Former First-Rounder Rasmus Kupari Signs In Switzerland

Finnish forward Rasmus Kupari, 25, has signed a two-year contract with HC Lugano, the National League club announced on Tuesday.

“I think Lugano is the ideal place to take the next step in my career,” Kupari is quoted. “I want to be a leader on and off the ice and bring my game to the entire rink, both defensively and offensively. I think my most important skill is skating.”

“Rasmus has played his last five seasons in the NHL and AHL,” said Lugano GM Janick Steinmann. “He’s a first-line forward, a good skater with important attributes in every area of the rink. In North America, he has often been assigned more defensive roles, but with us, he will be able to assert his skills as more of a two-way player. I am convinced that he will adapt very well to the National League and have a strong impact offensively. I am extremely happy to have him with us in Lugano and to be able to observe all his potential.”

Kupari hails from Kotka, Finland, and turned pro with the Kärpät club in Oulu at age 17. He recorded 52 points in 104 Liiga regular-season and playoff games.

Kupari was picked 20th overall by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft. Despite this, he never played more than 66 NHL games in a season or recorded more than 15 points. Between 2020 and 2025, Kupari played in 217 regular-season games, scoring 14 goals and adding 24 assists for 38 points with 52 penalty minutes for the Kings and Winnipeg Jets. He also played 11 playoff games for Los Angeles, where he was held without a point.

Internationally, Kupari played in three IIHF World Junior Championships, playing a large part in Finland’s gold-medal win in 2019 with five points in seven games and scoring the winning goal in the final, but getting injured in the first game of the 2020 tournament.

Kupari joins a Lugano team that is trying to rebuild its roster after missing the playoffs last season.