Oliver Kapanen, 20, has scored so many goals in the World Hockey Championships that it’s hard to keep up with the numbers.
Hit accuracy has also been unfathomable. Kapanen, who plays as a center, has shot 15 times, but scored no fewer than six goals. With this reading, Kapanen is tied for the top spot in the goalscoring market of the Games.
Kapanen has been on a rampage throughout the calendar year in KalPa’s shirt, both in the regular season and in the playoffs. That’s why the move didn’t come as a surprise even to him.
– I’m not terribly surprised when you think about the end of the season. The first season was challenging and I wasn’t happy with how I performed. Especially after Christmas, the game started to develop wildly, and I gained a lot of self-confidence, Kapanen describes to Urheilu.
– The World Cup is a really big honor for me. It’s been nice to be here. I have enjoyed every moment. I’m just trying to enjoy the games.
A career as a goalkeeper ended in tears
Oliver is the newest star of the well-known Kapanen puck family. However, his journey from the yard games played in Kuopio to the World Cup has not been one of continuous stardom.
Oliver Kapanen’s family lived on the corner of the playground, near the large field areas. In addition to the yard games related to ice hockey, he played with his cousin Constant and football or basketball with others his age.
– He lived the life of an athletic young boy all the time. He was interested in sports, not just hockey. He hasn’t stayed at his place or at home much to play with the player. He’s been into sports, dad Kimmo Kapanen tells.
Oliver followed in the footsteps of his father, Kimmo, who played as a goalkeeper as a child. Oliver often volunteered as a goalkeeper in yard games and in his junior years played about half of the games as a goalkeeper.
The story as a goalkeeper ended in a tournament in Jyväskylä when Oliver was 10-11 years old. Kimmo Kapanen recalls how the coaches decided to put their best goalkeeper, Oliver, between the posts against St. Petersburg’s SKA.
– After the first minute, the game was either 3–0 or 4–0. The boy looked at the audience with tears in his eyes. That was the goalkeeping job, says Kimmo Kapanen.
– He decided to be a field player. The goalie job wasn’t that nice, dad continues.
The role of Senter is not new for Kapas
Oliver Kapanen did not bring up the same story when talking about the goalkeeper. He describes standing at the finish line as boring.
– In the end, I don’t know what was the main reason why I switched. It felt harder to play and do things on the field, says Oliver Kapanen and praises that he got a lot of tips from his father on scoring goals and the goalkeeper’s mindset.
Oliver did not become a goalkeeper like his father. However, Kimmo Kapanen reveals that he is an old center himself.
– We changed Sami Kapanen with few places. At first, Sami was a coach and I was a field player. At the age when Oliver stopped working as a cleaner, I started as a goalkeeper. So it’s nothing new in our family, Kimmo Kapanen sculpts.
Far from the top of Finland
Just six years ago, Kapanen was nowhere near the top of his age group. He was not selected for the Pohjola camp of the most talented players, which had, for example, 132 players last year.
It was a disappointment for the young puck player. Especially because he dropped out of the group already at the first camp.
– He didn’t make it to the second camp, from which Pohjola was selected. You could say it wasn’t even close to a campsite. It was disappointing, I remember that, says Kimmo Kapanen.
– He wondered what was happening here and what was wrong with him. But he got over it.
The biggest turning point in my career
Even the following year, playing time in the C-juniors was at first on the cards. The biggest turning point in my career happened at the turn of the year, when one of the leading centers was injured.
– He got a bigger role. In practice, he hasn’t looked back since then, father Kapanen continues.
The first national team games of his career were in December 2019, when the head coach of the U17 team was the current coach of KalPa Petri Karjalainen.
– He saw the game from the beginning, but he was still really small, when there was no growth spurt yet, says Karjalainen.
– He had many good qualities. So it was only a matter of time before he bounced back to challenge for more national team spots as well.
A strong support network
Oliver Kapanen has been in a special position, as he has had the help of many former or current top hockey players. They include father Kimmo, grandfather Hannuuncle Sami and cousin Casper.
There have also been many coaches in the background. However, both Kimmo Kapanen and Petri Karjalainen emphasize Oliver’s own, determined work behind the development.
– He is calm outside the rink and keeps his feet on the ground. Still, he is really determined to train. He likes to train and live the everyday life of an athlete, says Karjalainen.
Has the last name been a burden or a positive thing for Kapasen? You can see the answer in the video below.
The great momentum continued into the World Cup
Even from the beginning of the season, Kapanen’s energy was missing. There were certainly many reasons behind it, but young players often live on success. Especially a player like Kapanen, who had already played in the previous season at KalPa at a great level.
Since January, however, Kapanen has been in top form. He scored 9+15=24 in the spring regular season games and 7+7=14 in the playoffs. Now the great momentum has continued in the World Cup.
Kimmo Kapanen has watched his son’s matches on the spot in Prague with great pleasure. Of course, he reminds that, as a counterweight to the goals, the boy has sometimes also taken setbacks on the ice.
However, the situation has been strange for 49-year-old Kimmo Kapanen.
– This is a new situation for me as well. In the World Championships, Sami or Kasperi have always been on the field, I have wished them success. Now he has his own son, it’s a special situation.
Kimmo watched his son’s moves for the first time in a match against Austria in Prague. Oliver already scored in the opening set.
– After all, there was such a (thought) that what the hell is really going on here. Can this be that easy?
– As a father, I am extremely happy. As sports director of Timrå IK, a little more thoughtful, Kapanen admits.
Olli Jokinen wanted Kapanen
Kapanen is thoughtful for a reason. Oliver’s grip has been so strong that the Montreal Canadiens, who reserved the center, may want Kapanen in the NHL already next season.
Oliver Kapase has a contract with Timrå that was negotiated last season. The roots of the agreement go back to the fall of 2022, when he served as the backup GM Morten Madsen drew attention to the youngster in the SM league match played in Vaasa. The contract was sealed last winter.
– Even though he is my own son, it wasn’t a problem in the end. This was an easy situation for me as far as Olli Jokinen (head coach) had wanted Oliver on his team for many years. Now it was possible, says Kimmo Kapanen.
– Now we just hope that we can really get him in our team. That’s another dilemma, but only time will tell.
Basically the player’s decision
Kimmo Kapanen admits that Montreal’s interest is a bit bigger, but despite the goals, Oliver still has room to develop, for example, his physique before moving to the NHL.
He emphasizes that he told his son that he should not please anyone with his decision.
– He will probably sign an NHL contract. In the end, it is the player’s decision on what terms (a contract is created), says Kapanen.
– Oliver’s own idea has been to go there when he is as ready as possible in every way. Not only in terms of the game, but also in terms of physics and the rest of life.
At the moment, the NHL is bright in Oliver Kapanen’s mind. At least based on the answer, the star is not in a hurry for the big league yet.
– The only goal is that sometime after Sweden, I will get a place to play in the NHL. It is always clear in the mind, says Oliver Kapanen.