Kristian Vesalainen (born 1 June 1999) is a Finnish professional ice hockey forward for HC Sparta Praha of the Czech Extraliga (ELH). Vesalainen was drafted by the Winnipeg Jets in the first round, 24th overall, in the 2017 NHL entry draft.

Playing career Vesalainen originally played as a youth in his native Finland, appearing up to the Junior A level with HIFK before opting to continue his development in Sweden with Frölunda HC on 27 August 2015. Vesalainen made his professional debut at the senior level with Frölunda in the Swedish Hockey League during the 2015–16 season. After an initial loan period to return to Finland during the 2016–17 season with HPK of the Liiga, Vesalainen made his move permanent in agreeing to a one-year deal with HPK on 28 April 2017. In his first year of eligibility, Vesalainen was selected in the first round, 24th overall, by the Winnipeg Jets at the 2017 NHL entry draft on 23 June 2017.

In the 2017–18 season, despite his age Vesalainen impressively secured a top-line role with HPK. With the club out of playoff contention and while leading the HPK in scoring with 19 goals and 39 points, Vesalainen was loaned for the remainder of the season to league leaders Oulun Kärpät on 21 February 2018. Kärpät would eventually win the Liiga championship, with Vesalainen scoring 8 points in 18 playoff games. On 26 August 2018, Vesalainen signed a three-year, $4.476 million entry-level contract with the Jets, which included an out clause that would permit him to play in Europe during the 2018–19 season if he did not make the team's roster during the training camp.

Vesalainen made his NHL debut on 4 October 2018 in a 5–1 win over the St. Louis Blues. He played 8:12 minutes of ice time and earned one assist. On 22 November, the Jets assigned Vesalainen to Jokerit of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).

On 21 October 2020, Vesalainen returned to HPK on loan from the Winnipeg Jets, until the commencement of the delayed North American 2020–21 season. In the following season, Vesalainen scored his first NHL goal against the Nashville Predators on 23 October 2021. He appeared in a career best 53 regular season games with the Jets, totalling just 3 points, before he was reassigned to close out the season with the Manitoba Moose in the AHL.

As an impending restricted free agent with the Jets, Vesalainen chose to return to Europe by signing a one-year contract with Swedish club, Malmö Redhawks of the SHL, on 23 May 2022. He opted to return to his home country in November that same year.

Personal life He is in a relationship with Finnish footballer Amanda Rantanen. In January 2025, they revealed she was expecting their first child.Suomen urheilutähdet paljastivat suhteensa: vauva tulossa, Ilta-Sanomat, 1 January 2025

Career statistics Regular season and playoffs Regular season Playoffs Season Team League GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM 2014–15HIFK Jr. A17112010000 2015–16Frölunda HCJ20371519340101102015–16 Frölunda HCSHL19112050002 2016–17Frölunda HCJ201040414521302016–17Frölunda HCSHL26156210000 2016–17 HPK Liiga 9 1 0 1 0————— 2017–18 HPK Liiga 44 19 20 39 6————— 2017–18 Oulun Kärpät Liiga 5 3 1 4 0 18 4 4 8 14 2018–19 Winnipeg Jets NHL 5 0 1 1 0 — — — — — 2018–19 Manitoba Moose AHL 22 4 9 13 10 — — — — — 2018–19 Jokerit KHL 31 6 11 17 0 6 1 0 1 4 2019–20 Manitoba Moose AHL 60 12 18 30 10 — — — — — 2020–21 HPK Liiga 10 4 4 8 4 — — — — — 2020–21 Manitoba Moose AHL 6 1 4 5 0 — — — — — 2020–21 Winnipeg Jets NHL 12 0 1 1 0 4 0 0 0 0 2021–22 Winnipeg Jets NHL 53 2 1 3 6 — — — — — 2021–22 Manitoba Moose AHL 17 3 3 6 6 2 0 0 0 0 2022–23 Malmö Redhawks SHL 15 1 2 3 0 — — — — — 2022–23 HIFK Liiga 40 16 21 37 8 12 2 3 5 6 2023–24 HIFK Liiga 58 14 23 37 10 7 1 1 2 0 2024–25 HIFK Liiga 40 17 19 36 12 4 0 0 0 0 2025–26 HPK Liiga 30 2 14 16 6 — — — — — 2025–26 HC Sparta Praha ELH 16 3 1 4 4 12 1 0 1 0SHL totals603811260002 Liiga totals236761021784641781520 NHL totals70235640000

International

Year Team Event Result GP G A Pts PIM 2014 Finland U17 4th63254 2015 Finland IH18 4th500002015FinlandU175th544842016FinlandU18 724662017FinlandU18 767138 2017 Finland WJC 9th 6 1 1 2 0 2018 Finland WJC 6th 5 2 4 6 2 Junior totals 4118224024

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