Joni Pitkänen
Encyclopedia
Joni Pitkänen is a Finnish
professional ice hockey
defenceman currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes
of the National Hockey League
(NHL).
organization in the Finnish SM-liiga
, and after three seasons there he crossed the Atlantic to play for the Philadelphia Flyers
, who drafted him in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft
with their first round draft pick (fourth overall). After a good opening season that saw Pitkänen cement his place on the team lineup, he played for the Philadelphia Phantoms
during the 2004–05 NHL lockout when the team won the Calder Cup
. When the NHL resumed in 2005, Pitkänen returned to the Flyers and became the team's top-scoring defenseman, recording 46 points in 58 games. However, he was hampered by injuries during the second half of the season.
When Joni Pitkänen came to the United States to play for the Philadelphia Flyers, he hardly spoke a word of English
, so teammate and fellow Finn Sami Kapanen
translated for him, and eventually taught him English.
On July 14, 2006, Pitkänen signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Philadelphia.http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2519523 A key member of the Flyers' powerplay unit, Pitkänen was tied for second in powerplay scoring in 2006–07 with 1–17–18 and led Philadelphia in powerplay assists. During his rookie season, Pitkänen was ranked second among NHL rookies in powerplay points (5–12–17) and powerplay assists. The 23-year-old defenseman led in ice time in each of the last two seasons with Philadelphia.
Pitkänen was ranked among the NHL’s top 25 defensemen in scoring in each of the first two seasons following the 2004–05 NHL lockout. His 43 points in 2006–07 ranked him 22nd, while his career-high 13–33–46 in 2005–06 placed him 19th. He was also among the 2006–07 NHL blueline leaders in assists (16th) and ice time (20th with 24:32 minutes per-game).
On July 1, 2007, Pitkänen was traded to the Edmonton Oilers
along with Geoff Sanderson
and a third round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
in exchange for Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul
. On July 20, 2007, Pitkänen signed a one-year contract with the Oilers. With the Oilers, Pitkänen scored 8-18-26 in 63 games.
On July 1, 2008, Pitkänen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes
in exchange for Erik Cole
.
On July 2, 2008, Pitkänen signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes
as a restricted free agent.
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
professional ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
defenceman currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
of the National Hockey League
National Hockey League
The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
(NHL).
Playing career
Pitkänen started his pro hockey career in the KärpätKärpät
Oulun Kärpät is an ice hockey team in the SM-liiga based in Oulu, Finland. Their logo features a stoat ; "kärpät" is Finnish for stoats or ermines. The team has won five league championships .-History:...
organization in the Finnish SM-liiga
SM-liiga
The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice...
, and after three seasons there he crossed the Atlantic to play for the Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
, who drafted him in the 2002 NHL Entry Draft
2002 NHL Entry Draft
The 2002 NHL Entry Draft was held June 22–23 at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Canada. 291 players were drafted in total: 35 from the OHL; 23 from the QMJHL; 43 from the WHL; 41 from the NCAA; 6 from U.S high schools and 110 from outside North America....
with their first round draft pick (fourth overall). After a good opening season that saw Pitkänen cement his place on the team lineup, he played for the Philadelphia Phantoms
Philadelphia Phantoms
The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were...
during the 2004–05 NHL lockout when the team won the Calder Cup
Calder Cup
The Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...
. When the NHL resumed in 2005, Pitkänen returned to the Flyers and became the team's top-scoring defenseman, recording 46 points in 58 games. However, he was hampered by injuries during the second half of the season.
When Joni Pitkänen came to the United States to play for the Philadelphia Flyers, he hardly spoke a word of English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, so teammate and fellow Finn Sami Kapanen
Sami Kapanen
Sami Hannu Antero Kapanen is a Finnish professional ice hockey right winger currently playing for KalPa of the SM-liiga. He has played 12 seasons in the National Hockey League for the Hartford Whalers, Carolina Hurricanes and Philadelphia Flyers...
translated for him, and eventually taught him English.
On July 14, 2006, Pitkänen signed a one-year, $2 million contract with Philadelphia.http://sports.espn.go.com/nhl/news/story?id=2519523 A key member of the Flyers' powerplay unit, Pitkänen was tied for second in powerplay scoring in 2006–07 with 1–17–18 and led Philadelphia in powerplay assists. During his rookie season, Pitkänen was ranked second among NHL rookies in powerplay points (5–12–17) and powerplay assists. The 23-year-old defenseman led in ice time in each of the last two seasons with Philadelphia.
Pitkänen was ranked among the NHL’s top 25 defensemen in scoring in each of the first two seasons following the 2004–05 NHL lockout. His 43 points in 2006–07 ranked him 22nd, while his career-high 13–33–46 in 2005–06 placed him 19th. He was also among the 2006–07 NHL blueline leaders in assists (16th) and ice time (20th with 24:32 minutes per-game).
On July 1, 2007, Pitkänen was traded to the Edmonton Oilers
Edmonton Oilers
The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League ....
along with Geoff Sanderson
Geoff Sanderson
Geoff M. Sanderson is a Canadian former professional ice hockey left winger, most notably for the Hartford Whalers and Columbus Blue Jackets of the National Hockey League . Sanderson is currently a scout for the New York Islanders...
and a third round draft choice in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft
2009 NHL Entry Draft
The 2009 NHL Entry Draft was the 47th Entry Draft. It was held on June 26–27, 2009 at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec. The Draft was part of the Montreal Canadiens centennial celebrations. National Hockey League teams took turns selecting amateur ice hockey players from junior, collegiate, or...
in exchange for Jason Smith and Joffrey Lupul
Joffrey Lupul
Joffrey Douglas Sheldon Lupul is a Canadian professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Toronto Maple Leafs of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
. On July 20, 2007, Pitkänen signed a one-year contract with the Oilers. With the Oilers, Pitkänen scored 8-18-26 in 63 games.
On July 1, 2008, Pitkänen was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
in exchange for Erik Cole
Erik Cole
Erik Cole is an American professional ice hockey player currently playing for the Montreal Canadiens of the National Hockey League . He has played most of his career with the Carolina Hurricanes. He also played a brief stint with the Edmonton Oilers before returning to Carolina in 2009...
.
On July 2, 2008, Pitkänen signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes
Carolina Hurricanes
The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center...
as a restricted free agent.
Awards
- 2003–04: All-Rookie TeamNHL All-Rookie TeamThe NHL All-Rookie Team is chosen by the Professional Hockey Writers' Association from the best rookies in the National Hockey League at each position for the season just concluded based on their performance in that year...
(NHLNational Hockey LeagueThe National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States...
) - 2003–04: Played in the YoungStars GameNHL YoungStars GameThe NHL YoungStars Game started in 2002, to replace the Heroes of Hockey Old-Timers game during the All-Star Weekend activities. The first four games were played as separate games to the actual All-Star Game, but starting in 2008, it was changed to become part of the NHL Super Skills Competition,...
(NHL) - 2004–052004–05 AHL seasonThe 2004–05 AHL season was the 69th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season...
: Calder CupCalder CupThe Calder Cup is awarded annually to the playoff champion of the American Hockey League. The trophy is the world's second oldest continuous professional ice hockey championship, having first been awarded in 1937 following the 1936-37 AHL season, and continuously being awarded every year.The cup...
(Philadelphia PhantomsPhiladelphia PhantomsThe Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were...
) - 2005–06: Barry Ashbee Trophy (Philadelphia FlyersPhiladelphia FlyersThe Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League...
) - 2005–06: Pelle Lindbergh Memorial (Philadelphia Flyers)
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season Season (sports) In an organized sports league, a season is the portion of one year in which regulated games of the sport are in session. For example, in Major League Baseball, one season lasts approximately from April 1 through October 1; in Association football, it is generally from August until May In an... |
Team | League | GP | G Goal (ice hockey) In ice hockey, a goal is scored when the puck completely crosses the goal line between the two goal posts and below the goal crossbar. A goal awards one point to the team attacking the goal scored upon, regardless of which team the player who actually deflected the puck into the goal belongs to... |
A Assist (ice hockey) In ice hockey, an assist is attributed to up to two players of the scoring team who shot, passed or deflected the puck towards the scoring teammate, or touched it in any other way which enabled the goal, meaning that they were "assisting" in the goal. There can be a maximum of two assists per goal... |
Pts Point (ice hockey) Point in ice hockey has three official meanings:* A point is awarded to a player for each goal scored or assist earned. The total number of goals plus assists equals total points. In some European leagues, a goal counts as two points, and an assist counts as one... |
PIM Penalty (ice hockey) A penalty in ice hockey is a punishment for inappropriate behavior. Most penalties are enforced by detaining the offending player within a penalty box for a set number of minutes, during which, the player can not participate in play. The offending team usually may not replace the player on the ice,... |
GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1998–99 | Kärpät | Fin-Jr. | 30 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 12 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 1999–00 | Kärpät | Fin-Jr. | 38 | 12 | 14 | 26 | 26 | 6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 2000–01 | Kärpät | Fin-Jr. | 24 | 6 | 11 | 17 | 77 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2000–01 | Kärpät | SM-l SM-liiga The SM-liiga is the top professional ice hockey league in Finland. As of March 2008, it is ranked by the IIHF as the second strongest league in Europe. It was created in 1975 to replace the SM-sarja, which was fundamentally an amateur league. The SM-liiga is not directly overseen by the Finnish Ice... |
21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | ||
| 2001–02 | Kärpät | Fin-Jr. | — | — | — | — | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
| 2001–02 | Kärpät | SM-l | 49 | 4 | 15 | 19 | 65 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | ||
| 2002–03 | Kärpät | SM-l | 35 | 5 | 15 | 20 | 38 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2003–04 | Philadelphia Flyers Philadelphia Flyers The Philadelphia Flyers are a professional ice hockey team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League... |
NHL National Hockey League The National Hockey League is an unincorporated not-for-profit association which operates a major professional ice hockey league of 30 franchised member clubs, of which 7 are currently located in Canada and 23 in the United States... |
71 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 44 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 2004–05 AHL season The 2004–05 AHL season was the 69th season of the American Hockey League. Twenty-eight teams played 80 games each in the schedule. The Rochester Americans finished first overall in the regular season... |
Philadelphia Phantoms Philadelphia Phantoms The Philadelphia Phantoms were a professional ice hockey team that played in the American Hockey League from 1996 to 2009. The club was based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and played most of its home games at the Spectrum. During schedule conflicts or some Calder Cup playoff games, games were... |
AHL American Hockey League The American Hockey League is a 30-team professional ice hockey league based in the United States and Canada that serves as the primary developmental circuit for the National Hockey League... |
76 | 6 | 35 | 41 | 105 | 21 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 16 | ||
| 2005–06 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 58 | 13 | 33 | 46 | 78 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 | ||
| 2006–07 | Philadelphia Flyers | NHL | 77 | 4 | 39 | 43 | 88 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2007–08 | Edmonton Oilers Edmonton Oilers The Edmonton Oilers are a professional ice hockey team based in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. They are members of the Northwest Division in the Western Conference of the National Hockey League .... |
NHL | 63 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 2008–09 NHL season The 2008–09 NHL season was the 92nd season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the first season since prior to the 2004–05 lockout in which every team played each other at least once during the season, following three seasons where teams only played against two divisions in the... |
Carolina Hurricanes Carolina Hurricanes The Carolina Hurricanes are a professional ice hockey team based in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA. They are members of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League , and play their home games at the 18,680-seat RBC Center... |
NHL | 71 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 58 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 | ||
| 2009–10 2009–10 NHL season The 2009–10 NHL season was the 93rd season of operation of the National Hockey League , and the 100th season since the founding of the predecessor National Hockey Association . It ran from October 1, 2009, including four games in Europe on October 2 and 3—until April 11, 2010, with the 2010... |
Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 71 | 6 | 40 | 46 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 2010–11 NHL season The 2010–11 NHL season was the 94th season of operation of the National Hockey League . It was the fourth consecutive season that opened in Europe with NHL Premiere . A record three events were scheduled, all in previous NHL Premiere cities: Helsinki, Finland; Stockholm, Sweden; and Prague, Czech... |
Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 72 | 5 | 30 | 35 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 483 | 51 | 205 | 256 | 456 | 39 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 24 | ||||
International
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Finland | 5-Nations | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2002 2002 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships The 2002 IIHF World U20 Championship, commonly referred as the 2002 World Junior Hockey Championships , was the 26th edition of the World Junior Ice Hockey Championships... |
Finland | WJC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2003 2003 World Junior Ice Hockey Championships -Group B:All times local .-Relegation round:Results from any games played during the preliminary round were carried forward to the relegation round.All times local .... |
Finland | WJC | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics Ice hockey at the 2010 Winter Olympics was held at Canada Hockey Place, home of the National Hockey League's Vancouver Canucks, and at UBC Winter Sports Centre, home of the Canadian Interuniversity Sport's UBC Thunderbirds. Twelve teams competed in the men's event and eight teams competed in the... |
Finland | OG Ice hockey at the Olympic Games Ice hockey tournaments have been staged at the Olympic Games since 1920. The men's tournament was introduced at the 1920 Summer Olympics and was transferred permanently to the Winter Olympic Games programme in 1924. The women's tournament was first held at the 1998 Winter Olympics... |
5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 29 | |
| Junior int'l totals | 18 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | |||
| Senior int'l totals | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 29 | |||
External links
- Joni Pitkänen on nhlfinns.com