Vegas Golden Knights prospect Juho Piiparinen spent the first week of July at City National Arena for Development Camp presented by Martin-Harris Construction, and the 17-year-old defenseman had a few clear favorites when he sat down for a prospect questionnaire.
Piiparinen, drafted in the first round of the 2026 NHL Draft by Vegas out of Tappara in Finland’s Liiga, split the 2025-26 season between Tappara’s U-20 team and the senior squad. Across 43 games with both teams, he finished with one goal and 15 assists. He also represented Finland at the 2026 World Junior Championship.
When asked who he was most excited to see at camp, Piiparinen pointed to Trevor Connelly, saying, “Trevor Connelly, he’s a good and very skillful guy.”
Among current Golden Knights, Shea Theodore stood out to him most. “I really like to watch Shea Theodore. He’s really good.”
Piiparinen also had praise for the organization itself, noting, “I think how they work here all day. There’s a lot of great stuff here with what they do on and off the ice to teach us.”
As for Vegas, his favorite thing was simple: “I'd say the hockey rink.”
The rest of the questionnaire gave a quick look at his personality and preferences. His favorite sport outside hockey is soccer, and his favorite Golden Knights moment from last season was “The Mitch Marner slapshot in the Stanley Cup Final to complete the hat trick. That was sick.”
Piiparinen said he wears “the full sock” when it comes to his tape job, and when asked what year would make someone old, he answered, “Maybe 1989.”
His top hockey memory so far came from sharing the ice with family. “Playing with my brother on the same team.”
If he could pick one superpower, he went with “Maybe read minds.”
Christmas is his favorite holiday, while his favorite TV series is Sons of Anarchy. And if he had to eat one food for a month straight, Piiparinen chose chicken pasta.
In Other News...
Golden Knights May Have Just Made Their Dream Move Even Tougher
Pavel Dorofeyev is now off the board after the Golden Knights sent him to the Rangers, and that move only sharpened the sense that Vegas is trying to keep its options open while juggling a roster that already has little breathing room. For a team that has never been shy about chasing upgrades, every subtraction matters, especially when the front office is also trying to manage cap space and maintain enough depth to survive a long season.
The bigger issue is that any major swing still has to line up with what Detroit would actually want back, and that is where the path gets murky. Analysts and insiders have pointed to the Golden Knights financial constraints and roster limitations as real hurdles, and with the trade deadline still ahead, this remains one of those situations that could look very different depending on how the market develops. [Read more 🡒]
Golden Knights Keep A Familiar Gritty Piece In Henderson
Brandon Hickey is sticking around in Henderson, giving the Silver Knights another season of a familiar blue-line presence as the organization continues to value stability in the AHL. The veteran defenseman has been part of the fabric there since 2021-22, and his return keeps one of the teams most dependable pieces in place for the 2026-27 campaign.
For Vegas, it is the kind of move that fits the identity the franchise has long preferred from its depth teams: steady, physical and hard to play against. Hickeys background also brings a little extra weight to the role, with a third-round pedigree from Calgary and past time representing Team Canada on the international stage, even as Henderson keeps leaning on the same gritty edge he has provided for years. [Read more 🡒]