Aron Kiviharju

Aron Kiviharju (born 25 January 2006)[1] is a Danish-born Finnish ice hockey defenceman for HIFK of the Finnish Elite League (SM-liiga). Formerly considered one of the top prospects in his draft class, a major injury significantly dampened his scouting consensus.[2]

Aron Kiviharju
Born (2006-01-25) 25 January 2006
Esbjerg, Denmark
Height 178 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 75 kg (165 lb; 11 st 11 lb)
Position Defence
Shoots Left
SML team
Former teams		 IFK Helsingfors
HC TPS
National team  Finland
NHL draft 122nd overall, 2024
Minnesota Wild
Playing career 2022–present

Playing career

The Dubuque Fighting Saints drafted Kiviharju as the 147th pick in the 2022 United States Hockey League (USHL) Futures Draft. Despite this, he continued to play with Finnish club HC TPS for the 2022–23 season. Kiviharju made his professional debut at only 16 years old in the second round of the Champions Hockey League on 4 September 2022 against EV Zug, lining up as TPS's seventh defender.[3] Kiviharju had 13:47 minutes of ice time in the match, ending in a 4–0 loss. He made his SM-liiga debut in the opening round of the regular season on 13 September, an away game against Tappara.[4] He finished the SM-liiga season with three points, all assists, in 21 games.[2]

For the 2023–24 SM-liiga season Kiviharju left TPS for HIFK.[5][6] He would only appear in seven games in the season, due to a knee injury that required surgery. In his limited sample, he recorded a goal and an assist. Once perceived as a top prospect, the injury and concerns about his size saw his projection slide to the tail end of the first round or later.[2][7] His final ranking from NHL Central Scouting was eighth among European skaters.[8]

International play
Medal record
Men's ice hockey
Representing  Finland
World U18 Championship
2022 Germany

At the 2024 World U18 Championship, not quite healed from surgery six months earlier to repair a dislocated kneecap, Kiviharju recorded three assists in five games and led Team Finland with a 21:54 average ice time.[8]

Personal life

Aron "Arska"[9] Kiviharju was born in Esbjerg, Denmark, while his father, Jani, was playing with EfB Ishockey. He grew up in Raisio, Finland.[10]

Career statistics
    Regular season   Playoffs
Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM
2021–22 TPS Turku U20 SM-sarja 35723308 61340
2022–23 TPS Turku U20 SM-sarja 22218208 81562
2022–23 TPS Turku SM-liiga 210332 —————
2022–23 TPS Turku CHL 51560 —————
2023–24 TPS Turku SM-liiga 71120 —————
SM-liiga totals 281442 —————

International
Year Team Event Result GPGAPtsPIM
2022 Finland U18 60660
2022 Finland HG18 51560
2023 Finland U18 5th 50770
2024 Finland U18 5th 50332
Junior totals 21121222

References
  1. "Liiga". liiga.fi. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  2. Chauvancy, Alex (26 March 2024). "Aron Kiviharju — 2024 NHL Draft Prospect Profile - The Hockey Writers NHL Entry Draft Latest News, Analysis & More". The Hockey Writers. Retrieved 19 May 2024.
  3. "Matches". www.championshockeyleague.com. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  4. "16-vuotias superlupaus debytoi SM-liigassa – kausi pyörähtää käyntiin huippuottelulla". mtvuutiset.fi (in Finnish). 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2023-01-07.
  5. "Aron Kiviharju". HIFK (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  6. Huttunen, Sasha (2023-03-24). "Nyt pamahti siirtopommi! TPS:n timantti Aron Kiviharju, 17, loikkaa HIFK:hon". Ilta-Sanomat (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-08-09.
  7. McKenzie, Bob. "McKenzie's Final Draft Ranking: Many attractive and diverse options after Celebrini". TSN. Retrieved 25 June 2024.
  8. Kimelman, Adam (June 4, 2024). "Kiviharju building profile at Combine following recovery from injury". www.nhl.com. Retrieved June 7, 2024.
  9. "Aron Kiviharju teki kiekkohistoriaa - HC TPS" (in Finnish). 2022-04-12. Retrieved 2023-01-08.
  10. "TPS:n 16-vuotias huippulupaus Aron Kiviharju tekee historiaa MM-kisoissa". www.iltalehti.fi (in Finnish). Retrieved 2023-01-07.
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