Benjamin Rautiainen, a forward for Tappara, has been honored as the best player of the SM-liiga regular season, receiving the Golden Helmet award as determined by a vote from players of the Finnish Ice Hockey Players' Association. He dominated the voting with a remarkable 523 points, far surpassing his closest competitor, Maxime Fortier of SaiPa, who garnered 270 points, and third-placed Mikael Ruohomaa of Lukko, who received 165 points.

In the voting process, all players in the SM-liiga were asked to select their top three players, with the stipulation that they could not vote for players from their own team. Rautiainen expressed his gratitude for the recognition, emphasizing the honor of receiving an award voted on by fellow players, calling it the most significant personal accolade one could receive. The achievement comes at a pivotal time in his career, as he recently became the first player to surpass the 70-point milestone in 18 years.

At just 20 years old, Rautiainen is already making headlines in the league, having equaled a nearly 50-year-old franchise record held by Martti Jarko for Tappara with 73 points. With sights set on surpassing the under-21 scoring record set by Saku Koivu, Rautiainen's accomplishments are setting a promising trajectory for his future in professional ice hockey.