- Age
- 26
- Shoots
- Left
- Height
- 191 cm
- Weight
- 96 kg
- Born
- Pori, FIN
- Draft
- 2018, round 1, #3 (MTL)
Career · 2018–19 to 2026–27
- Games
- 520
- Goals
- 78
- Points
- 203
- TOI per game
- 13:28
- xGF% (5v5)
- 54.6%
- Goals above expected
- −7.1
Season by season
The regular-season line for each season, with the total, by team for traded players.
| 2018–19 |   MTL | 79 | 11 | 23 | 34 | +1 | 13:44 | 134 | 8.2% | 5 | 10.8 | 55.7% |
| 2019–20 | MTL | 36 | 6 | 2 | 8 | −11 | 13:00 | 55 | 10.9% | 2 | 5.6 | 45.2% |
| 2020–21 | MTL | 56 | 5 | 15 | 20 | −1 | 14:48 | 87 | 5.7% | 4 | 7.9 | 51.0% |
| 2021–22 |   CAR | 66 | 12 | 17 | 29 | +3 | 12:01 | 81 | 14.8% | 4 | 9.6 | 54.6% |
| 2022–23 | CAR | 82 | 18 | 25 | 43 | +10 | 14:44 | 129 | 14.0% | 11 | 16.7 | 57.8% |
| 2023–24 | CAR | 79 | 12 | 15 | 27 | −4 | 12:59 | 128 | 9.4% | 2 | 15.4 | 56.0% |
| 2024–25 | CAR | 78 | 12 | 21 | 33 | +9 | 14:04 | 115 | 10.4% | 1 | 14.1 | 56.2% |
| 2025–26 | CAR | 42 | 2 | 7 | 9 | +3 | 11:21 | 42 | 4.8% | 0 | 4.9 | 51.7% |
| 2026–27 | CAR | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | −1 | 9:06 | 1 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0 | 54.1% |
| Total | 2 teams | 520 | 78 | 125 | 203 | +9 | 13:28 | 772 | 10.1% | 29 | 85.1 | 54.6% |
Form
Rolling averages smooth out single games so the trend shows.
Points and individual expected goals per game (left scale), averaged over the previous ten games. Ice time is on the second chart.
Player card
How 2018–19 to 2026–27 compares with everyone else at the position over the same seasons, and the players with the most similar profile.
Overall rating
2nd line
62nd percentile among qualified forwards, blending scoring 40%, play-driving 40%, usage 20%.
- 1st line
- 2nd line
- 3rd line
- 4th line
- Extra / AHL
Scoring
3rd line- Goals /600.6748th pct
- Assists /601.0768th pct
- ixG /600.7350th pct
- Goals above expected−7.121st pct
Play-driving
1st line- xGF% (5v5)54.6%93rd pct
- CF% (5v5)57.8%99th pct
- Relative xGF%−0.653rd pct
- Penalty diff /60-0.0534th pct
Usage
3rd line- TOI per game13:2852nd pct
- PP time share29.9%65th pct
- Offensive zone starts70.8%91st pct
- Quality of competition23.6%32nd pct
Percentiles among forwards with 200+ minutes at 5-on-5 and 20+ games. Ratings rank each column's average percentile among the same players and read it as a role on a depth chart (how).
Faceoffs
How often Kotkaniemi wins the draw over 2018–19 to 2026–27, against whom and where, and what a win leads to. Ranked among players with 1549+ draws over the same seasons.
Win rate
49.2%
2114–2181 · #117 of 196 regulars, 41st percentile
Against an average centre
49.2%
Opponents won 50.0% of their draws; an average centre would have won 50.0% against them.
Wins above average
−35
Draws won beyond what an average centre facing the same opponents would have won.
Draws per game
8.6
4,295 draws in all.
By dot, attacking to the right
Win rate at each dot; the small numbers are draws and the xG swing (×100) of winning rather than losing there.
By zone
- Offensive zone50.7% 884–860
- Neutral zone47.3% 740–823
- Defensive zone49.6% 490–498
By strength
- Even strength49.1% 1916–1989
- Power play51.4% 182–172
- Shorthanded44.4% 16–20
What a win leads to
Shot attempts in the next 20 seconds, for minus against, per 100 draws: +22 after a win, −7 after a loss. Each win was worth 1.2 expected goals per 100 draws more than a loss.
Most-faced opponents
- Bo Horvat53.4% 47–41
- John Tavares40.4% 23–34
- Mikael Backlund33.9% 19–37
- Adam Lowry49.1% 27–28
- Leon Draisaitl45.7% 21–25
- J.T. Compher60.0% 27–18
- Brock Nelson43.2% 19–25
- Chris Tierney44.2% 19–24
Season by season
| Season | Draws | Win rate | Against average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | 785 | 45.7% | 45.7% |
| 2019–20 | 292 | 42.8% | 42.3% |
| 2020–21 | 549 | 47.9% | 48.2% |
| 2021–22 | 344 | 51.2% | 50.7% |
| 2022–23 | 700 | 51.4% | 51.9% |
| 2023–24 | 646 | 51.5% | 51.0% |
| 2024–25 | 709 | 51.8% | 51.9% |
| 2025–26 | 270 | 48.5% | 48.2% |
Cumulative goals (solid) and individual xG (dashed) through the season. The gap is finishing: above the dashed line, the player scored more than an average shooter would from the same chances.
−7.1 goals above expected
Goals above expected, everyone at the same position with 20+ games
Speed and tracking
From the NHL's EDGE tracking system (2021–22 on): skating speed, shot speed, distance and zone time, for the selected seasons and then every tracked season, to show improvement or decline.
Values from the NHL's puck and player tracking, with the NHL's own league percentile for each. Missing values mean the player wasn't tracked enough.
Tracking
- Top skating speed31.9 km/h6th pct
- Speed bursts over 20 mph00th pct
- Hardest shot95.3 km/h11th pct
- Distance skated5 km8th pct
- Offensive-zone time47.7%88th pct
Each season against the other forwards that season with 20+ games. A season in progress appears once half its games are played, as provisional: season bests only grow. Bursts and distance are per 60 minutes of ice time, so seasons with fewer games still compare. Percentiles are on these rates, so they can differ from the NHL's, which are on season totals.
Top skating speed
34.8 km/h13th pct
▼ −1.1 km/h since 2024–25
Bursts over 20 mph per 60
3.021st pct
▼ −2.4 since 2024–25
Distance skated per 60
15.8 km66th pct
▲ +0.0 km since 2024–25
Hardest shot
132.0 km/h18th pct
▼ −15.9 km/h since 2024–25
Offensive-zone time
44.1%78th pct
▼ −2.3 points since 2024–25