Top 2024 NHL Draft defenseman Aron Kiviharju out four months after surgery
One of the best defensemen available in the 2024 NHL Draft will be out for at least four months after requiring surgery.
His team, HIFK in the top Finnish Liiga, has not specified the injury, other than he suffered the injury during practice on Tuesday.
HIFK announces that Aron Kiviharju sustained a surgery-requiring injury at a practice on Tuesday and will be out for approximately four months.
A huge blow to Kiviharju’s draft year as he’ll almost certainly miss the World Juniors, too. #2024NHLDraft
Kiviharju is the eighth-ranked skater in Daily Faceoff’s preseason rankings, and the fourth defenseman in what’s proving to be a stacked class among blueliners.
The 5-foot-10 defender is one of the most hyped blueliners in recent draft history, with discussions about him appearing online as early as 2017 when he was just 11 years old. Now 17, Kiviharju has significant experience playing against older competition and is currently in his second year against men in Liiga.
Kiviharju was one of the best players at the U-18 World Championship last April, registering seven assists to beat his previous best of six set the year before. He is eligible to return to the tournament for the third time this coming spring. Kiviharju’s injury timeline likely means he’ll miss the World Junior Championship, a year after being a surprising late cut from the group.
Kiviharju has two points in seven Liiga games this year, and recorded another two assists at the World Junior Summer Showcase in August.
The missed time likely will push Kiviharju down in the draft rankings, especially in a year where we could see nearly half of the first-round picks be defenders.
His smaller frame is a cause for concern, especially when there’s no shortage of puck-moving defensemen with size available next June. Kiviharju can be easily pushed around, and he doesn’t put much power behind his shot. But he has an innate ability to get himself out of trouble with the puck. He’s an excellent skater, especially under pressure along the blueline. He’s manipulative with the puck in the same way that makes Lane Hutson so difficult to read as an attacker.