Player Profile: Henri Jokiharju

Henri Jokiharju was born on June 17, 1999, in Oulu, Finland. Jokiharju’s father, Juha, played professional hockey in Finland, Norway, and France. Henri’s brother, Juho, played four seasons at Clarkson University as a forward. Henri is a right-shot defenseman who played for the Jokerit U16 team in Finland during the 2013-14 season and scored six goals with 17 assists in 32 games as an assistant captain. In nine playoff games, Jokiharju totaled six points.

The next season, Jokiharju joined the U18 team and registered eight goals and 22 assists in 32 games and had another solid postseason with four goals in ten games. With the U16 Finnish team, Jokiharju contributed one goal and seven assists in eight games.

During the 2015-16 season, Jokiharju became a member of the Tappara U20 team in the SM Liiga and scored nine goals with 20 assists in 47 games while being voted second-team All-Star. In the World Junior Championships with Finland’s U18 team, Jokiharju had three assists as they won the Gold Medal.

During the 2016 CHL Import Draft, the Portland Winterhawks selected Henri Jokiharju as the 25th overall pick in the first round. In his first season with Portland, the blueliner contributed nine goals and 39 assists in 71 games. During the 2017-18 season, Jokiharju registered 12 goals and 59 assists in 63 games, earning him a second-team All-Star selection.

Henri Jokiharju Stats & Salary Cap

The Chicago Blackhawks Drafted Henri Jokiharju in the First Round of the 2017 NHL Draft

With the 29th overall selection in the 2017 NHL Draft, the Chicago Blackhawks chose Jokiharju in the first round. The pre-draft scout on Jokiharju was that the defenseman was mobile and a puck mover. At 6-foot, 200 pounds, Jokiharju had NHL size, and on June 11, 2018, the Blackhawks signed Jokiharju to a three-year contract worth $3.8 million.

NHL Debut to Today

On October 4, 2018, Jokiharju made his NHL debut against the Ottawa Senators and played 19:16 of ice time while registering three hits and three shots on net. Jokiharju had 12 assists in his rookie season and was traded to the Buffalo Sabres on July 9, 2019, for Alexander Nylander. Jokiharju scored his first NHL goal on November 1, 2019, against the Washington Capitals. He totaled 351 games in five and a half seasons with Buffalo before getting traded to Boston for a fourth-round draft pick on March 7, 2025. Jokiharju will be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2024-25 season.