Alanko’s post-draft season has looked more like a controlled development year than a straight-line breakout. Utah took him at No. 182 in June, brought him to development camp, and highlighted the same foundation that made him draftable in the first place: a 6-5 right-shot defenseman with puck poise on breakouts and the patience to hold for a better option. Jokerit then gave him a real Mestis look, but in measured doses. He finished with 14 regular-season games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 14 penalty minutes, and 11:56 per game, with most of those appearances coming in September and October before only a brief December return. That deployment says a lot: the size and edge earned him men’s reps, but he was not yet driving enough to lock down that level full time. Finland still kept him on the national-team track, naming him to the U20 challenger group in October and dressing him in February’s Joensuu event against Czechia, which is a good sign that his longer-view projection still holds. The profile remains a patient bet on reach, physicality, and simple puck movement, but the next step is turning those tools into cleaner, more repeatable Mestis minutes.

Whew, back to normal as Alanko in a 6-5 right-shot defenseman. He competes hard and is not afraid to play physically, but his skating skills do need some improvement. His offensive instincts are there, but do not stand out. He is more of a defense-minded defenseman with size. Alanko will play for Jokerit during the 2024-25 season in the Mestis.

Drafted in the sixth round, 182nd overall, Reko Alanko is now a member of the Utah Mammoth.