (56g-148a) in 129 regular season contests to go along with a plus-57 rating. The 19-year-old also collected 38 postseason points (5g-33a) in 40 career playoff games with 30 of those points coming during the 2018 WHL Championship run.
Congratulations to @aleksiheponiemi for signing a contract with @OulunKarpatFi. We wish you all the best! https://t.co/u7Cwvb3Pyn
- SC Broncos (@SCBroncos) May 28, 2018
The 5'10", 141lb forward captured the Brad Hornung Trophy as the WHL's Most Sportsmanlike Player of the 2017-18 season and was subsequently named the CHL's Sportsmanlike Player of the Year on May 26th, 2018. Furthermore, he won the Jim Pioggott Memorial Trophy as the WHL Rookie of the Year for the 2016-17 campaign.
Heponiemi was drafted by the Florida Panthers in the second round, 40th overall at the 2017 NHL Draft in Chicago, Illinois.
Heponiemi and the Oulun Karpat are both coming off championship seasons as the Swift Current Broncos won the Ed Chynoweth Cup as WHL Champions while the Karpat defeated Tappara in six games to notch the club's eighth Finnish Elite League title in team history.
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