Film Room: How Oliver Kapanen got his career back on track in the second half of the 2023-24 season

For a while, it looked like things were going really south for Montréal Canadiens prospect Oliver Kapanen.

By his draft-plus-two season, he had established himself as a full-time top-nine centre for KalPa in Liiga, but Kapanen struggled to get things going during the first half of last season. He went pointless in the first six regular season games and only added 10 points in the first 25 games. All this while playing 16 to 20 minutes night in and night out.

However, as the calendar turned to 2024, so too did Kapanen's game turn for the better. He started off the new year with a four-point appearance, then followed it up by adding 24 points in the last 26 regular season games. In the playoffs, he got even hotter, finishing third in Liiga's post-season scoring with seven goals and 14 points in 13 games.

This turnaround didn't go unnoticed by the national team coaching staff, as the former Canadiens second-round pick made his debut at the men's international level in February and ended up playing as a top-nine centre for Finland at the World Championship in May, leading the team with six goals in eight games.

That's a miraculous rebound if I've ever seen one.