Henri Jokiharju

Henri Jokiharju

25-Year-Old DefensemanD
Buffalo Sabres
2024 Fantasy Outlook
Jokiharju's usage dipped a season ago. He averaged just 18:59 worth of playing time per night, down from the 21-plus minutes he averaged the prior two years. That said, he finished with a career-high 20 points. Oddly enough, Jokiharju has tallied exactly three goals each of the past four seasons. Set to play the entirety of this upcoming year at age 25, Jokiharju has youth on his side, but nothing he's displayed thus far over the course of six NHL seasons suggests any sort of breakout is forthcoming in 2024-25. Read Past Outlooks
$Signed a one-year, $3.1 million contract with the Sabres in July of 2024.
Scores game-winner Saturday
DBuffalo Sabres
October 13, 2024
Jokiharju scored a goal and went plus-2 in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Panthers.
ANALYSIS
Jokiharju's second-period goal was the game-winner as well as his first point through four contests. The 25-year-old defenseman plays more of a stay-at-home role, often on the top pairing to allow Rasmus Dahlin to roam the ice. Jokiharju has added six shots on net, five blocked shots and four hits this season. He's yet to score more than four goals or produce more than 20 points in a single season.
Read More News
NHL Stats
Loading Skater Stats...
2024
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
2024 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2023 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2022 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2021 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2020 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2019 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2018 NHL Game Log
calculator icon
Calculate Stats Over Time
Just click on any two dates.
Scoring
FanDuel
DraftKings
Yahoo DFS
FantasyDraft
Head2Head
Loading Skater Game Log...
2024–25 Time On Ice Stats
  • Average Time On Ice:
    18:12
  • Average Power Play TOI:
    0:13
  • Average Short-Handed TOI:
    1:36
 
Ice Time
Power Play
Short-Handed
2022–23
21:01
0:14
1:54
2023–24
18:59
0:17
0:55
2024–25
18:12
0:13
1:36
Sabres Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Sabres Power Play Depth Chart
Our full team depth charts are reserved for RotoWire subscribers.
Subscribe Now
Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Henri Jokiharju See More
NHL DFS Picks: FanDuel Plays and Strategy for Saturday, October 19
16 days ago
Stack some Seattle skaters for your lineups on Saturday's FanDuel NHL schedule.
NHL 2024-25 Season Preview: Atlantic Division
56 days ago
RotoWire's Shawn Hutchinson will preview each NHL division heading into the 2024-25 campaign, starting with the Atlantic Division.
NHL Waiver Wire: Pickups of the Week
248 days ago
This week's top pickups include Sean Monahan, who's enjoying life in Winnipeg.
NHL DFS: Yahoo Plays and Strategy for Friday, February 23
255 days ago
Chris Morgan suggests checking out Edmonton’s Zach Hyman on Friday against the Wild.
DraftKings NHL: Wednesday Breakdown
257 days ago
Sasha Yodashkin breaks down Wednesday’s DraftKings slate with his best DFS picks.
Past Fantasy Outlooks
2023
2022
2021
2020
2019
2018
Although Jokiharju was an offensive force in the WHL, the 24-year-old has assumed a shutdown role in the NHL. He's averaged 21:28 of ice time over the last two campaigns, but despite his heavy use, he's yet to surpass the 20-point milestone in a single season and finished 2022-23 with just three goals and 13 points in 60 outings with the Sabres. It doesn't help that the presence of blueliners Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power on Buffalo's roster means Jokiharju doesn't have a clear path to any meaningful power-play minutes. Unlike other defensive defenseman, Jokiharju isn't a great source of hits or blocks, having recorded just 63 and 58, respectively, last year. All that combines to make him a poor fantasy option who shouldn't be drafted outside of the deepest of leagues.
Jokiharju quietly had a nice season for the Sabres in 2021-22. A first-round pick (29th overall) of the Blackhawks in 2017, Jokiharju managed 19 points in 60 games last year while averaging nearly 22 minutes (21:55) of ice time per game. Jokiharju's upside is quite limited, especially with Owen Power now in the fold, but Joki spent a good chunk of last season playing alongside Rasmus Dahlin and it wouldn't be surprising to see Buffalo go back to that pairing considering it worked well. Jokiharju has far more value to the Sabres than in fantasy circles.
This will be Jokiharju's fourth NHL season and he'll play the entire year at age 22. There's still some upside here, but the early returns haven't been positive. Playing on a poor, rebuilding team hasn't helped matters. Jokiharju managed just three goals and eight points in 46 games a year ago. He also finished with a minus-11 rating, which considering how bad Buffalo was, isn't all that terrible. The Sabres thought enough of Jokiharju's progression to sign him to a three-year, $7.5 million contract prior to the start of training camp. The deal locks the Finn into a prominent role on the Buffalo blue line for years to come, but that's not a role that will produce much fantasy value.
Jokiharju was a full-time player for the Sabres last season, picking up 15 points while posting a minus-6 rating and averaging 17:13 of ice time in 69 contests as a bottom-pairing option. The 21-year-old Finn will continue to be a regular in Buffalo's lineup in 2020-21, but his limited even-strength role and complete lack of power-play usage will keep him off the radar in all but the deepest of fantasy formats.
Jokiharju had a promising start to his rookie campaign in 2018-19, notching 12 assists while averaging 18:59 of ice time in 38 appearances with the Blackhawks, but the organization ultimately felt that it would be in his best interest to continue to develop in the AHL for the remainder of the season. He proceeded to show why Chicago was willing to spend a first-round pick on him in 2017 during his time in the minors, posting a respectable two goals and 17 points while registering a plus-7 rating in 30 contests. However, the Finnish blueliner was drafted when coach Joel Quenneville was still at the helm, and simply didn't fit new head coach Jeremy Colliton's system, so the Blackhawks decided to cut ties with the 20-year-old in July, trading him to the Sabres in exchange for Alexander Nylander. Jokiharju has top-pairing potential, but it wouldn't be surprising to see him start the 2019-20 campaign with Buffalo's AHL affiliate. He's definitely worth a stash in dynasty formats, but the 6-foot defender is probably still at least a year away from fantasy relevancy, so there's no reason for owners in re-draft leagues to spend a pick on him this season.
Jokiharju is a Finnish blue-line prospect binded by a three-year, entry-level contract with the Blackhawks. The mobile skater crafted 21 goals and 98 helpers for the WHL's Portland Winterhawks between 2016-18, but his sublime offensive skils could help him secure a spot on Chicago's Opening Night roster to start the 2018-19 campaign. With the Blackhawks sending 2018 eigth overall pick Adam Boqvist back to junior, that's even more evidence that Jokiharju could skip the AHL entirely and contribute to the parent club right away. It's clear that Jokiharju is worth more than a dynasty stash.
More Fantasy News
Re-signs Friday
DBuffalo Sabres
July 5, 2024
Jokiharju signed a one-year, $3.1 million contract with the Sabres on Friday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Chips in with helper
DBuffalo Sabres
March 29, 2024
Jokiharju notched an assist, two shots on goal, two blocked shots and a plus-2 rating in Friday's 5-2 win over the Devils.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Big night breaks long slumps
DBuffalo Sabres
February 17, 2024
Jokiharju scored a goal and added an assist in a 3-2 overtime win over Minnesota on Saturday.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Playing Saturday
DBuffalo Sabres
January 20, 2024
Jokiharju (undisclosed) will play Saturday against Tampa Bay, Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Game-time decision
DBuffalo Sabres
Undisclosed
January 20, 2024
Jokiharju (general soreness) is expected to be a game-time decision versus Tampa Bay on Saturday, per Lance Lysowski of The Buffalo News.
ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.
Latest Fantasy Rumors
Might be shopped
DBuffalo Sabres
July 21, 2023
Jokiharju, who sustained a lower-body injury during the season finale, might be traded by Buffalo over the summer, according to Matthew Fairburn of The Athletic.
ANALYSIS
Jokiharju had three goals, 13 points, 30 PIM, 63 hits and 58 blocks in 60 contests while averaging 21:01 of ice time with the Sabres in 2022-23. Although Buffalo leaned on him heavily last season, the 24-year-old defenseman might be expendable after the Sabres signed fellow right-handed blueliners Erik Johnson and Connor Clifton over the summer. Jokiharju is entering the final season of his three-year, $7.5 million contract and is eligible to become a restricted free agent with arbitration rights after that, so moving him would provide the Sabres with some valuable cap flexibility while also sorting out the team's defensive logjam.
See All NHL Rumors