Mikko Niemi
Encyclopedia
Mikko Niemi
Mikko Niemi (born June 17, 1972 in Tampere
, Finland
is a retired Finnish
professional ice hockey
player. Niemi began his career at junior level icing for his local team Ilves Tampere at junior A SM-Liiga standard, the highest level of junior ice hockey. In his first season, 1989/90 he featured in 34 games, and helped out the offence with six points. This pushed Ilves into the post-season, where Niemi played on three occasions and also managing his first post-season point. Niemi was a cornerstone of the junior team, playing more than 60 times throughout the 1990/91 and 1991/92 seasons, again making the post-season in 1992 where he scored his first playoff goal.
Niemi's chance at senior level came the following season, 1992/93. He alternated between the junior A standard and full SM-Liiga
level and played 8 times for the full Ilves team, a significant achievement for a twenty year old defenceman. Part way through the 1992/93 season however, Niemi made a temporary move to FPS
who played at the lower Mestis
standard in Niemi's homeland. The defenceman coped well with the change and scored 5 points in 23 games at senior level as well as 3 points in 7 junior contests.
For the start of the 1993/94 season, Niemi was an Ilves player and played on five occasions in the SM-Liiga. He was sent out to lower division teams again however in order to develop him as a player, this time icing for Hermes Kokkola and KooVee, another team from the city of Tampere. Niemi found himself as a regular player for both teams.
His showings at the lower level again persuaded Ilves to recall Niemi to their first team squad for the 1994/95 season. He found only limited opportunities however, playing just five SM-Liiga games and making six Liigakarsinta appearances. It was his last season as an Ilves player, as Niemi chose to move to Sweden
and Örebro IK. Again he failed to establish himself as a key player, and made just eleven appearances before a mid-season switch to play for the Durham Wasps
of the BHL
. Niemi played 15 times for the Wasps before the end of the season. Despite a reasonably successful spell in the United Kingdom
, Niemi moved to Germany
and EV Landsberg. This sparked Niemi's point scoring ability, and in 53 games he scored 41 points, a remarkable total for a defenceman.
Niemi remained in Germany for the following season (1997-98), although moved to play for the EV Duisburg organisation. Here he was rather less successful, playing just 16 times and managing just one assist. Niemi failed to gain a contract for fully professional hockey the next year, and returned for the 1999/2000 season as a Herlev Hornets
player. The Hornets ice in the highest level of Danish hockey, the Oddset Ligaen
. Niemi combined his defensive duties with his offensive talent well for Herlev, scoring 22 points in 42 league games. This success saw Niemi signed by Rungsted IK, again of the Oddset Ligaen for the 2000/01 term. Niemi stayed just one season though before moving back to Herlev, where he again tasted success and helped the team into the post season.
Niemi returned to the United Kingdom
for the 2003/04 season, and played in the newly formed EIHL for the London Racers
in their debut season as an organisation. Niemi played 19 games for the Racers before moving mid-season to another team playing their first season, the Manchester Phoenix
. The Phoenix organisation struggled financially however, and at the end of the season had to temporarily terminate playing operations.
This prompted Niemi to return to his native Finland and sign for HC Montreal of the Suomi-sarja
, the third tier of Finnish ice hockey. Niemi played on ten occasions for Montreal, scoring one point. He remained in the Sarja for his final professional season, icing for LeKi Lempäälä on nine occasions before announcing his retirement from the game.
Mikko Niemi (born June 17, 1972 in Tampere
Tampere
Tampere is a city in southern Finland. It is the most populous inland city in any of the Nordic countries. The city has a population of , growing to approximately 300,000 people in the conurbation and over 340,000 in the metropolitan area. Tampere is the third most-populous municipality in...
, Finland
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...
is a retired Finnish
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...
player. Niemi began his career at junior level icing for his local team Ilves Tampere at junior A SM-Liiga standard, the highest level of junior ice hockey. In his first season, 1989/90 he featured in 34 games, and helped out the offence with six points. This pushed Ilves into the post-season, where Niemi played on three occasions and also managing his first post-season point. Niemi was a cornerstone of the junior team, playing more than 60 times throughout the 1990/91 and 1991/92 seasons, again making the post-season in 1992 where he scored his first playoff goal.
Niemi's chance at senior level came the following season, 1992/93. He alternated between the junior A standard and full 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...
level and played 8 times for the full Ilves team, a significant achievement for a twenty year old defenceman. Part way through the 1992/93 season however, Niemi made a temporary move to FPS
FPS (ice hockey)
FPS is a Finnish ice hockey team based in Forssan jäähalli , Forssa, established in 1931. Forssan Palloseura has two lower level teams: FoPS which plays in lower divisions and FoPS Flames which plays in the 2...
who played at the lower Mestis
Mestis
Mestis, , is the second-highest ice hockey league in Finland.The league was established in 2000 to replace the first division. Since 2000, Mestis has been the highest hockey league in Finland that can be reached with playing merits only; the SM-liiga was closed in 2000...
standard in Niemi's homeland. The defenceman coped well with the change and scored 5 points in 23 games at senior level as well as 3 points in 7 junior contests.
For the start of the 1993/94 season, Niemi was an Ilves player and played on five occasions in the SM-Liiga. He was sent out to lower division teams again however in order to develop him as a player, this time icing for Hermes Kokkola and KooVee, another team from the city of Tampere. Niemi found himself as a regular player for both teams.
His showings at the lower level again persuaded Ilves to recall Niemi to their first team squad for the 1994/95 season. He found only limited opportunities however, playing just five SM-Liiga games and making six Liigakarsinta appearances. It was his last season as an Ilves player, as Niemi chose to move to Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
and Örebro IK. Again he failed to establish himself as a key player, and made just eleven appearances before a mid-season switch to play for the Durham Wasps
Durham Wasps
The Durham Wasps was an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996...
of the BHL
British Hockey League
The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League...
. Niemi played 15 times for the Wasps before the end of the season. Despite a reasonably successful spell in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
, Niemi moved to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and EV Landsberg. This sparked Niemi's point scoring ability, and in 53 games he scored 41 points, a remarkable total for a defenceman.
Niemi remained in Germany for the following season (1997-98), although moved to play for the EV Duisburg organisation. Here he was rather less successful, playing just 16 times and managing just one assist. Niemi failed to gain a contract for fully professional hockey the next year, and returned for the 1999/2000 season as a Herlev Hornets
Herlev Hornets
The Herlev IC Hornets are a Danish professional ice hockey team playing in the top Danish ice hockey league AL-Bank Ligaen. The team is located in the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev....
player. The Hornets ice in the highest level of Danish hockey, the Oddset Ligaen
Oddset Ligaen
AL-Bank Ligaen is the premier league in Danish ice hockey. The teams are semi-professional with only the best Danish and foreign players being fully professional.- History :The name is a result of a sponsorship deal with a Danish bank Arbejdernes Landsbank...
. Niemi combined his defensive duties with his offensive talent well for Herlev, scoring 22 points in 42 league games. This success saw Niemi signed by Rungsted IK, again of the Oddset Ligaen for the 2000/01 term. Niemi stayed just one season though before moving back to Herlev, where he again tasted success and helped the team into the post season.
Niemi returned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
for the 2003/04 season, and played in the newly formed EIHL for the London Racers
London Racers
The London Racers was a British ice hockey club based in London, England formerly members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Although founded in 2003, it claimed to be a successor of the Harringay Racers club established in 1936. Due to a lack of suitable ice facility the club suspended its team...
in their debut season as an organisation. Niemi played 19 games for the Racers before moving mid-season to another team playing their first season, the Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix
Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in...
. The Phoenix organisation struggled financially however, and at the end of the season had to temporarily terminate playing operations.
This prompted Niemi to return to his native Finland and sign for HC Montreal of the Suomi-sarja
Suomi-sarja
The Suomi-sarja is Finland's third-highest ice hockey league. Suomi-sarja has 4 divisions. Suomi-sarja has been played since the 1999-2000 season. Prior to this, Finland's third league had been Division II since 1975 and before that the Provincial Series since 1947. During the 1990s the series also...
, the third tier of Finnish ice hockey. Niemi played on ten occasions for Montreal, scoring one point. He remained in the Sarja for his final professional season, icing for LeKi Lempäälä on nine occasions before announcing his retirement from the game.
Career statistics
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | ||
| 1989-90 | Ilves Tampere | Jr. A SM-Liiga | 34 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 24 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1990-91 | Ilves Tampere | Jr. A SM-Liiga | 36 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1991-92 | Ilves Tampere | Jr. A SM-Liiga | 30 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | ||
| 1992-93 | Ilves Tampere | 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... |
8 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1992-93 | Ilves Tampere | Jr. A SM-Liiga | 9 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | ||
| 1992-93 | FPS FPS (ice hockey) FPS is a Finnish ice hockey team based in Forssan jäähalli , Forssa, established in 1931. Forssan Palloseura has two lower level teams: FoPS which plays in lower divisions and FoPS Flames which plays in the 2... |
I Divisioona | 23 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1992-93 | FPS FPS (ice hockey) FPS is a Finnish ice hockey team based in Forssan jäähalli , Forssa, established in 1931. Forssan Palloseura has two lower level teams: FoPS which plays in lower divisions and FoPS Flames which plays in the 2... |
Jr. A SM-liiga | 7 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1993-94 | Ilves Tampere | 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... |
5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1993-94 | Hermes Kokkola | I Divisioona | 29 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 45 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1993-94 | KooVee | II Divisioona | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | ||
| 1994-95 | KooVee | II Divisioona | 23 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1994-95 | Ilves Tampere | 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... |
5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1994-95 | Ilves Tampere | Liigakarsinta | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1995-96 | Örebro IK | Div.1 (SWE) | 11 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 10 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1995-96 | Durham Wasps Durham Wasps The Durham Wasps was an ice hockey team located in Durham and was one of England's most well-known names in ice hockey. The team was bought by Sir John Hall and moved to the neighbouring city of Newcastle Upon Tyne in August 1996... |
BHL British Hockey League The British Hockey League was the top-flight ice hockey league in the United Kingdom from 1982 until 1996, when it was replaced by the Ice Hockey Superleague and the British National League... |
15 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 18 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1996-97 | EV Landsberg | 1.Liga Süd | 53 | 17 | 24 | 41 | 71 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1997-98 | EV Duisburg | 1.Liga Nord | 16 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 41 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 1999-00 | Herlev IC Herlev Hornets The Herlev IC Hornets are a Danish professional ice hockey team playing in the top Danish ice hockey league AL-Bank Ligaen. The team is located in the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev.... |
Oddset Ligaen Oddset Ligaen AL-Bank Ligaen is the premier league in Danish ice hockey. The teams are semi-professional with only the best Danish and foreign players being fully professional.- History :The name is a result of a sponsorship deal with a Danish bank Arbejdernes Landsbank... |
42 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 46 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2000-01 | Rungsted IK | Oddset Ligaen Oddset Ligaen AL-Bank Ligaen is the premier league in Danish ice hockey. The teams are semi-professional with only the best Danish and foreign players being fully professional.- History :The name is a result of a sponsorship deal with a Danish bank Arbejdernes Landsbank... |
||||||||||||
| 2001-02 | Herlev IC Herlev Hornets The Herlev IC Hornets are a Danish professional ice hockey team playing in the top Danish ice hockey league AL-Bank Ligaen. The team is located in the Copenhagen suburb of Herlev.... |
Oddset Ligaen Oddset Ligaen AL-Bank Ligaen is the premier league in Danish ice hockey. The teams are semi-professional with only the best Danish and foreign players being fully professional.- History :The name is a result of a sponsorship deal with a Danish bank Arbejdernes Landsbank... |
35 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 75 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 | ||
| 2003-04 | London Racers London Racers The London Racers was a British ice hockey club based in London, England formerly members of the Elite Ice Hockey League. Although founded in 2003, it claimed to be a successor of the Harringay Racers club established in 1936. Due to a lack of suitable ice facility the club suspended its team... |
EIHL | 19 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 54 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2003-04 | Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix Manchester Phoenix are a professional ice hockey team from Altrincham, Greater Manchester, England. The club was formed in 2003 as a result of the efforts of supporters group Friends of Manchester Ice Hockey to bring top-level ice hockey back to Manchester after Manchester Storm folded in... |
EIHL | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 20 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2004-05 | HC Montreal | Suomi-sarja Suomi-sarja The Suomi-sarja is Finland's third-highest ice hockey league. Suomi-sarja has 4 divisions. Suomi-sarja has been played since the 1999-2000 season. Prior to this, Finland's third league had been Division II since 1975 and before that the Provincial Series since 1947. During the 1990s the series also... |
10 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 12 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| 2005-06 | LeKi Lempäälä | Suomi-sarja Suomi-sarja The Suomi-sarja is Finland's third-highest ice hockey league. Suomi-sarja has 4 divisions. Suomi-sarja has been played since the 1999-2000 season. Prior to this, Finland's third league had been Division II since 1975 and before that the Provincial Series since 1947. During the 1990s the series also... |
9 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | ||
| Career totals | 425 | 42 | 88 | 130 | 486 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 10 | 14 | ||||
External links
- Mikko Niemi Personal Profile, Manchester Phoenix Official Website.