Henri Nikkanen

Henri Nikkanen (born April 28, 2001) is a Finnish ice hockey centre who currently plays for Jokerit in Finland's Liiga. He was formerly a prospect within the Winnipeg Jets organization of the National Hockey League (NHL).

Playing career Nikkanen began his professional career in Finland's top-tier league, the Liiga, playing for his hometown club, Mikkelin Jukurit, during the 2018–19 Liiga season. As a young prospect, he appeared in nine regular-season games for Jukurit, where he showcased his potential by scoring two goals. His performance and long-term potential drew the attention of NHL scouts, and in the 2019 NHL entry draft, the Winnipeg Jets selected him 113th overall in the fourth round.

On April 15, 2021, Nikkanen departed Jukurit and agreed to a two-year deal with the Lahti Pelicans, another team in the Liiga. During the 2021–22 season, he played in 60 games for the Pelicans, recording 7 goals and a total of 12 points.

On April 10, 2022, Nikkanen signed a three-year entry-level contract with the Winnipeg Jets. Following the agreement, Nikkanen joined the Jets' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Manitoba Moose, for the remainder of the 2021–22 season.

On December 12, 2024, after tallying four points in 13 games with the Manitoba Moose during the 2024–25 season, Nikkanen was placed on waivers by the Winnipeg Jets to terminate his contract. The next day, he returned to Finland and signed a two-year deal with SaiPa of the Finnish Liiga.

After two seasons with SaiPa, Nikkanen was signed to a two-year contract to continue in the Liiga with Jokerit on 18 May 2026.

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2016–17 JYP Jyväskylä Jr. A 1338112 31010 2017–18 JYP Jyväskylä Jr. A 50 20 18 38 10 4 0 2 2 0 2018–19 Jukurit Jr. A 14 2 7 9 18 — — — — — 2018–19 Jukurit Liiga 9 2 0 2 0 — — — — — 2018–19 Ketterä Mestis 2 1 0 1 0 — — — — — 2019–20 Jukurit Jr. A 28 13 15 28 2 3 4 0 4 0 2019–20 Jukurit Liiga 27 0 3 3 8 — — — — — 2020–21 Jukurit Liiga 47 7 13 20 12 — — — — — 2021–22 Lahti Pelicans Liiga 60 7 5 12 8 3 0 0 0 0 2021–22 Manitoba Moose AHL 4 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 2022–23 Manitoba Moose AHL 66 5 11 16 24 5 0 0 0 0 2023–24 Manitoba Moose AHL 57 7 5 12 16 2 0 0 0 0 2024–25 Manitoba Moose AHL 13 1 3 4 0 — — — — — 2024–25 SaiPa Liiga 27 1 8 9 60 21 2 2 4 31 2025–26 SaiPa Liiga 60 27 29 56 42 14 7 4 11 8Liiga totals 230 44 58 102 130 38 9 6 15 39

International Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2017 Finland U17 6th 5 3 2 5 0 2018 Finland HG18 7th 4 2 4 6 4 2021 Finland WJC 7 2 1 3 0 Junior totals 16 7 7 14 4