In today's installment of our yearly summer prospect rankings, we have our first player who received at least one top-ten rating, with two in total. Although his collective ranking places him just outside that tier, Oiva Keskinen may be close to NHL ready, and another strong season of professional hockey has bumped him up three spots to #11 this year.
The top prospects list was compiled by a collective ranking from all of the writers at Union and Blue: Matthew Duffey, Mike Stump, Weston Motz, Struan McNevan, and Curtis Deem. We only include players 24 years and under, with fewer than 25 NHL games. Stats are from the previous season, in the league where each player spent the most time. Projections are based on top-end upside.
Top Prospect #11: C Oiva Keskinen
How we ranked him: Weston (8), Matthew (9), Mike, Struan (11); Curtis (12). Last year, Keskinen was ranked #14 on this list.
Keskinen was drafted in the seventh round in 2023, and was an overaged prospect at 19 years old after a strong jump from Finland's U18 league to their U20 league.
He has played with the Tampere organization since he was 15, and after scoring at over a point-per-game pace in juniors the year he was drafted, he took another step up to their professional team in Liiga, Finland's top-level hockey league.
Since then, Keskinen has had solid, steady development on both sides of the puck, and has turned into a true two-way center with solid offensive production, and won his first championship in 2024 while also finishing as a finalist for Rookie of the Year.
After scoring 35 points in 59 games during the 2024-25 season, he signed his entry-level contract with Columbus, but was loaned back to Tampere to get more professional experience before making the adjustment to North American hockey.
This past season, the 22-year-old improved statistically yet again, finishing with 20 goals and 37 points in 49 games while also maintaining a solid +25 rating before winning his second championship this past May.
When looking at Keskinen's game, his intelligence and play-driving capability stands out the most. He is a smart, clean passer with enough puck-handling skill to make zone entries look seamless at the professional level.
He is on the smaller side for a center at 6 feet tall and 185 pounds, but his spatial awareness and active stick on defense prevent this from becoming an issue. He does get knocked off the puck occasionally, especially when driving towards or behind the net, but has the poise and agility to recover well.
He still has severely underrated offensive skill and upside, though. While his passing is pretty much as good as it looks, his shot can be more sneaky. He has a very quick release and can generate good power and accuracy on shots when he has space.
A lot of his goals came on the power play, and while many of them come from rebounds and deflections near the crease, this clip shows one where he settled into an empty spot on the ice and rifled home one of those shots.
2–0 Oiva Keskinen! 🚨
— Tappara Tampere (@Tapparaofficial) March 7, 2026
📺 MTV Urheilu pic.twitter.com/y3U1EbEWdE
Keskinen has just about everything you want out of a middle-six center. He absolutely has the defense and intelligence, and should be able to not only get on the scoreboard, but simply facilitate the play, especially in transition.
He doesn't have any real weaknesses, either. I mentioned that his size is on the small side for an NHL center, but it's certainly not a dealbreaker. He lacks any one particular standout trait and isn't as aggressive on offense as he should be, but I don't see these as real issues.
As a prospect, it's safe to say that Keskinen was very good value in the seventh round, and could be seen as a gem if he can find success in the NHL in the next couple of years.
Pros: Professional experience, well-rounded game, sneaky offense
Cons: Size, standout skill(s)
Projection: Middle-six forward who could play center or wing
Keskinen will play his first season in North America, and is expected to start with the Cleveland Monsters, although I believe he will be closer to an NHL roster spot than a lot of people may think.
With the Monsters losing Brendan Gaunce to the Boston Bruins and perhaps Luca Del Bel Belluz to the Blue Jackets, Keskinen will provide much-needed relief down the middle in Cleveland, and could quickly find himself in a top-six role.
I would not be shocked if he is a player Columbus looks to call up if injuries strike, as he could definitely fill an empty spot in the lineup regardless of position or role, and has enough pro experience that he wouldn't look out of place.
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