A look at Jere Innala, a potential NHL free agent signing from Finland
The 23-year-old winger has had three strong seasons for HPK in the Liiga.
For me, Jere Innala has been a player of interest for many seasons. In 2015-16, he was a key player for HPK U20 that won the Finnish championship. His individual skills and offensive vision stood out back then, and it seemed to be only a matter of time before he would develop into a Liiga player.
For the past three seasons, Innala has been an important part of HPK’s Liiga team. He broke out in 2018-19, scoring 45 points in 60 games and helping the team win the Liiga championship. The following two seasons were also impressive and he earned a couple of promotions to the Finnish national team, in addition to his strong play for HPK.
The offensive part of the game is certainly not an issue for him. He sees the entire ice, has quality passing skills and a quick, tricky stick. He can operate with the puck and make plays with limited time and space. He has puck poise, makes calculated choices and does not give “hope passes”. He can find seams and openings in the final third. He is also good on the power play.
At 5’9” and 172 lbs, Innala is not the biggest of forwards, however he has good quickness and is light on his skates. His top speed may not be truly high end and I have some reservations about his skating and whether it could give him an advantage at the NHL level, especially when considering his size. I do like his compete, energy and effort. Those are traits that could help him carve out a career in North America. He does not neglect his defensive responsibilities either.
An interesting stat to note is that according to Jatkoaika.com, Innala drew the most penalties among Liiga players in the past regular season (32). 20 of those 32 penalties were called for holding or tripping.
It will be interesting to see where Innala plays next season as HPK has already announced that he won’t be staying with the team. If he keeps improving, especially his defensive game, I think he will have a good chance to sign an NHL contract in the future.
Photo: Hämeen Sanomat