Winger Kasperi Kapanen finally joins Penguins

When the Penguins selected Kasperi Kapanen in the first round of the 2014 draft, the young Finn was still 17, a month away from turning 18.

Even if he grew up in North America, following his father, former NHL forward Sami Kapanen, around the continent, he still felt like a stranger in a strange land when he pulled on a Penguins sweater that late-June evening on stage at the NHL’s draft in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Center.

“It’s been a couple of years now,” Kapanen said. “Coming in as a little kid, didn’t know much about the North American style of hockey, being nervous and whatnot.”

Today, Kapanen isn’t exactly a large or old man. At 6-foot-1 and 194 pounds, he’s moderately sized in today’s NHL. And as a 24-year-old, he might have trouble trying to rent a car.

But he’s definitely a far more experienced hockey player and person than the individual the team drafted all those years ago.

That’s to say, he’s now a legit NHL player. And the Penguins are going to rely on him quite a bit, almost immediately.

On Monday, Kapanen joined his old — but really new — team in practice for the first time in Cranberry since he was reacquired in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs this past August.

That reunion would have happened quicker had Kapanen been able to secure a work visa on time.

Kapanen initially applied for a visa in October, but the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services did not process his application until early January, right when the Penguins opened their training camp.

“It was very stressful, to say the least,” Kapanen said via video conference. “I stayed in Toronto for a bit after the season, then the trade happened. I went home and around October, they told me I had to apply for my new visa. I went to the embassy and didn’t see it until January. That kind of (stunk).”

After it was processed and Kapanen was allowed to enter the country Jan. 9, he had to undergo a seven-day quarantine as per the NHL’s rules regarding the coronavirus pandemic.

As Kapanen acclimated to his new surroundings in his Pittsburgh-area domicile, his teammates practiced and opened their season, going 1-2-0 in the process.

“I was trying to watch the games as much as I can,” Kapanen said. “(The team) brought me gym equipment so I was able to do some sort of workouts at home. That and just sleeping and trying to recover and trying to keep busy, talking to people back home and calling family and friends. It was a long week for sure. But I’m just happy that’s over with now.”

Aside from a handful of preseason games in 2014, Kapanen, has never played for the Penguins. Just over a year after he was drafted, the Penguins dealt him to Toronto as part of a trade that brought star forward Phil Kessel to Pittsburgh.

More than half a decade later, Kapanen skated on the right wing of the Penguins’ top line during Monday’s practice along with Sidney Crosby at center and Jake Guentzel on the left wing.

“Obviously, it’s a couple of very talented players,” Kapanen said of his presumed linemates. “They play with the puck a lot, and they know how to make plays. Just looking at both their track records, it goes to show what kind of players they are. I feel I can bring a little bit of speed to that line and hunt down pucks and get the pucks back to them and be around the net to for those goals. I’m looking forward to seeing what we can do.”

Kapanen also worked on the team’s penalty kill. During his five seasons with the Maple Leafs, Kapanen was one of that team’s most regular penalty killers.

“The penalty kill is a big part of my game,” Kapanen said. “I just try to use my speed and tenacity, put pressure on the other players. Whenever there’s a chance, to obviously go out on the forecheck on the (opposition’s) defense. That’s what I’m going to try to do. … I’ve been playing on the penalty kill for four years now. I feel like every year, I’m just trying to get better and better. Once I get the systems down here, I’ll be a good (penalty killing) player for us.”

Coach Mike Sullivan labeled Kapanen as being available for Tuesday’s home game against the Washington Capitals but stopped short of saying he would indeed be in the lineup, labeling him as a “game-time decision.”

But given Sullivan’s rousing assessment of Kapanen after one practice, it seems likely he’ll make his debut with the team.

“He had a good practice,” Sullivan said. “It’s never easy trying to jump right into a team practice like that when we’ve had as many days as we’ve had together. He’s trying to jump on a moving train, so to speak. But I thought he did a pretty good job. His mobility, his skating is very evident. He has good size. He’s strong on the puck. I’m sure with each day that he gets under his belt, he’s going to feel better physically and he’ll also be more familiar with how we’re trying to play.”

Almost seven years after that 17-year-old kid first put on a Penguins jersey, a far more mature Kapanen is about to put one on in a game of consequence for the first time.

“Coming into Pittsburgh now, I feel more of a complete player obviously and ready to make results and play well,” Kapanen said. “And take a bigger role. … I’m just excited for this opportunity.”

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