Edmonton Oilers forward Kasperi Kapanen kicked off his Olympic break with a huge step for his family.
The 29-year-old Finnish player was not able to crack the Olympic squad this season, but he will have plenty to celebrate at home. Kapanen and his wife, Matleena, welcomed their first child, a baby boy, into the world over the weekend.
Kapanen made the announcement on his Instagram story on Sunday, revealing that the boy’s name is Luka Leander Kapanen.
“Thank you, guys, for all the heart-warming messages about Luka — we’re truly blessed to have him in our lives,” Kapanen said in a separate Instagram post.
“Future Oiler in the making.”
This is the couple’s first child together and represents another huge personal milestone for the Kapanens. There is no exact timeline for how long the couple has been together, but social media posts suggest they have been an item since at least 2022.
Kasperi and Matleena tied the knot last summer after getting engaged on Christmas 2024.
Kapanen has been a bright spot for this Oilers team since he was picked up off waivers from the St. Louis Blues midway through last season. He wound up becoming a productive forward for Edmonton, and even managed to score the series-clinching goal against the Vegas Golden Knights during last year’s second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
THE EDMONTON OILERS ARE HEADED TO THE WESTERN CONFERENCE FINAL 🚨 pic.twitter.com/vRXxlIdS2c
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) May 15, 2025
Kapanen was rewarded for his efforts with a one-year, $1.3-million contract extension with the Oilers over the summer.
This season has been a bit more difficult for the former first-round pick. Injuries have limited him to just 19 games this season, though he has been productive in those games with five goals and 12 points in that span.
With NHL games on pause until late February, Kapenen will be able to spend a lot more time with his new addition over the next couple of weeks.