When Penguins left-handed defense prospect Kalle Kangas came to his first development camp three summers ago, he was a little overwhelmed.
His equipment got lost in transit on his way over from Finland for that 2023 camp, and it didn't arrive until the night before the last day of camp. His English was also extremely limited, and didn't have an easy time understanding coaches during workouts and meetings.
Kangas, now 20 years old, proudly told me during this month's development camp that his English is "much better" now than it was in the past. But to be safe, he enlisted forward prospect (and longtime friend) Emil Jarventie to help translate what he had to say about the camp and his experiences over the last year.
"It's so much easier," Kangas said about going through his third camp, translated by Jarventie. "You know all the stuff, and pretty much all the guys here. So it's easier to do the workouts and drills and listen to the coach. It's so much easier here now than the first year."
Kangas has grown a lot since that first year, too. When the Penguins drafted Kangas in the seventh round back in 2023, he hadn't played a game of professional hockey yet over in Finland. His goal at the time was to stick in the second-tier league, Mestis, for the 2023-24 season, and he did that. He played 40 games with Jokerit, recording four goals, five assists and 67 penalty minutes in 40 games.
Last summer, Kangas signed a two-year deal with the club HPK in hopes of moving up to the top league, telling me at the time that he's "ready and willing to do whatever it takes to take that spot." He accomplished his goal, skating in 41 games in the top league with HPK, recording five assists and 14 penalty minutes.
"The start wasn't greatest," he explained through Jarventie. "At first, I didn't have so much time. It was my first games in the men's league, so understand. But when I got the time to show up, I stepped forward. It was more comfortable to play there, and I played good minutes there the rest of the season."
Kangas felt as if his biggest strides were in becoming more mature, saying through Jarventie that he "had been growing up, more adult than last year."
"And my English is now better," Kangas added on his own.
Kangas is still pretty raw as a prospect. He's got good size, at 6 foot 4 and 205 pounds. He's hard to play against, and when he gets the opportunity to shoot the puck, he's got a heavy bomb of a shot. But his skating needs work -- both in terms of speed and agility, something that was clear in the tournament to end camp.
The Penguins hold Kangas' rights until June 2027, but he said that he's hoping to play one more year in Finland then move to North America. I asked him what he hopes to improve upon the most over this next season in Finland, and Kangas was able to answer that one without translation help from Jarventie.
"English!" he said without hesitation. "And skating and puck-handling."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Kangas 'more adult' after year in top league
When Penguins left-handed defense prospect Kalle Kangas came to his first development camp three summers ago, he was a little overwhelmed.
His equipment got lost in transit on his way over from Finland for that 2023 camp, and it didn't arrive until the night before the last day of camp. His English was also extremely limited, and didn't have an easy time understanding coaches during workouts and meetings.
Kangas, now 20 years old, proudly told me during this month's development camp that his English is "much better" now than it was in the past. But to be safe, he enlisted forward prospect (and longtime friend) Emil Jarventie to help translate what he had to say about the camp and his experiences over the last year.
"It's so much easier," Kangas said about going through his third camp, translated by Jarventie. "You know all the stuff, and pretty much all the guys here. So it's easier to do the workouts and drills and listen to the coach. It's so much easier here now than the first year."
Kangas has grown a lot since that first year, too. When the Penguins drafted Kangas in the seventh round back in 2023, he hadn't played a game of professional hockey yet over in Finland. His goal at the time was to stick in the second-tier league, Mestis, for the 2023-24 season, and he did that. He played 40 games with Jokerit, recording four goals, five assists and 67 penalty minutes in 40 games.
Last summer, Kangas signed a two-year deal with the club HPK in hopes of moving up to the top league, telling me at the time that he's "ready and willing to do whatever it takes to take that spot." He accomplished his goal, skating in 41 games in the top league with HPK, recording five assists and 14 penalty minutes.
"The start wasn't greatest," he explained through Jarventie. "At first, I didn't have so much time. It was my first games in the men's league, so understand. But when I got the time to show up, I stepped forward. It was more comfortable to play there, and I played good minutes there the rest of the season."
Kangas felt as if his biggest strides were in becoming more mature, saying through Jarventie that he "had been growing up, more adult than last year."
"And my English is now better," Kangas added on his own.
Kangas is still pretty raw as a prospect. He's got good size, at 6 foot 4 and 205 pounds. He's hard to play against, and when he gets the opportunity to shoot the puck, he's got a heavy bomb of a shot. But his skating needs work -- both in terms of speed and agility, something that was clear in the tournament to end camp.
The Penguins hold Kangas' rights until June 2027, but he said that he's hoping to play one more year in Finland then move to North America. I asked him what he hopes to improve upon the most over this next season in Finland, and Kangas was able to answer that one without translation help from Jarventie.
"English!" he said without hesitation. "And skating and puck-handling."
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!