Defenseman Otto Leskinen loaned to KalPa Kuopio

MONTREAL – Montreal Canadiens general manager Marc Bergevin announced today that the team has agreed on the loan of defenseman Otto Leskinen to KalPa Kuopio in the Finnish Liiga, for the start of the 2020-21 season. Leskinen is expected to report for Montreal & Laval training camps for the 2020-21 season.

Leskinen, 23, made his NHL debut in 2019-20 and played five games with the Canadiens. The left-handed defenseman did not record a point during his stint in the NHL, but he established himself in his first season in the AHL with 22 points (2 goals, 20 assists) in 57 games with the Laval Rocket. Leskinen sported Kuopio’s colors between 2015 and 2019, producing 11 goals and 44 assists in 178 games. He led Kuopio’s defensemen when he totaled 31 points (8 goals, 23 assists) in his final season in Finland before agreeing with the Canadiens on a two-year entry contract.