Quick Facts
Biography
Aron Kiviharju (born 25 January 2006) is a Danish-born, Finnish ice hockey defenceman for HIFK of the Finnish Elite League (SM-liiga). He is considered one of the most promising players in his age group, and a likely first round pick at the 2024 NHL draft.
Playing career
The Dubuque Fighting Saints drafted Kiviharju as the 147th pick in the 2022 USHL Futures Draft. However, he continued to play with TPS for the 2022–23 season. Kiviharju made his professional debut at only 16 years old in the second round of the Champions Hockey League on 4 September 2022 against EV Zug. He was marked as the seventh defender of TPS. Kiviharju had 13:47 minutes of ice time in the match, ending in a 0–4 loss for TPS. Kiviharju made his SM-liiga debut in the opening round of the regular season on 13 September away game against Tappara. Kiviharju played 21 games and scored three points in the 2022–23 season.
For the 2023–24 SM-liiga season Kiviharju switched clubs by joining HIFK. Kiviharju suffered an injury requiring an operation. IFK Helsingfors did not disclose what kind of injuri Kiviharju is suffering, but he will be expected back in February 2024.
Personal life
Aron "Arska" Kiviharju was born in Esbjerg, Denmark, while his father, Jani, was playing with EfB Ishockey. Kiviharju grew up in Raisio, Finland.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 2021–22 | TPS Turku | U20 SM-sarja | 35 | 7 | 23 | 30 | 8 | 6 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | ||
| 2022–23 | TPS Turku | U20 SM-sarja | 22 | 2 | 18 | 20 | 8 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 2022–23 | TPS Turku | SM-liiga | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2022–23 | TPS Turku | CHL | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| SM-liiga totals | 21 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 2 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | Result | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | Finland | U18 |  | 6 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2022 | Finland | HG18 | | 5 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2023 | Finland | U18 | 5th | 5 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | |
| Junior totals | 16 | 1 | 18 | 19 | 0 | ||||