Matias Vanhanen was born on September 11, 2007, and is in his second year of NHL Draft eligibility. He is a 5-foot-10, 174-pound forward who plays with the Everett Silvertips in the Western Hockey League. As a result, he was eligible to be seen in action at this year’s Memorial Cup. Vanhanen also wore the colors of his native Finland at this season’s World Junior Championship. He is a forward who appears relatively low in public draft rankings due to his “overager” status. However, the NHL Central Scouting still placed him 54th among North American skaters in its final list.
The TSLH Prospect team will provide numerous prospect profiles for the 2026 Draft over the coming weeks. The analyses from all of our scouts will be compiled in the TSLH Prospect 2026 Draft Guide in scouting report format. The 2026 Guide and all archives of previous Guides are available on the TSLH Podcast Patreon!
2025-2026 Statistics
Matias Vanhanen showed very strong things this season in Everett alongside Julius Miettinen and Carter Bear. The forward finished the regular season with 87 points (21 goals, 66 assists) in 62 games. He also added 24 points in 18 games during the WHL playoffs. In addition, at the time this profile was written, Vanhanen had recorded 7 points in 4 games at the Memorial Cup. Finally, at the World Junior Championship with Finland, Vanhanen collected 6 assists in 7 games.
The Finnish forward averaged around 19 minutes of ice time per game this season with Everett. He also played on both special teams units, including the penalty kill and the power play. He is not typically used as a center. He also averages 4.2 shots on goal per game. He is not a physical player, averaging fewer than one hit per game.
TSLH Prospect’s Notes
Here is the analysis of Matias Vanhanen’s season through the eyes of our scout Pascal Lapointe from TSLH Prospect. All of our scouts’ analyses will be featured in the TSLH Prospect 2026 Draft Guide.
I really enjoyed my viewings of Vanhanen this season. He is a very young player from last year’s draft class, which makes him an “overager” for the 2026 draft. Nevertheless, he fully deserves to be selected next June. Whether in the second or third round, his level of competitiveness makes him a very attractive option for an NHL team.
Obviously, he is not the biggest forward. At 5-foot-10, there are certainly more imposing wingers available. However, he is a hard-working player who never gives up on a play. His hockey sense helps him greatly, as does his agile mobility. On the forecheck, Vanhanen is very effective at disrupting opposing breakouts. He is an active player with a stick that is always engaged to bother his opponents. He breaks up a lot of plays every game thanks to this intensity and attention to detail.
The prospect also shows a lot of skill with the puck. He can make plays at high speed and is very balanced on his skates. His hand-eye coordination also appears excellent, as he has no trouble adjusting to off-target passes or redirecting shots. He also has a strong instinct for finding open space or sneaking in behind the net to become a passing option. I would perhaps like to see a bit more strength, but that will come with time. It would improve his shot and also allow him to create a bit more space for himself rather than relying on openings. Defensively, Vanhanen is just as capable and intelligent. I do not expect that to change at the professional level.
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Pascal est notre expert en «scouting» pour le compte du TSLH Espoirs. Il collabore à la couverture du hockey pour TSLH depuis plusieurs années en se spécifiant sur les espoirs de la NHL. Pascal est aussi analyste et co-animateur pour le TSLH Podcast
Depuis plus de 15 ans, l’équipe de TSLH couvre l’actualité du hockey de la NHL avec rigueur. En tant que média accrédité, nous avons un accès privilégié aux activités de la AHL (Rocket de Laval) et des circuits juniors pour vous offrir une analyse d’experts sur les espoirs de la NHL.