Heponiemi scores OT winner in NHL debut

Aleksi Heponiemi SOUTHWEST BOOSTER FILE PHOTO BY STEVEN MAH

Aleksi Heponiemi capped his National Hockey League debut with an overtime goal on Saturday.

Playing in his first NHL game with the Florida Panthers, Heponiemi batted home a cross-crease feed from Anthony Duclair to lift the Panthers to a 3-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings.

The Tampere, Finland native was drafted 40th overall by the Panthers in the 2017 NHL Draft.

The former Swift Current Broncos forward wore jersey number 20 and finished with 9:30 of playing time.

Heponiemi posted 56 goals and 148 assists in 129 regular season games with the Broncos. He added 38 points in 40 playoff games, including 30 points during the 2018 WHL championship run.