Jesperi Kotkaniemi

Jesperi Kotkaniemi (; born 6 July 2000) is a Finnish professional ice hockey center currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was drafted third overall by the Montreal Canadiens in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. In October 2018, he became the first player born in the 2000s to play in one of the major professional sports leagues in the United States and Canada, when he appeared on the Canadiens opening night roster. Personal life Kotkaniemi was raised in Pori, the son of Mikael and Kati Kotkaniemi. Mikael, a former professional hockey player and current coach, and native of Helsinki, settled in Pori after meeting Kati, a Pori area native, while he was playing for Ässät. Kotkaniemi has one brother, Kasperi, who is sixteen months his senior and plays as a goaltender. Because the two brothers were so close in age, Jesperi would play with players in Kasperi's age group (1999 born). Mikael took a job as an assistant coach in Ässät's under-20 team in 2006 (eventually working his way up to head coach of the men's team), which allowed Jesperi and Kasperi unlimited access to the club's facilities, so they spent most of their time on the ice as children. Upon being drafted by the Canadiens, Kotkaniemi began studying French. Playing career