# Kasperi Kapanen
**Kasperi Kapanen** (born 1996 in Kuopio, Finland) is a Finnish professional ice hockey right wing who plays for the [Edmonton Oilers](https://www.edgepedia.org/edmonton-oilers) of the [National Hockey League](https://www.edgepedia.org/national-hockey-league). A first-round pick of the [Pittsburgh Penguins](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh-penguins) in 2014, he has played for Toronto, Pittsburgh, St. Louis, and Edmonton, entering the 2026-27 season with 568 career regular-season games, 98 goals, and 141 assists.[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/k/kapanka01.html) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) He is the son of two-time NHL All-Star Sami Kapanen.[3](https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/a-happy-homecoming-for-kapanen-philadelphia-flyers-334261726)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1996, Kuopio, Finland; right wing, shoots right; 6'1", 194 lbs[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/k/kapanka01.html) • [2](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) |
| Draft | 22nd overall, first round, 2014 NHL Entry Draft, Pittsburgh Penguins[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/k/kapanka01.html) |
| NHL teams | Toronto Maple Leafs, Pittsburgh Penguins, St. Louis Blues, Edmonton Oilers[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) |
| Career totals (entering 2026-27) | 568 regular-season games, 98 goals, 141 assists; 56 playoff games, 12 goals, 13 assists[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) |
| Signature moments | Overtime golden goal for Finland at the 2016 World Juniors; Game 5 overtime series-clincher against Vegas in the 2025 playoffs[4](https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-kasperi-kapanen-s-big-moment-long-time-coming-288831298) • [5](https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) |
| Current contract | One year, $2.6 million AAV with Edmonton, signed July 1, 2026[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) |
| Family | Father Sami Kapanen (NHL 1995-2008); brother Konsta; cousin Oliver Kapanen[3](https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/a-happy-homecoming-for-kapanen-philadelphia-flyers-334261726) • [6](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2021-22/2022%20Draft%20Prospects%20-%20NHL%20Ties%20and%20Bloodlines.pdf) |
## Family and early career
Kapanen grew up around the NHL. His father, Sami Kapanen, spent 13 NHL seasons with the [Hartford Whalers](https://www.edgepedia.org/hartford-whalers), Carolina Hurricanes, and [Philadelphia Flyers](https://www.edgepedia.org/philadelphia-flyers), won the Fastest Skater event at the 2000 and 2002 All-Star Skills Competitions, and later became majority owner, CEO, and general manager of KalPa Kuopio in Finland's Liiga.[3](https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/a-happy-homecoming-for-kapanen-philadelphia-flyers-334261726) Kasperi was born in Kuopio but raised in the [Delaware Valley](https://www.edgepedia.org/delaware-valley) during his father's five years with the Flyers, and he played alongside his father at KalPa in 2013.[3](https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/a-happy-homecoming-for-kapanen-philadelphia-flyers-334261726) • [4](https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-kasperi-kapanen-s-big-moment-long-time-coming-288831298) The hockey family extends further: his younger brother Konsta plays for KalPa, and his cousin Oliver Kapanen was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens.[3](https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/a-happy-homecoming-for-kapanen-philadelphia-flyers-334261726) • [6](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2021-22/2022%20Draft%20Prospects%20-%20NHL%20Ties%20and%20Bloodlines.pdf)
The Pittsburgh Penguins selected him 22nd overall in the first round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.[1](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/k/kapanka01.html) Before that draft he had played the 2014-15 season with Atlanty Mytishchi in the KHL, recording 14 goals and 18 assists in 57 games.[7](https://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/assets/doc/Toronto-Bios-ab2aef8af8.pdf)
## Toronto Maple Leafs
On July 1, 2015, Toronto acquired Kapanen from [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) as part of the trade that sent [Phil Kessel](https://www.edgepedia.org/phil-kessel) to the Penguins.[4](https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-kasperi-kapanen-s-big-moment-long-time-coming-288831298) He made his NHL debut in 2015-16 with 9 scoreless games, then split the next two seasons between the [Toronto Marlies](https://www.edgepedia.org/toronto-marlies) of the American Hockey League and the Maple Leafs, appearing in 8 NHL games in 2016-17 and 38 in 2017-18.[7](https://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/assets/doc/Toronto-Bios-ab2aef8af8.pdf) • [8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/)
His reputation for big goals formed early. In his 19th career NHL game, a game that clinched a playoff spot for Toronto in 2017, he scored the game-tying goal in the third period against Pittsburgh; weeks later, in his second playoff game, he converted a pass from [Brian Boyle](https://www.edgepedia.org/brian-boyle) in the second overtime to beat Washington 4-3 in Game 2 of the first round.[4](https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-kasperi-kapanen-s-big-moment-long-time-coming-288831298) At the 2016 [IIHF World Junior Championship](https://www.edgepedia.org/iihf-world-junior-championship) he had scored the golden goal in overtime to give Finland a 4-3 win over Russia.[4](https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-kasperi-kapanen-s-big-moment-long-time-coming-288831298)
His full-season breakthrough came in 2018-19, when he skated 78 games and produced 20 goals and 24 assists for 44 points with a plus-12, followed by 36 points in 69 games in 2019-20.[8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/) In October 2020, with restricted free agency looming, Toronto traded him to Pittsburgh along with Pontus Aberg and Jesper Lindgren for Filip Hallander, Evan Rodrigues, David Warsofsky, and a 2020 first-round pick.[9](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2020-21/2020-21NHLOffseasonSummary.pdf)
## Pittsburgh and St. Louis
Kapanen played two seasons with the Penguins, posting 30 points in 40 games in the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season and 32 points in 79 games in 2021-22.[8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/) His production declined after a 2022-23 season split between Pittsburgh and St. Louis, and in 2023-24 he recorded 6 goals and 16 assists in 73 games for the Blues.[8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/) St. Louis placed him on waivers in November 2024, and Edmonton claimed him on November 19.[5](https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kapanen-to-one-year-contract)
## Edmonton Oilers
The waiver claim revived his career. In 57 games for Edmonton in 2024-25, Kapanen recorded 5 goals and 8 assists while averaging 12:01 of ice time, and he made his Stanley Cup Playoffs debut in the second round against the [Vegas Golden Knights](https://www.edgepedia.org/vegas-golden-knights). After five hits in Game 4, he scored the series-clinching goal in overtime of Game 5; he finished the postseason with 3 goals and 3 assists in 12 games as the Oilers reached the Conference Final.[5](https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) Edmonton re-signed him on June 30, 2025, to a one-year contract worth $1.3 million.[10](https://www.nhl.com/news/kasperi-kapanen-signs-1-year-deal-to-stay-in-edmonton)
His second Edmonton season was more productive. In 2025-26 he played 41 games, scoring 8 goals and 9 assists with a plus-5 in about 14:35 of ice time per game, and he led the Oilers with 4 goals in the 2026 postseason.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) • [8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/) On July 1, 2026, the Oilers re-signed him to a one-year contract with an average annual value of $2.6 million, double his previous salary, for a third season with the club.[2](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract) • [11](https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/kasperi-kapanen-edmonton-oilers-one-year-nhl-contract-free-agency-2026)
## Playing style
Kapanen's defining tool is speed. NHL Edge tracking in 2025-26 clocked his season-best top speed at 23.9 mph, in the 98th percentile against all skaters, against a league average best of 22.2 mph, and he recorded bursts over 20 mph 1.90 times per game; his hardest measured shot was 91.2 mph, in the 88th percentile.[8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/) Scouting assessments describe a winger who can beat defensemen wide from a standing start and score off the rush, but who is not a natural playmaker and has not been an effective cycle player, with his game built on open ice.[8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/) His career scoring rate has settled at roughly a 35-point pace over a full season in recent years, and he has been used as a middle-six winger and penalty-killer.[8](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/)
## References
1. [Kasperi Kapanen Stats, Hockey-Reference.com](https://www.hockey-reference.com/players/k/kapanka01.html)
2. [RELEASE: Oilers re-sign Kasperi Kapanen to one-year contract, NHL.com (July 1, 2026)](https://www.nhl.com/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kasperi-kapanen-to-one-year-contract)
3. [A Happy Homecoming for Kapanen, Philadelphia Flyers (May 23, 2022)](https://www.nhl.com/flyers/news/a-happy-homecoming-for-kapanen-philadelphia-flyers-334261726)
4. [Kasperi Kapanen's big moment has been brewing a while, NHL.com (April 16, 2017)](https://www.nhl.com/news/toronto-maple-leafs-kasperi-kapanen-s-big-moment-long-time-coming-288831298)
5. [RELEASE: Oilers re-sign Kapanen to one-year contract, Edmonton Oilers (June 30, 2025)](https://www.nhl.com/oilers/news/release-oilers-re-sign-kapanen-to-one-year-contract)
6. [NHL Ties and Bloodlines, 2022 Draft Prospects, NHL.com](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2021-22/2022%20Draft%20Prospects%20-%20NHL%20Ties%20and%20Bloodlines.pdf)
7. [2017-18 Toronto Marlies Bios, AHL](https://www.hartfordwolfpack.com/assets/doc/Toronto-Bios-ab2aef8af8.pdf)
8. [Kasperi Kapanen, Armchair Hockey Scout](https://armchairhockeyscout.com/players/kasperi-kapanen/)
9. [2020-21 NHL Offseason Summary, Toronto Maple Leafs](https://media.nhl.com/site/asset/public/ext/2020-21/2020-21NHLOffseasonSummary.pdf)
10. [Kapanen signs 1-year contract to remain with Oilers, NHL.com (June 30, 2025)](https://www.nhl.com/news/kasperi-kapanen-signs-1-year-deal-to-stay-in-edmonton)
11. [Oilers re-sign Kasperi Kapanen to one-year contract, Daily Faceoff](https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/kasperi-kapanen-edmonton-oilers-one-year-nhl-contract-free-agency-2026)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Sports, games, and recreation › Other team and ball sports › Hockey and remaining team sports › Ice hockey players and personnel › Wingers › Active wingers*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license