Heikki Ruohonen’s road since being drafted by the Flyers in the fourth round of the 2024 draft has already covered a lot of ground. After ending his playing career in Finland at the close of his draft year, he spent a brief stretch with Muskegon in the USHL, mixed in international duty with his country, and then arrived at Harvard, where he just finished his freshman season.
For Ruohonen, the adjustment has gone beyond hockey. He’s already committed as a political science major, and he said the academic side takes real discipline.
“I mean it’s definitely manageable,” he said of the workload back at Development Camp, “but it takes some time to get used to for sure. I mean there’s definitely easier classes and then there’s harder classes.
So you have to allocate your time a little, like you have to think about how to use your time, but you know, you definitely don’t have a lot of free time every day. So, you know, some late nights in the in the library, but that’s what you sign up for.”
That same steady, measured mindset has carried over to the ice. The jump from the USHL to college is a big one, and Ruohonen has leaned into the process of building a game that can hold up at a higher level. The biggest push, by his own account, has come physically.
“I mean, just [the] big part physically was just getting more explosive in the gym,” he said, “Like I feel like I have a lot of strength, but to [translate] that to speed and like those first couple steps, and then on ice just all around worked on shooting, and like not just shooting but scoring from different areas and making plays, and how to find soft ice and stuff like that. So pretty much all around but mostly like offensive stuff.”
The numbers from his first year at Harvard were solid without screaming for attention: six goals and 19 points in 28 games. That was good for third among Harvard skaters, even though he played fewer games than some of his teammates.
More important than the raw totals, though, is what they say about where he is in his development. Ruohonen has never been built as a pure scorer, and he isn’t trying to force his way into that mold now.
Instead, he’s shaping himself into a dependable two-way center who can do the work underneath the play and help create space for others.
“I mean I think it’s just how you look at it,” he explained, “I mean, I’ve always thought of playing offense like kind of from underneath the play, like being more of a more of a creator because when you’re in the D-zone, you’re playing low, but the the offense kind of starts with you usually. So, just not stealing the play or anything like that.
And yeah, I don’t plan on doing that in the future either. But yeah, of course it’s a little harder and points might not come every night because you play so responsibly defensively, but I mean that’s winning hockey.
It’s not just about you and your points, you know.”
That approach may not produce flashy nights, but it reflects a player who understands how to build something durable. Ruohonen is focused on the parts of the game that travel well: responsible defense, creating offense from structure, and adding the kind of playmaking that makes linemates better.
He said the two biggest areas he still wants to sharpen are scoring from different spots and skating. He also talked about learning to use his power more efficiently, especially as a heavier player, so he can avoid wearing down.
“I think [the] two biggest things,” he concluded, “are just like scoring from different areas and my skating, just skating is a big thing. I feel like I have a lot of power but being like more economical with it, like not getting so tired being a heavier guy, you know?
And then being able to push. Like a big thing I’ve talked about with my coaches is that like being the same player the whole shift, like the first 20 seconds once you’re fresh, you usually have that extra jump, but if you’re able to have that 40 seconds in, I mean it’s a huge advantage.”
With the Flyers’ pipeline carrying depth at forward, there’s no reason to rush him. The longer path was always part of the plan, and it has given Ruohonen time to work on the tougher edges of his game. As he heads into a key sophomore season, the early returns suggest that slow, deliberate growth is starting to pay off.
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