| Joni Pitkänen | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 19, 1983 Oulu, Finland |
| Height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
| Weight | 213 lb (97 kg; 15 st 3 lb) |
| Position | Defence |
| Shoots | Left |
| NHL team Former teams |
Carolina Hurricanes Philadelphia Flyers Edmonton Oilers |
| National team | Finland |
| NHL Draft | 4th overall, 2002 Philadelphia Flyers |
| Playing career | 2000–present |
Joni Pitkänen (born September 19, 1983) is a Finnish professional ice hockey defenceman currently playing for the Carolina Hurricanes of the National Hockey League (NHL).
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Pitkänen started his pro hockey career in the Kärpät 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.[1] 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.[1]
On July 2, 2008, Pitkänen signed a three-year, $12 million contract with the Carolina Hurricanes as a restricted free agent.[2]
| Regular season | Playoffs | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | League | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | 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 | 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 | NHL | 71 | 8 | 19 | 27 | 44 | 15 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 6 | ||
| 2004–05 | Philadelphia Phantoms | AHL | 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 | NHL | 63 | 8 | 18 | 26 | 56 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2008–09 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 71 | 7 | 26 | 33 | 58 | 18 | 0 | 8 | 8 | 16 | ||
| 2009–10 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 71 | 6 | 40 | 46 | 72 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| 2010–11 | Carolina Hurricanes | NHL | 72 | 5 | 30 | 35 | 60 | — | — | — | — | — | ||
| NHL totals | 483 | 51 | 205 | 256 | 456 | 39 | 0 | 13 | 13 | 24 | ||||
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men's ice hockey | ||
| Competitor for Finland | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Bronze | 2010 Vancouver | Tournament |
| Year | Team | Event | GP | G | A | Pts | PIM | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Finland | 5-Nations | 4 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 | |
| 2002 | Finland | WJC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 | |
| 2003 | Finland | WJC | 7 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2010 | Finland | OG | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 29 | |
| Junior int'l totals | 18 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 6 | |||
| Senior int'l totals | 5 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 29 | |||
| Preceded by Jeff Woywitka |
Philadelphia Flyers' first round draft pick 2002 |
Succeeded by Jeff Carter |