Veeti Louhivaara

2023-24 Team: JYP
Date of Birth: Feb. 6, 2006
Place of Birth: Jyväskylä, Finland
Height: 6-foot-4, Weight: 198 pounds
Catches: Left
Position: Goaltender
Draft eligibility: first-year draft-eligible

Rankings

Elite Prospects: 99
NHL Central Scouting (EU Goalies): 11

Veeti Louhivaara is a Finnish goaltender who played for JYP’s U20 team in the Finnish junior league this past season. He appeared in 21 games and finished with an .890 save percentage. He also played in two games for Finland’s national team at the U18 level, posting a .921 save percentage.

Related: 2024 THW NHL Draft Guide

What you immediately notice about Louhivaara is his size, as he already measures 6-foot-4, 198 pounds. He uses his size well, helping him cut down angles from opposing attackers. However, one area he needs to work on is his lateral movement, as he struggles to move from post to post at times. Fortunately, that should improve as he adds more strength to his lower body and bulks up from 198 pounds.

Aside from his size, Louhivaara has a strong glove hand, and he controls rebound pretty well. What’s lacking in his game is that he doesn’t quite yet have the explosiveness he needs to be a higher pick in this year’s draft. That’s probably why his numbers were what they were with JYP’s U20 team in 2023-24.

The thing with Louhivaara is that he is quite raw. That’s usually the case with most draft-eligible goalies, even if you’re selecting someone like Yaroslav Askarov or Jesper Wallstedt in the first round. They need time to develop, no matter what. But if they have the tools an NHL team can mold over a few years, you take a shot at them later in the draft.

Louhivaara has some good intangibles. He has good size, a good glove hand, and seems to be pretty athletic. The lateral movement and explosiveness need to improve. His puck tracking can be inconsistent at times, though when he sees the puck well, he usually makes the save. There’s potential if you’re an NHL team looking to add goaltending depth in the later rounds of the draft.

Veeti Louhivaara — NHL Draft Projection

It’s always tough to tell when a goalie might get drafted. Unless a prospect like Askarov and Wallstedt are in the draft, most teams stray away from using high picks on them. Louhivaara’s numbers in the Finnish junior league weren’t great this season, but he has good size and will probably be attractive to teams because of that.

However, he was involved in a scary car accident a couple of months ago that required surgery for a lower-body injury. The good news is he should return to the ice relatively soon, but perhaps that hurts his draft stock a bit. Except for him to go off the board somewhere between Rounds 4-7.

Other THW Draft Profiles

Quotables

“Louhivaara is a sizeable goaltender who demonstrates strong mobility both on his feet and in his butterfly stance. He is quick and precise with his movements, easily navigating his crease. A key strength is how emphatically Louhivaara drives his knees into the ice when dropping into his butterfly, effectively covering the lower portion of the net. Additionally, he exhibits good rebound control…” – David Phillips, FC Hockey

“Louhivaara is a positionally sound goaltender who’s calm presence in net leaves his defence with a sense of security. He has the ability to let the game play out in front of him. He maintains his shoulders square to the puck and moving through the crease with purpose. Louhivaara’s tracking is also a plus. He’s able to consistently keep his eyes on the puck all the way into his save.” – David Phillips, FC Hockey

Strengths

Glove hand
Size
Athleticism
Rebound control
Compete level for loose pucks

Under Construction — Improvements to Make

Lateral/post-to-post movement
More consistent puck tracking
Strength
Explosiveness

NHL Potential

Goalies are complete shots in the dark, so you never know how one will develop in the few years after their draft year. But taking a conservative approach, Louhivaara likely projects as a backup or 1B if he makes it to the NHL.

Risk/Reward

Risk: 2.5/5, Reward: 3/5

Awards Achievements

2021-22:

U16 SM-sarja All-Star Team
U16 SM-sarja Best Goaltender (Jukka Tammi Award)
U16 SM-sarja Best SVS% (.943)

2022-2023:

EYOF Bronze Medal

Veeti Louhivaara Stats

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