He made his SM-Liiga debut with Jokerit on October 18, 2011. He played 40 games and ended up winning the Jarmo Wasama memorial trophy as the best rookie in the league. He decided to enter the 2012 NHL Entry Draft and he was ranked as the second best skater out of Europe by the NHL Central Scouting Bureau. He ended up being drafted 18th overall by the Chicago Blackhawks.